Remember May 21st Operation Spectrum at Speaker's Corner
-
Remember May 21st
On May 21st 1987, 22 young social workers, lawyers, businessmen, theatre practitioners and other professionals were detained without trial under the internal security law and accused of “being members of a dangerous Marxist conspiracy bent on subverting the PAP ruled government by force, and replacing it with a Marxist state.” A second wave of arrests took place on June 20th the same year.
The detainees were forced to make false confessions by the way of mental and physical torture. They were subjected to harsh and intensive interrogations, deprived of sleep and rest, some for as long as 70 hours in freezing cold rooms. All of them were stripped of their personal clothings, including spectacles, footwear and underwear and were made to change into prisoners’ uniforms.
Most of them were made to stand during interrogation for over 20 hours and under full blasts of air conditioning turned to the lowest temperature. Under those conditions, one of them was repeatedly doused with cold water. Most were hit in the face while others were assaulted on other parts of the body. Threats of indefinite detention without trial were also made to them should they continue to deny the intentions that they have been accused to harbour.
They were then compelled to appear on TV with their confessions and were told that their release would be dependent on their performance on TV.
On 21st May 2009, which marks the 22nd anniversary of ‘Operation Spectrum’, a group of concerned Singaporeans will be demonstrating against the treatment of the detainees who were detained without trial under the ISA. You are invited to come to Speakers Corner and remember this day with us.
6.30pm, 21st May 2009
Speakers Corner, Hong Lim Park -
A detainee remembers
BY Tang Fong Har, one of the 22 people held in 1987 for "communist conspiracy to overthrow the Singapore government." In April that year the author, a lawyer aged then 31, with eight other former detainees issued a declaration of innocence. All were at once rearrested, except Tang Fong Har, who was out of the country.
IT was Saturday, June 20, I had finished two office files in preparation for Monday. It was almost 12.30 am and Peter, my husband, was already asleep.
We were saying in a semi-detached single-storey house that belonged to a friend. We were both very tired and tense. We had been since May 20 when the first 16 people were arrested.
I had met lawyer and opposition leader Mr J. B. Jeyaretnam for tea at the Subordinate Courts canteen on Wednesday, June 17. I had met two Amnesty Internal officials on Thursday evening, June 18, and I just had dinner with two friends on the night of 19 June.
I went to bed at about 1 am. At slightly before 2 am, very loud banging on the glass door woke me. Still half asleep, I thought the noise might go away, but I heard it again, and some noises outside the house. I woke Peter and he went to the door.
I saw flashing lights and some people outside. One of them said that they were searching for illegal immigrants and showed his badge. He also said that he was from Joo Chiat Police Station. I felt fear and knew that they were Internal Security Department (ISD) officers.
Peter opened the door and let in the four officers, three Chinese males and one female. He carried a sack. Once inside, a Chinese in his early 40s asked whether I was Tang Fong Har. I nodded yes, and he told me that I was under arrest under the Internal Security Act.Though it was not totally unexpected, I was nevertheless stunned and speechless. He warned us not to move, and the others then systematically searched the house - the bedrooms, the bathrooms, the kitchen and the living room. I did not see them searching the garden.
The man who had spoken to us stood near us all the while. Peter asked him, "Doesn't she have any rights?" He looked at Peter in a funny way and the rest laughed cynically. The search took some 40 minutes. They seized my address-book, file of cuttings and articles on the May 20 arrests, some copies of minutes of the Law Society Criminal Legal Aid Scheme and AWARE (Association of Women for Action and Research) meetings.
When the time came for me to be taken away, I told Peter not to worry about me and to contact my family and lawyer. His face was expressionless. He did not raise his voice at all, and neither did I. I was led to a car, my glasses were removed and I was blindfolded. We drove off.
When the car stopped, my blindfold was removed and my glasses were handed to me, and I realised that I was in the carpark of the block of flats my parents lived in. They escorted me to my parents' flat and conducted another search. I pleaded with them not to disturb my family, in particular my parents. My pleas fell on deaf ears.
The search was futile, and I could see that my family was in a panic and feeling angry, bewildered and helpless. Then I was again led to the car, my glasses were removed and I was blindfolded. The reaction of my family members had affected me.
When I reached the Whitley Road Detention Centre (I found out where I was only during my lawyer's visit), my blindfold was removed, but my glasses were not returned to me. I kept telling myself - do not panic, do not worry, but what's happening, where am I, what is this place, where are the others and how are they, how are my husband, my parents, my siblings and friends?
I was then ordered by the female Chinese officer to remove my clothes, underwear and shoes and put on a set of prison clothes. After that, I was led into another room where a male Chinese took fours sets of my fingerprints.
My glasses were returned to me and I was ordered to sit on a chair while two photographers took about six shots of me. It was like something out of the film Midnight Express. I felt I was a condemned criminal.
The female Chinese and a Gurkha guard then escorted me to what looked like a poorly equipped medical room, where I was ordered to lie on the bed; and a male Sikh (after my release I found out he was Dr Naranjin Singh, the head of the Prison Medical Unit). He examined me, took my pulse, looked at my tongue and eyes, and asked whether I had any medical problems, had been to the hospital or was pregnant. I replied in the negative very vigorously as I was worried that he might inject some drugs or prescribe some medicine, which would affect my mental and/r physical faculties adversely.
INTERROGATION:
I FELT really frightened, cold, angry and sleepy. It was the longest night in my life. After my 'medical' examination, I was led out of the room and down a passage. After some turns, I reached a door, which opened onto a flight of stairs leading to the basement.
As I walked, without my glasses, I heard noises everywhere. I was approached several times by different men, each of whom said in a haughty manner, "So you are Tang Fong Har'" and then walked off. The basement was pitch-black except for the glaring lights. I was led into a room.It was very dark except for the two spotlights, and it was filled with cigarette smoke - there seemed to be about seven or eight people there. The air-conditioning was very strong, and the floor was bare concrete. I felt cold and fearful.
After what seemed an eternity of eerie of silence, a voice boomed - "So, Tang Fong Har, at last you are here.' Then there began a series of questions and outrageous allegations. I could not hear properly as I was disoriented and I was not allowed to wear my glasses.
The hurling of questions, allegations, and loud noises went on for some time. I was so stupefied that I kept quiet. When I felt that I could not keep quiet anymore, I told them I needed my glasses as they affected my hearing.
My glasses were then returned. I saw four people seated at the table, which I was standing fairly near. Two or three other people were standing nearby in sports jackets, shoes and socks. Barefoot and in prison garb, I felt humiliated and very cold. I was shivering and I tried very hard to stop my teeth from chattering but I could not, and the interrogators just watched me as I was in near-spasms trying to control the cold.
At one point during the interrogation I was threatened with indefinite detention and asked whether I intended to emulate Chia Thye Poh. They warned me that if I chose to remain quiet, they could wait for 20 years or more, just as they had waited for Chia Thye Poh.
I refused to believe it but somehow my heart went cold. I felt I could not stay in this place for another minute, let alone 20 years. I also felt immense admiration for Chia Thye Poh. The male interrogator throughout made snide remarks about lawyers and the legal profession and belittled my work in the Law Society.
In the midst of the accusations being hurled at me, I retorted "Now, look here..." or words to that effect. I never completed my sentence: one of the interrogators slapped me across my left cheek, not with a flick of his wrist but with the full force of his body.
I fell to the ground and my glasses landed on my chest. I was completely shocked by the assault and wished that I could faint as I felt that I could not take any more. I had never felt more humiliated in my life.
The female Chinese then made a show of helping me to stand and said something like "It's ok. Take it easy. Why don't you co-operate?" I can't remember whether the interrogator who slapped me remained in the room after this. However, I remembered his face and subsequently I came to know his name: S. K. Tan.
I was then questioned on my 'escape' from Singapore on May 21 and my whereabouts from then until my return on June 8. I also had to account for my movements since my return. They assured me that I had not been arrested because of my work in the Law Society or for helping Mr Corera, the Workers Party candidate for the Alexandria constituency in the 1984 general election.
However, I was not informed about the allegations and charges against me until the detention order was served on me. The circle of questions/statements/allegations went on for some hours. Every time I went to the lavatory, I vomited and I felt even colder when I returned. I had looked at myself in the toilet mirror and I was a ghastly sight.
This was the first time in public that I was bra-less and I stooped whenever I walked so as to hide my breasts. My posture was a semi-permanent curve soon after. I could not stop the trembling. I vomited countless times, and by the morning of the third day I had my period and I stained the prison pants.
I continued vomiting until the fourth day, by which time I felt quite famished. I had never felt more terrible in my life. Some 10 hours later, I was led out of the basement and into one of the rooms off the passage, and was given a chair.
My case officer, David Ng, sat opposite me and we started talking. While we discussed my statements, other officers like S. K. Tan, a Benny (allegedly number 3 in the ISD), Lim Poh Kui and Sim Poh Heng would walk in individually at different times to 'clarify' certain points.
Before my arrest, I had settled in my mind that statements extracted from me or any other detainee in this farcical operation were invalid and of no probative value. They could never stand up to scrutiny in a court of law. I had done nothing subversive and I was not disloyal to Singapore. It is as much my country as it was the rulers'.
Should I keep quiet and let them deal with me as they wished? I decided to write; but I feel, with hindsight, that I was sometimes careless in describing events and people and what I wrote was twisted - and I 'incriminated' people, those already detained and those not yet arrested, in my efforts to protect them.
I was never given the chance to write the statements my own way. When I first started, I had barely finished two pages when my case officer looked through them and said, "That won't do, Fong Har, you are describing one activity after another. The flavour doesn't come out, Fong Har, you understand?"
I understood perfectly and I learnt to take the cue from him. I started writing only when he was satisfied. The writing drained me. I felt very exhausted and I just wanted to finish with it, the sooner the better. I was then told about the TV appearance. Initially,
I refused to appear; but I was told that Chew Kheng Chuan (KC), a printer and one of the six detained on 20 June 1987 and Chng Suan Tze, a lecturer at the Singapore Polytechnic, also one of the six detained on June 20, 1987, would appear, and so I agreed.
Some three days before it, my case officer typed out a summary of what I had to say and made me memorise it. On the day, when we reached the ISD bungalow near Tanglin Park, my case officer took away my summary. The filming took about 90 minutes.
Khamaruddin, the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation interviewer, only asked me one question and I rattled on. When I had finished, he looked at me and asked how I felt now. This question was unexpected and I was at a complete loss for words.There was a pregnant pause; and I ended up by saying that if unwittingly I had done a disservice to Singapore, I felt bad about it. I heaved a sigh of relief when the microphone was removed. My dress was drenched with perspiration.
I then remembered that I had not talked about the Third Stage (a theatre group accused of subversion). My case officer presumably had studied the summary and realised the omission, too, and I then had to talk about the Third Stage.Suan joined me. I felt so happy to see a friend that I hugged her. Then KC joined us. I was delighted to see him too. We were made to sit together with Khamaruddin and 'donkey shots' were taken of us to give the impression to the public that Khamaruddin had conducted the interview with the three of us together.
We were allowed to talk to each other, and ISD officers (Benny and KC's officer) joined us. Before they joined us, Suan told us that she would be detained for two years at least, as she had told Khamaruddin that she did not believe in the alleged Marxist conspiracy before her arrest, and after her arrest she had found it even more difficult to believe.
After they joined us, KC told Benny about it and asked if Suan could re-do that part. Benny assured her that it was all right if that what she believed. He also said that it would not affect her chances of release in any way. We were brought back to the detention centre in different cars.
They used a variety of methods to intimidate me and to make me feel guilty. I was made to feel ashamed of my past and consequently, ashamed of my present lifestyle.
PRISONER:
AFTER my return to the detention centre from the TV filming, I was more psychologically prepared for my detention, yet I hoped against hope that I would be released after 30 days.Alas, it was not to be. On July 19, at 9 pm, I was led out of my cell. My heart thumped wildly. My case officer, in a most officious manner, served the copy of the allegations and the detention order on me.
I read the allegations and almost had to suppress my mirthless laughter. I told my case officer that I was not a security threat and that they had no reason to detain me for 30 days, let alone a year. I was informed of my right to make representations.I signed the form stating that I wanted to do so. The air was charged with tension. My case officer asked whether there was anything I wanted. I told him that I wanted to return to my cell.
And so I sought refuge in my empty and dead cell. I cried a little that night. After my statements were written, I saw no reason to engage in polite conversation with them. I spoke relatively little, and on those occasions we touched on inconsequential topics.
Sometimes, my case officer was absent and the female guard would stay with me in the room for some four hours; and then I would be sent back to my cell. I also played Scrabble and Uno and had a compendium of games.
I am a gregarious and sociable creature. I had always been surrounded by family and friends and had known nothing but love, warmth and friendship. Needless to say, solitary confinement was a terrible affliction.
I received fairly frequent visits from some officers, notably S. K. Tan. He tried to engage me in conversation and tried to probe my reasons for filing representations before the Advisory Board, scheduled for hearing on August 15.
I refused to be provoked into commenting on the case or into revealing what transpired between my lawyer, Soh Gim Chuan, and myself during our meetings.
They also probed into the nature of his practice and whether he charged me any professional fees. S.K. Tan has now turned into a welfare officer and was most concerned that my stay should be as cosy as possible within ISD's limits.
I was enticed with my favourite foods and was allowed to watch TV programmes, as selected by them. I responded negatively to their overtures.
On one occasion, I asked S. K. Tan why he had slapped during the interrogation. He told me that I was mistaken. I had moved back and lost my balance. I said nothing, but my eyes told him that what he had said was balderdash.
Days became weeks and I sang whatever came into my mind and I sang loudly. The warden on duty ticked me off several times. I read books and, being a fast reader, I would finish the five books, which Peter brought each week. I sometimes read them three times.
I tried to keep myself busy by scrubbing the cell walls and floor. I also became acutely aware of God's little creatures (ants, mosquitoes, centipedes, lizards, cockroaches, spiders etc), the sun, moon and the tree in front of my cell.
They tried to rehabilitate me with pep talks laced with threats. They kept saying that I could start life anew with Peter and put everything behind me. I refused to be indoctrinated by them.
Until my representations were over, I was very tense and the stress and strain accumulated in my neck, which became very stiff. The day of the hearing of the representations arrived.
The High Court judge, Justice Sinnathuray, together with two Chinese males in their late 40s or early 50s, presided over the hearing, which was held in the judges' chambers. The other two did not introduce themselves and barely spoke or moved throughout the whole proceedings.
A case officer, Lim Poh Kui, a female police guard and the driver of the car accompanied me. The judge was cordial to me. He hardly interrupted my lawyer when he went through my representations. He seemed exasperated only at one point.
When queried on my future plans, I told him that I would get a job and continue my flat hunting and, if I was free, interested and approached, help in the election campaign of opposition candidates. He told me that that was what had got me into trouble in the first place and that politics should be left to the politicians.
He again questioned me on my future plans and turned to look at my lawyer. My lawyer then submitted that further representations would be made on this point by Monday, August 17.
I could not gauge the outcome of the hearing but somehow it did not matter too much now. My stiff neck disappeared and I felt the tension roll away from me.
Psychologically and emotionally, I then coped better with detention in solitary confinement. Life took on a 'more pleasant' turn. I started my Chinese lessons. I would also sing for about an hour at least twice a day.
My audience comprised God's little creatures, the warden on duty and, definitely, my immediate neighbours, - Wong Souk Yee (president of the Third Stage, detained in May 1987) and Low Yit Leng (manager of a printing firm, also detained in May 1987). My reading continued.
At other times, I would be let out of my cell for 'rehabilitation' sessions during which the female police guard on duty would while away the time discussing such weighty matters as skin-care, make-up and the like. We also indulged in healthy gossip.
Some days I would be left in my cell - once, for four days. I would usually read till I felt drowsy and fall asleep while reading. It was unbearably hot in the afternoons - the cell was like a furnace and I practically oozed perspiration.
I could not wait for the afternoon to end each day. I tried to reduce the temperature by dousing the cell with water at noon. I had dreams but I could not remember them. I exercised regularly. Once in a while, I would execute a judo-like kick on the walls.
One fine day, I was told that Suan would be my cellmate. I had become accustomed to living on my own, but when she came, I began to enjoy my meals more. We became keener students in our study of Chinese. Since she was more proficient than me, I consulted her frequently. We sang more and our repertoire increased.
Life was certainly "bearable" with the exception of the three square meals dished out to us each day.
"FREEDOM":
ON September 11, at 9 pm, I was called out of our cell alone. We were adamant that we should leave the cell together, but it was not to be. I was taken to the 'rehabilitation' room; my case officer was the purveyor of the 'good news'.
He impressed upon me that I had been treated fairly, if not well. I stuck to my position that if I talked to the press, I would say 'no comment' to their queries.
Various people came in at different times. They repeated my case officer's words, adding that I had to be very careful what I said to the press as this would affect the release of those still inside. They told me that they were sure that I would not want to jeopardise the release of the remaining detainees.
They also threatened that if I did not keep out of trouble, they would not hesitate to take me in again, and next time they would let me rot. I was not allowed to consult my lawyer and family in respect of the three conditions attached to the Suspension Direction.
These pep talks interspersed with threats went on for some time, and I was then allowed to return to the cell. I literally stank of smoke and Suan guessed that I had met top ISD officers.
Although I was not told when I would be released, it was the next day that I left. Suan and I were sad to leave each other. They refused to say anything about her release or that of the others, and my request to see them was also rejected. Suan sang a farewell song to me and I yelled goodbye to my neighbours.
After Suan and I hugged each other, I walked out of the detention centre with Peter and my parents. It was 4 pm on September 12. I had been detained for 85 days.
I felt happy to see my loved ones, but my steps out of the blue gate were not brisk. I had left a part of me inside. I have learnt to treasure justice and freedom even more.
I shall not rest until they are our entrenched rights and not mere privileges, removable at the arbitrary whims and fancies of the powers-that-be.
* This is an abridged version of the article which was published in the August 1989 issue of Index on Censorship, a UK-based NGO. -
eh??wat???is this the menu for alaskan crabs or a recipe for peking roast duck??
-
u felt frightened????cooking alaskan crabs????
let the real fight begin with the real men!
damsels like u shouldnt be involved in fights like these especially if its a mans job.
-
I'll be there.
-
waa..free aircon........female guard.....can talk so much also,,,,,,,,,,,,can play games too???zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
sounds better than my army camp..mmmmmmmmmh..i wanna move in and stay in there forever.....just go n ask them bout internet and cable tv b4 i check in!
if they dun like me there,,,then i die inside there lorr!!!!
-
can i install aircon in cell...??i can volunteer to install one b4 movin in!!
-
Lee Kuan Yew's Betrayal of PAP and Singapore: Ex President Devan Nair
21st May 2009 marks the 22nd anniversary of a security sweep codenamed Operation Spectrum, which saw the arrests and detention of 22 young professionals in Singapore under the Internal Security Act.
The "Marxist Conspiracy" arrests, as it is commonly known, also involved the detentions of lawyers Francis Seow and Patrick Seong in 1988 as they sought to represent some of the detainees who were re-arrested that year.
Upon release, Seow contested in the 1988 General Elections under the Workers' Party ticket and lost narrowly to the PAP incumbents. The Government subsequently filed tax evasion charges against Seow, who was overseas at that time and has remained in US until today.
In 1994, he published 'To Catch A Tartar', which documented in considerable detail his 72 days' ordeal under ISA detention in Whitley Detention Centre.
The following is the foreword to the book, written by former President and founding PAP member Devan Nair, who himself lived in self-exile after openly criticising the Government over the 'Marxist Conspiracy' detentions. He passed away in Ontario, Canada in 2005.
By C.V Devan Nair
Foreword to To Catch A Tartar, Francis T. Seow
Published in 1994
Before reading Francis Seow's manuscript, I had decided that I would decline his request for a
foreword. My political days are definitely over - and more reasons than
either friends or foes imagine. Apart from a series of reflective
essays (in preparation) on the making of an ideal (in which I too had
been privileged to share), on its unmaking (which I watched in helpless
pain from the sidelines), and on the dubious - to say the least -
political and social aftermath of phenomenal economic success, I had,
and still have, no intention of becoming involved in promoting the
political views or program of any individual or group, whether within
or without Singapore...http://singaporerebel.blogspot.com/2009/05/
-
To Catch a Tartar: A Dissident in Lee Kuan Yew's Prison
A Look at the Darker Side of LKY's Singapore
As a Singaporean, I heard about Francis Seow when I was younger. I remember him as a very eloquent speaker and a potential contender for Lee Kuan Yew's PAP government. I also remember how he was constantly potrayed by the local media as a 'dishonest' tax-evader, a 'collaborator' with the Americans to disrupt Singapore's political stability, a 'womaniser', etc.
This book looks into the darker side of Singapore's politics from Seow's point of view. It begins with Seow's account of his early career as a government official, his clash with LKY after becoming president of the Law Society, and his 72-day detention without trial under Singapore's Internal Security Act in the late 1980s. Seow's book is a first-hand account of how a Singaporean has suffered under the PAP government's use of biased legislation and media manipulation to maintain political hegemony.
Parts of LKY's speeches in the 1950s and 1960s were cleverly quoted by Seow to show the irony of LKY's government, demonstrating how LKY has become almost everything he used to be against since he came into power. Although the economic success of Singapore since independence is indubitable and has often been attributed to the great leadership and foresight of LKY, this book looks into the lesser known aspects of LKY's regime, and will no doubt, raise many questions for the reader.
Important material obscured by opaque language
My wife and I are Americans who recently honeymooned in Singapore, and we were quite impressed by how clean, orderly, and efficient it was. Yet we knew there had to be a catch, and none of the locals we met were willing to talk about it.
So, upon returning home, we bought this book and also "Singapore's Authoritarian Capitalism," by Christopher Lingle, to find out. (To be fair, we bought Lee Kuan Yew's "The Singapore Story" as well, but haven't read it yet.)
After reading these books, we now understand Singapore's dark side. And it goes way beyond the prohibition on chewing gum and being caned for vandalism. Both of these books are important reads for those seeking to understand Singapore and authoritarian governments in general.
A Must Read to Understand Singapore
Francis Seow is a Singapore hero. By Singapore standards, however, he was flawed in that he was compassionate as he gave legal assistance to political detainees in Singapore. By so doing, Mr. Seow became a detainee, himself.
His account of his imprisonment by the Singapore police is as harrowing as anything written by Kafka. No one so articulate as Mr. Seow has described what it is like to be a detainee in Singapore.
I am an American, but was living in Singapore at the time of Mr. Seow's detention. I was in charge of the computer department of the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS). Many of my colleagues at IRAS were disturbed by the million-dollar budget had been allocated to investigate Mr. Seow's tax matters. Naturally, IRAS determined that Mr. Seow had a considerable tax debt.
Mr. Seow was and is a charismatic and brilliant individual. He had become Solicitor General of Singapore, and President of the Law Society. Had he gone along with the dictates of the Singapore system, he could be living a very distinguished life in Singapore today, in high political office. He now lives in the United States, but has not been forgotten in Singapore.
http://www.amazon.com/review/R3H09PO8C2X79H
-
Singapore's Authoritarian Capitalism
I wish I could have read this when I lived in Singapore
This was the book I needed while living Singapore in the late nineteen nineties.
I so much wanted to know more about the frankly rather sinister government I was temporarily living under(ultra-efficient rubbish collection, local people too afraid to even discuss politics).
But there was nothing available on the shelves except hagiographical titles about Singapore's ruler, Lee Kuan Yew, or Harry Lee. (I remember one entitled What If There Had Been No Lee Kuan Yew?) Lingle was a professor at Singapore U and was tried and found guilty in absentia by S'pore's kangaroo courts for published comments in the Herald Tribune.
This book is essential for an understanding of Singapore. It is the "twin" recommended to be read along side (or instead of) Harry Lee Kuan Yew's autiobigraphical junk. Another good book for understanding S'pore is Francis T. Seow's A Dissident in Lee Kuan Yew's Prison (To Catch a Tartar).
Anyone planning to visit or live in S'pore should read this (even from the armchair).
-
Hi Ah Chia,
It is totally unbelievable that over 100 went for the event.
i read the report on TOC.
ultra-efficient : Yes, singapore is really very super duper excellente efficient in many aspects namely:
1. parking regulatory workers aka Pontianaks the locals affectionately call them. Park somewhere illegally, sure to kenna soon. There is always a friendly men-inwhite around your block helping people park with coupons.
2. hdb arrears : if dun pay.....huh huh.....
3. FT : they love it here. Enjoying the welcome.
4. Employer friendly : they love it even more here.
5. ERP : super efficient. Cannot describe how excellent this is.
6. Fines of all other types : ditto.
7. Passing of bills : very efficient. 3 opposition members minus 1 due to poor health. The rest super efficient.
8. MSM : news gets passed around super duper efficiently. Though at times slower release than overseas world reknowned press, they super efficient to release only after all approvals.
9. Erecting ERP carparks : super efficient.
-
Remembering the 22
Francis Seow: A day of ignominy
Today's event, organised by a group of human rights defenders, attracted more than 80 people to the Speakers Corner at Hong Lim Park, including some of the detainees themselves - Mr Vincent Cheng, Ms Teo Soh Lung, Ms Wong Souk Yee and others.
Promisingly, several of the participants were students. A few had made their way to Hong Lim Park still in their school uniform. They were obviously enthused by the significance of the occasion...
http://www.yoursdp.org/index.php/component/content/
-
yes, indeed 21 May 1987 will be a day of ignominy in sg history.
-
No ISA, where will Mas go then?
-
No ISA, where will Mas go then?
There are other laws to deal with him.
-
The author of the ISA, Reginald Hugh Hickling, a British lawyer, author and professor, said in 1989, in connection with Malaysia:
I could not imagine then that the time would come when the power of detention, carefully and deliberately interlocked with Article 149 of the Constitution, would be used against political opponents, welfare workers and others dedicated to nonviolent, peaceful activities.[5]
-
Modern Day ISA Exposed --- IMH Is Singapore's Gulag!
http://pothepanda.xanga.com/703923895/030609--police-abuse-in-singapore-exposed-imh-is-singapores-gulag/ -
Operation Spectrum - A public forum
REVISITING HISTORY
Operation Spectrum - Breaking The Ice After 22 Years
An open forum.
No designated speakers.
Admission is free.
All are welcome to speak.
Date: 20 June 2009 (Saturday)
Time: 2pm - 4.30pm
Venue: Bestway Auditorium, 2nd Level, Podium A,
Bestway Building, 12 Prince Edward Road (off Shenton Way)
Organiser : Martyn See
Blog : singaporerebel.blogspot.com
Members of the press (and the ISD) are welcomed.
Audio recordings are welcomed but no photography and video taking in the auditorium please.
Donations at the event to help me defray the costs of venue rental will be appreciated.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
As
far as I am concerned, the Government’s case is still not proven. I
would not say those fellows were Red, not from the stuff they
presented…I think a lot of people have this scepticism.
- Attorney General Walter Woon, Straits Times, 6 July 1991
Although
I had no access to state intelligence, from what I knew of them, most
were social activists but not out to subvert the system.
- Minister for Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Straits Times 2001
"When
writing memoirs, you are talking to posterity. Among them will be
historians who will check what you write against the accounts of
others. So do not shade the past."
- Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, Straits Times, July 17 2007
Links on Operation Spectrum :
Operation Spectrum on wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Spectrum
'Marxist plot' revisited
http://www.singapore-window.org/sw01/010521m1.htm
"Marxist Conspiracy" arrests - 20 years on
http://sgblogs.com/entry/marxist-conspiracy-arrests-years/85250
A detainee remembers
http://www.singapore-window.org/tfhmemo.htm
'Marxist Conspiracy' annniversary remembered
http://www.singapore-window.org/sw02/020521fs.htm
---------------------------------
TOC's Special Feature
May 1987 - A conspiracy un-proved
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/05/may-1987-a-conspiracy-un-proved/
Passion for activism extinguished…but not for long
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/05/passion-for-activism-extinguished%E2%80%A6but-not-for-long/
Straits Times of May ‘87 - Four days of government statements on “Marxist Conspiracy”
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/05/straits-times-of-may-87-four-days-of-government-statements-on-marxist-conspiracy/
The Marxist Conspiracy - Not forgetting the evil things that have already been done!
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/05/the-marxist-conspiracy-not-forgetting-the-evil-things-that-have-already-been-done/
Was it a Red or White conspiracy?http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/05/was-it-a-red-or-white-conspiracy/
29 July 1987: Chiam’s finest hour (Part 1)http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/05/29-july-1987-chiam%E2%80%99s-finest-hour-part-1/
Chiam’s finest hour (part two): the government responds
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/05/chiam%E2%80%99s-finest-hour-part-2-the-government-responds/
Let the people judge
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/05/let-the-people-judg/
Remembering the 22
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/05/remembering-the-22/
Teo Soh Lung – In her own words (Part One)http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/05/toc-exclusive-teo-soh-lung-%E2%80%93-in-her-own-words-part-one/
Teo Soh Lung – In her own words (Part Two)http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/05/teo-soh-lung-%E2%80%93-in-her-own-words-part-two/
That we may dream again - book review by Chee Siok Chin
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/05/that-we-may-dream-again-book-review-by-chee-siok-chin/
“Operation Spectrum was political rape”
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/05/operation-spectrum-was-political-rape/
------------------------------
Additional reads:
Detention of journalists and lawyers under the ISA
http://singaporerebel.blogspot.com/2007/03/detention-of-journalists-and-lawyers.html
Surviving long-term detention without trial
http://singaporerebel.blogspot.com/2007/03/surviving-long-term-detention-without.html
Life in Singapore's political prisons
http://singaporerebel.blogspot.com/2007/02/life-in-singapores-political-prisons.html
The ISA as a political tool
http://singaporerebel.blogspot.com/2007/02/isa-as-political-tool.html
Political detention in Singapore : Prisoner case histories
http://singaporerebel.blogspot.com/2007/02/political-detention-in-singapore.html -
Breaking news: Forum cancelled because of police investigations
Friday, 12 June 2009
Singapore Democrats
A forum, organised by Mr Martyn See, to discuss the ISA detention of 22 Singaporeans in 1987 code-named Operation Spectrum has been cancelled due to “CID investigation”.
Bestway Properties, where the forum was to be held, wrote to apologise to Mr See: “Due to the ongoing CID investigation, our company regret to inform you of the cancellation of the booking of Bestway Auditorium on 20th June 2009.”
This comes just one day after the Government denies through its US Ambassador, Ms Chan Heng Chee, that it beats and tortures ISA detainees. (See here).
The 1987 detainees were accused of conspiring to violently overthrow the Government in order to establish a Marxist state in Singapore. The silliness of Mr Lee Kuan Yew's overactive imagination notwithstanding, the episode was a great setback to the activist scene in Singapore.
After they were released in 1988, nine of the detainees issued a statement saying that they had been subject to beatings and abuse. They said that they were deprived of sleep for as long as 70 hours in freezing cold rooms, some hit hard in the face for "not less than 50 times" and assaulted in other parts of the body. They were also "threatened with arrests, assault and battery of [their] spouses, loved ones and friends."
This is not the work of police officers but gangsters authorised by state.
At first, the Government said that a commission of inquiry would be established to "get to the bottom of these allegations."
The ISD promptly re-arrested the detainees during which time the prisoners were further ill-treated and forced to sign a statutory declaration to recant the allegations made in their statement. The commission was then conveniently called off.
Some of the former prisoners have documented their treatment in That We May Dream Again. This is also the subject of the chapter on Singapore in Dr Chee Soon Juan's book To Be Free: Stories From Asia's struggle Against Oppression.
The Singapore shame continues.http://www.yoursdp.org/index.php/component
Operation Spectrum forum cancelled
Venue owners "under police investigation".
Bestway Properties, the owner of the venue, called me 20 minutes ago to apologise that they are canceling the event due to pressure from "police investigation".
Below is the follow up email.
-----------------------------------------------
from Bestway Properties
to [email protected]
date Fri, Jun 12, 2009 at 4:29 PM
subject Re : Cancellation of Bestway Auditorium
hide details 4:29 PM (21 minutes ago)
Dear Martyn,
Due to the ongoing CID investigation, our company regret to inform you of the cancellation of the booking of Bestway Auditorium on 20th June 2009.
Regards,
Isabel
------------------------------------------------
I eagerly await the CID to ring me up but I doubt it they want to make this public.
Ah well. Alternative venues? Any suggestions?http://singaporerebel.blogspot.com/2009/06/
-
Singapore is effectively a Communist State in all but name.
The Political Supremo that adopts Stalinist methods and strike fear in all political opponents in the same ways has sadly turned out to be the western educated MM.
The Ruling Political Party in Singapore employ the same political methods to stay in political power as seen in the various countries that have Communist Political Party in total control of the political, economic, cultural and social systems.
The citizens who dare to stand up and take pro-active public actions against the state will be facing the full force of the State apparatus to maintain "public order".
Mental Institutions have been used to place those who have proven to be a nuisance to the political leadership for the inconvenient embarrassments exposed at the wrong time that jeopardise the political agenda of the State.
In one of his public writings, JBJ had best described the practice of ‘Arbitrary detention in Mental Hospital’ in Singapore.
The attempts at using psychological profiling continue to this day, with
Has Singapore's Institute of Mental Health become the place of treating the politically awakened Singaporeans who will dare to move from being a passive observer to one becoming a political activists ?
PAP Government locks up Human Rights attorney Madasamy Ravi in IMH.
With 52 years of uninterrupted political power, the PAP has solidified its position by manipulating all the instruments of government to protects its grip on power.
Is it any surprise that the PAP has quietly morphed Singapore into a Communist State that continue to treat its citizens as no more then cogs in the economic wheel that it alone will have control of ?
The Politics of Madness by Dr Wong Wee Nam. will best describe the dangerous changes that the PAP has introduced into the conduct of politics in Singapore.
-
You criticise PAP regime, they send you to IMH.
Only crazy people will criticise PAP regime.
Arbitrary detention in mental hospital
Dear Mr. Jeyaretnam,
It was a great letter that you wrote on Mr. Boo Suan Ban, who was detained arbitrarily and unjustly at a mental institution by order of a Subordinate Court Judge. The detention was clearly unlawful and done at the whim of the Singapore authorities.
It was designed to silence Mr. Boon at any cost and to send a clear signal to all others that criticism or challenging any person in authority may result in one’s detention for an indefinite period in a mental hospital. I used to think that such things only happened in Stalin’s Russia, but what horror, we see it happening in Singapore today.
For those who may be unfamiliar with the events surrounding Mr. Boon, let me say this. Mr. Boon had allegedly (I say allegedly becasue we can never know the truth in Singapore because the press is run by the Singapore government) written some letters to the Singapore Chief Justice demanding some money that was allegedly due to him or to the Bank, by the Chief Justice, where the Chief Justice had formerly worked as a banker.
They were both colleagues at that time. Mr. Boon was allegedly ( please exercise the caveat above here as well) accused also of sending letters to others on the Chief Justice’s conduct. He was also alleged to have attempted to throw some letters over the Chief Justices house fence on this matter as regards the alleged money owed to him.
For this, the Chief Justice sued him for defamation of character, the most popular means used by the Singapore government to silence their opponents, and for harrassment. Immediately and coincidentally, the Singapore police charged him with the criminal offence of criminal defamation. Now the twist.
He was aquitted of the criminal charge but the judge found him to be of unsound mind. A Pyrrhic victory, to say the least for Mr. Boon. He ended up worse of! He ended up in a mental hospital for an indefinite period of detention!
The public had no evidence whatsoever of Mr. Boon being of unsound mind. Neither was any evidence produced in court that Mr. Boon was indeed of unsound mind. Mr. Boon here finds himself in a worse situation than an ordinary criminal.
A criminal will have a set fixed period of time to serve in jail. Listen to this. Mr Boon was sentenced to an indefinite time to be served in a mental hospital at the pleasure of the President of Singapore! Mr. Boon, not having been found lawfully guilty of any crime, now finds himself in a mental hospital, not knowing wheather or not he will ever be released in his lifetime!
And all because he had the audacity of writing some letters and upsetting the Chief Justice of Singapore! Where are we my friends? In North Korea? By the way, I do not know whether such things happen even in North Korea!
And yet, while doing this, the Singapore government, through their ministers such as Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, has the audacity repeatedly to tell Singaporeans to have the courage to speak up! What nonsense! Courage to end up in a mental hospital! I can say this to Vivian Balakrishnan.
If anyone does speak up under these conditions in Singapore, the man does deserve to be in a mental hospital. As any individual with even borderline sanity will never speak up anymore. That is for sure. And you can tell that to Vivian Balakrishnan. And by the way, perhaps Mr. Vivian Balakrishnan himself deserves to be in that mental hospital, for asking people to speak up in Singapore, of all places!
As it is now, the people of Singapore are already terrified of their government. The average Singaporean of today has already been neutralized, silenced, unable to think and act for themselves in matters that concern their daily lives for fear of upsetting Lee and company. There is a blanket of fear throughout that island. Fear of their government, and what it can do to them. This action on the part of this Subordiante Court judge is one more blow to Singaporeans ability ever to take charge of their own lives.
Now, everyone including myself, has to fear, since I have on numerous occassions attacked the policies of Lee and Co and his judicary. The next time I am in Singapore, I may end up in the Singapore mental hospital! If that happens, I hope that you will be around, Mr. Jeyaretnam, to publicise my plight to all the world, in the great work that you are doing to expose the injustice in the Lee administration.
Thank you Mr. Jeyaretnam, and keep up the good work. God be with you and trust He will give you a long and healty life, which you now continue to have.
Gopalan Nair
Fremont, Californiahttp://jbjeya.org/supporters_area/?p=8
Bullshit regime is bullshit regime.
-
Originally posted by dadeadman1337:
No ISA, where will Mas go then?
Enact an anti-terrorism law.
This is like a no brainer.
-
This is like a no brainer.
It is the fault of PAP propaganda brainwashing.
-
Originally posted by Ah Chia:
It is the fault of PAP propaganda brainwashing.
brainwashing is at least better than dirty laundry -
Originally posted by Ah Chia:
It is the fault of PAP propaganda brainwashing.
It's like as if ISA is the only law available to catch terrorist.
They could at any time pass an anti-terrorism bill.
