This is the first part of a week-long focus on The Online Citizen of the 22nd anniversary of the 21 May 1987 government clampdown on a group of so-called “communists” and “marxists”, who were detained under the ISA – and never charged or brought to trial.
Gerald Giam / Senior Writer
On 21st May 1987, 22 social activists in Singapore were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for allegedly plotting a so called “Marxist conspiracy” to overthrow the Singapore government. Although they were never tried in an open court, the full weight of the government’s machinery, including the state-controlled media, was used to make the government’s case against these activists.
The detainees’ side of the story has seldom been heard by the general public. In the 20 years after the detentions, the mainstream media has shied away from telling the ex-detainees’ stories.
Mr Tan Tee Seng was 28 years old when he was detained, along with 21 others. In an exclusive two-and-a-half hour interview with The Online Citizen, Mr Tan speaks about his background and activities in the 1970s and 80s, his arrest in 1987, his experience under interrogation and detention, and his life after his release.
The social activist
Mr Tan’s involvement in social activism started when he was a student in Singapore Polytechnic. In 1976, he joined the Singapore Polytechnic Students’ Union (SPSU), becoming the vice-president of the SPSU the next year.
After graduating, Mr Tan worked as a technician in various multinational electronics firms. He continued his activism after work each day by volunteering at the Geylang Catholic Centre, a welfare and advocacy organisation, which provided social assistance to ex-offenders, battered women, retrenched workers, migrant workers and abused foreign maids. The Catholic Centre was founded by a French catholic priest, who was also a prison chaplain.
The volunteers at the centre included former SPSU members, Catholic worker Vincent Cheng and lawyer Teo Soh Lung. Mr Cheng became the manager and the first full-time staff of the centre in the late 1970s. He and Ms Teo were also detained together with Mr Tan.
Mr Tan also helped out with the Justice and Peace Commission (JPC), together with Mr Cheng. His role in the JPC was to help compile and summarise the news of the day for Catholic priests.
The early eighties were a time of great political awakening for many Singaporeans, after Mr J B Jeyaretnam of the Workers’ Party (WP) won the Anson by-election in 1981, breaking the total dominance of the People’s Action Party (PAP) in Parliament. In 1984, when Mr Jeyaretnam was running for re-election, Mr Tan witnessed on television how the full force of the government machinery was being used to demolish the WP leader. It was then that he and about 20 friends, some from the Catholic Centre, decided to step forward to offer their assistance to Mr Jeyaretnam’s campaign.
Mr Jeyaretnam felt he already had enough help, and redirected the volunteers to help two other WP candidates in their election campaigns. In the end, the WP candidates received unexpectedly high shares of the votes in the constituencies of Leng Kee and Alexandra.
Despite the oppressive political climate during that time, Mr Tan had no qualms about continuing his political activities with the WP and his activism at the Catholic Centre. At that time, he said, the boundaries for political activity — what we now call Out-of-Bounds (OB) markers — seemed much clearer: as long as he kept well away from the Communists — which he did with a “ten foot pole” — he felt it was a legitimate right of a citizen to be involved in such activities and that this would be safe. He was soon to be proven wrong.
After the 1984 elections, Mr Tan and his friends stayed on to help the WP with its party newspaper, The Hammer. He joined the de facto editorial committee, writing many of its articles and changing the design of its masthead. After about a year, circulation of the Hammer rose from about 10,000 copies to over 25,000 copies. This, Mr Tan assessed, was probably one of the developments that concerned the PAP government, led by then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
Detention and interrogation
By 1987, however, Mr Tan’s level of involvement in the Catholic Centre and the WP had slightly decreased due to work and family commitments.
The first and only forewarning of the impending arrests was sounded by Vincent Cheng, who claimed weeks earlier that he was being followed by government agents. Mr Tan dismissed it, thinking it was simply an intimidation tactic. He reasoned that all their activities were entirely legitimate and they had no need to fear the authorities.
At 4 o’clock on the morning of 21st May 1987, Mr Tan and his wife heard a banging on the door of their flat. At the door were two men claiming to be from the Immigration Department. They showed Mr Tan their official identity cards and Mr Tan allowed them into the flat.
However, once inside, they immediately handcuffed Mr Tan and threw him into one of the rooms, and proceeded to ransack the flat looking for incriminating evidence, according to Mr Tan.
After a two hour search they blindfolded both Mr Tan and his wife and whisked them separately away to Whitley Road Detention Centre (WRDC). On arrival, he was forced to strip and change into the prison garb — which was made of the same rough material used to make gunny sacks. He was allowed no underwear, no footwear and had his spectacles confiscated. Gurkhas then led him into an interrogation room.
The interrogation room had the air conditioner on at full blast, making it very cold. The walls were painted a foreboding dark blue, with a powerful spotlight shining on his face.
He was interrogated continuously for more than 72 hours with no sleep. The interrogators from the Internal Security Department (ISD), who were grouped into two teams of three to four officers, would take turns to interrogate him. The teams worked 12-hour shifts, with at least two officers interviewing Mr Tan at any one time.
Mr Tan had to remain standing most of the time, with one interrogator in front and another standing directly behind him, literally breathing down his neck. He was periodically forced to take off his shirt during the interrogations.
To intimidate him into “confessing”, his interrogators constantly threatened to lock him up and throw away the key, often reminding him of Chia Thye Poh, arguably the most well-known ISA detainee in Singapore at that time, who had been detained under the ISA for more than 20 years.
At times his interrogators would jump up from their chairs and slap him across his face, or press their knuckles into his chest. Nevertheless, the pressure was mostly psychological, not physical. His biggest worries were for his wife, who was also being held under detention, and that he might inadvertently say something that would incriminate his friends.
The agents asked about all his activities, which he willingly revealed, as he was sure he had done nothing wrong. In fact, he had all the while thought that his detention was a case of mistaken identity and he expected to be released after the initial questioning.
After about 40 to 50 hours of interrogation, he finally said something that the interrogators appeared to be waiting to hear: That he had been “Marxist inclined”.
Mr Tan saw nothing unusual about agreeing with some Marxist ideas, which many people in the 1970s had been sympathetic towards.
After the first 72 hours of continuous interrogation, he was allowed to return to his cell, where he was kept in solitary confinement. His cell was small — about 4 by 3 metres — with no windows and a light that was kept on 24 hours a day. On the concrete floor was placed a wooden board that served as his bed. During the daytime, it would sometimes get swelteringly hot. For about 20 minutes each day, he would be allowed out of his cell into a small courtyard adjacent to his cell.
For the next 30 to 40 days, he would be hauled back to the interrogation room to be grilled for about 10 hours each day.
He was served his detention order under the ISA after 28 days in detention. The detention order accused him of being “involved in communist united front activities to overthrow the state by violent means”, a charge which he said was completely false.
After six weeks in solitary confinement, he was moved to another cell, nicknamed the “Shangri-la suite” because of its slightly larger size, Mr Tan tells us. There he was able to interact with the other detainees, including a Catholic priest, Father Kevin de Souza, whom he met for the first time at WRDC. [Correction: Kevin de Souza was never a Catholic priest. At the time of his arrest on 21 May 1987, he was 26 years old and a full-time lay church worker for the Catholic Students’ Society, Singapore Polytechnic.]
About 4 months after he was detained, Mr Tan was released on Restriction Orders (RO) which prohibited him from leaving the country without permission or joining any political parties. Since the detention order lapsed after two years, Mr Tan said that his RO restrictions likewise did not apply any longer.
Life after detention
After his release, Mr Tan went back to working in the publishing services firm where he had previously worked. His employer did not have any issues with his arrest. This is unsurprising, since his employer had also been detained for similar reasons one month after Mr Tan was hauled in.
None of his clients shunned him. Most were more concerned about whether Mr Tan was ill-treated while under detention and they did not believe the government’s accusations.
The Geylang Catholic Centre was closed and the founding priest left Singapore.
Mr Tan is now 51 years old and a father of three children — the eldest of whom is 20 years old. He runs an education service company serving the China market.
Asked what effect the detentions had on Singapore, Mr Tan felt that the episode had cost Singapore badly. The government had lost a lot of political capital because “nobody believed their allegations”.
The blatant use of force against political dissidents was condemned by more than 400 organisations worldwide.
Mr Tan feels that many “passionate fires” in community service were smothered after that. Social activists and civil societies were “shell shocked into paralysis”. Indeed, the OB markers suddenly became very unclear, rendering almost all independent community activities as potentially crossing the proverbial OB markers.
Despite what he went through at the hands of the ISD, Mr Tan harbours no anger or bitterness against the authorities. He saw it as a political reality in Singapore — the cost of participating in political and social activism. Singapore, he said, has First World infrastructure, with Third World politics.
Nevertheless, he felt that the situation in Singapore has improved in recent years, but he describes the progress as “five steps forward, two steps back”. Still, he was confident that the government would not repeat its actions of 1987.
To underline this point, he pointed out that what The Online Citizen has been publishing on its blog went far beyond what he ever did as an activist, yet The Online Citizen was surviving without government interference. He attributes this to the changed political realities of the day, with a more educated population and a connected world.
In May 2007, the Straits Times did a feature on the 20th anniversary of the arrests and attempted to contact the detainees for interviews. Mr Tan, like most of the other detainees, refused to be interviewed. They were of the view that the government-controlled Straits Times would not write an objective account of what really happened. (The Online Citizen will have a feature on how the Straits Times covered the events of 1987 in an upcoming report.)
Asked if he planned to enter into opposition politics to challenge the government, he said he currently has “no plans yet”.
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Other related reads:
1 ‘Marxist plot’ revisited, Singapore Window, http://www.singapore-window.org/sw01/010521m1.htm.
2 That We May Dream Again, Fong Hoe Fang (ed.), http://ethosbooks.com.sg/store/mli_viewItem.asp?idProduct=223
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Related posts:
- Passion And Patriotism (PAP)
- PAP MP says he is a man of ‘passion and purpose”
- Student activism – what’s next?
- Astroturfing – a nuisance, or a brave new world of activism?
- Studying for passion, not preparation
Thank you for writing this piece. It is indeed a nation’s shame that these fine Singaporeans were treated so cruelly.
We really need more transparency and accountability for a “first world” governance.
i was too naive to understand this incident at that time. i also remembered that many colleagues that i know chose to ridicule openly the key people who were detained. This incident has further implications for us all in Singapore and i think it is wise to remember this: Since Maxist is bad according to the PAP regime, we should NEVER/EVER deal with communist countries or former communist countries because we can’t take any chance that they would attempt to influence us to do bad things for our country.
First World infrastructure, with Third World politics – I am saddened by this article which reflects the cruelty of third world politics. I wonder how many of us would survive those third world interrogation techniques. Without strong character, one might just commit suicide.
Upon release, Tan was able to get back to his own job. Can you imagine if he didnt and those other detainees never get to live their normal lives and what if tragic things happen? Can you live in peace?
Everyone will die one day, there is no need to go extreme in a case like this. To stop the growing influence of opposite politics, this is what the top will do? The one who ordered this execution will reap the karmas eventually.
Pot calling the kettle black.
(Channelnewsasia.com
Title : Singapore calls for Aung San Suu Kyi’s release
Date : 15 May 2009 1332 hrs (GMT + 8hrs)
Before calling Myanmar to release detained Aung San Suu Kyi, Singapore PAP Government should look back on themselves.
They should first release all jailed/ISD held politcians, grant amnesty to Francis Seow & Tang Liang Hong. Not forgeting Chia Thai Poh who has long been held under ISD without any trial.
They are classified as “political threats” to the PAP Government, so much more as Aung San Suu Kyi to the Myanmar Government.
It’s funny how our instinctive reaction is to immediately stand up for the perceived underdog, without considering whether or not the underdog was perhaps, in fact rabid and deserved to be put down for the good of society.
All of us here are standing up for justice and the good of humanity and not whether he is underdog or a tiger. If they deserved to be put down for the good of society, they must be proven to be guilty of doing evil to society, can you imagine that people who care for the unfortunate people of society are doing evil to society: no logic:
Sometimes, the preacher of “for the good of society” is usually the one who benefits the most. Naive people usually swallow that “meaningless utterance” lock, stock and barrel. And it works most of the time!
Dear Respected Singaporeans,
I am pleased to not that TOC is making an effort to bring about education about the true brutality of this PAP regime.
Let us all as Singaporeans do our part as well.Let us not merely be an online citizen BUT also an ACTIVE CITIZENS.
There are also many other actions by the State and PAP which are illegal.Such as stealing Singaporeans Rights to assemble peacefully and taking away our Freedom of Expressions.
I hope TOC will highlight all the other cases.
Dear Joel NC – you can always be a real dog to the people in power. If everyone thinks like you, maybe we suggest all the oppositions close shop and move on, live happy and dont bother about national policies. Just join many selfish citizens who continue to vote against conscience for upgrading and fear.
I also need to warn that this event might just happen again if the top thinks that all these media news or postings on Internet are harming their hold on absolute power. Got to scrutinise all the postings before you get into real trouble.
Btw who was the head of ISA in 1987 and now?
Dear Joel NC
Whether it be top dog or underdog, there should have been an open trial to consider the evidence before either dog is put down.
I’ve walked through the justice system in Singapore, and I know for a fact that a lot of things are not what they appear in the newspapers.
There is always the need for truth and justice to be perceived by the masses to be served; never mind whether that is the true picture or not.
Only in an open trial will that rightful end be achieved = Law 101.
Does it really matter who’s the head of ISD, 1987 and now?
As far as I am concern, the head is LKY, in 1987, now, and probably for as long as I live.
My only option is to quit.
” After about a year, circulation of the Hammer rose from about 10,000 copies to over 25,000 copies.”
What contributes to the rose of the Hammer from 10,000 to over 25,000?
Lee Kuan Yew once said: “If people do not fear me, I am meaningless”.
” After about a year, circulation of the Hammer rose from about 10,000 copies to over 25,000 copies.”
If TOC achieves similar success and is held responsible for PAP losing one or more GRCs in the next GE, I bet my last dollar the govt will close down TOC.
Thank goodness PAP did not or have not used the ISA to detain Dr Chee Soon Juan yet.
Good reporting by Gerald and the team at TOC.
LIke many, I was unsure what happened at that time and only knew that there was these MArxist priests that used religion to turn against the govt.
Many years later, I realised that I need to look deeper into an issue especially if it is political as nothing is white or black here. It is often grey.
I know many detainees fled to Sydney and lived lifes like a refugee.
This also show that the ISD can do anything to ensure that the govt stay stable and in power.
I hope that one day the refugees can return to their loved ones back home.
“Repression, Sir is a habit that grows. I am told it is like making love-it is always easier the second time! The first time there may be pangs of conscience, a sense of guilt. But once embarked on this course with constant repetition you get more and more brazen in the attack. All you have to do is to dissolve organizations and societies and banish and detain the key political workers in these societies. Then miraculously everything is tranquil on the surface. Then an intimidated press and the government-controlled radio together can regularly sing your praises, and slowly and steadily the people are made to forget the evil things that have already been done, or if these things are referred to again they’re conveniently distorted and distorted with impunity, because there will be no opposition to contradict.”
-Lee Kuan Yew as an opposition PAP member speaking to David Marshall, Singapore Legislative Assembly, Debates, 4 October, 1956
Please see this for human rights: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/
All noble people enjoy one thing that all evil men long for. Inner peace.
When will they allow Tan Wah Piow back to Singapore?
That will be the acid test.
Such article reminds the stark reality of politics. Where there are interests at stake especially when it is NOW in its millions, it is expected that contest can be rough and unforgiving.
Gerald, my concern for highlighting this article is the mindset reminder of how past opposition politicians have been dealt with.
At this stage of Singapore development, we need more capable people with reasonable standing the society to stand up against the ruling party to offer option and change, and more importantly hope to Singaporeans. Living in singapore is not merely about physical comfort and wealth, but the believe that leaders and office bearers are prepared to look after Singaporeans while making personal sacrifice. Certainly as a Singaporean I am no longer inspired by my leaders, as they like to use economics largely to justify all policies, including their own pay.
Singaporeans are at the cross road, where they need to make a decision. More of the same. Or would they want CHANGE. Fear and courage are separated by a thin line. I hope Singaporeans would have the latter to make the right decision.
“Thank goodness PAP did not or have not used the ISA to detain Dr Chee Soon Juan yet.”
What can ISA accuse Dr Chee of anyway ? As psychopath, as liar, as cheat ? So by now, didn’t the series of bad events prove otherwise who is the real psychopath, liar and cheat ? Someone who give empty promise ,and go back on his own words ? Who is the one so mad to gamble away Singapore’s state money and yet dare say it is paper loss ? He think he playing Monopoly game by throwing dices and using fake paper money ?
Remember who say this
“He is near psychopath (Chee), I don’t think even Solomon would be able to mediate between a psychopath and sane rational people,” he said, referring to the biblical King Solomon”
http://singaporemind.blogspot.com/2008/05/chee-psychopath-liar-cheat.html
Compared to the Wayang Party (which to my folly I had wasted a lot of time reading) & REACH, you guys at TOC are doing an excellent job. Both WP & REACH are at 2 extremes.
Keep it up!!!!!
Sad to read about this incident that should not had happen. I hope our dear Mr Wong KS to come out to explain to us. Do not misued ISD law or else we will abolish it in the next elections. All brothers and sisters bear in mind with it. Let’s stand up for our Human rights in S’pore.
It is sad, I am not sure who and where are those agents who interrogated Mr Tan. What is their status now? probably, TOC might be keen to find out and hear some retired agents’ story in full too….hmmm it is just a suggestion to up readership in the internet and pressed down the quality of our main media. The govt can’t do much with netizens as more of the people have better educations and EQ than the current batch of govt in parliament. Did I hear the president said GRC is going to be reviewed. That is a sign of politicians at work again, out of fear of netizens.
Maybe this explains why ISD officers are still entitled to the pension system unlike other normal civil servants.
Probably being rewarded by our elites for their ‘good work’.
The 1987 incident -are we going from civilization to barbarism.
What next – it is savagery.
Is it like the Nazis?
They fixed the Jews of Europe with the Final Solution Policy. Put them in cattle wagons of trains and they headed for Auschwitz, Sobibor, Dachau, Buchewald and others. There they were gassed and burnt in crematoriums.
The Jews will never forget this and they are doing everythin to memoralise these barbaric and savage acts.
No No we did come to that stage.
Can we? Maybe. Never know.
W
I have a question on Activism.
I watched Discovery Channer today and it showed a multiple-part series film called ” the history of singapore”.
In this part, it showed the progress of singapore and PAP party and how well they have done. Also, it showed some bits on the late JBJ. Also, Catherine lim was shown and her voice was aired where she commented on several political issues. Though kinda criticising, the overall impression gotten is she praised the system.
My question relating to Activism is is this a form of political film activism?
Is Discovery channer doing this without influence by anyone?
Is Discovery being paid for it or is it funding this program by itself?
regards
Naivette
To #28 Naivette,
I heard somewhere I forgot where, catherine was a malaysian PR until she got offered / granted citizenship. Based on personal exeprience, all the PR I know sing praise and I do not blame them cos this justified why they dropped their original citizenship. They must be so impressed wor.
well well well, this truely reflect singaporean mindset, doesn’t it? If it doesn’t concern me, or if i am not affect by it, its not my problem. As long as I got my job, house, money, family, etc, how others fare is their problem.
We are living in a selfish and ungracious society, all thanks to our PAP.
Thanks to TOC for sharing the detainees’ side of the story. While I do not believe entirely what was written in the 154th, I would similarly not going to accept wholesale what these former detainees are sharing. Will just read for interest as I know the truth will never be out.
Really an “eye-opener” to hear what Mr. Tan has shared on the interrogation sessions. Quite similar to the techniques we have seen in movies or TV serials. At least we know ISD do not resort to physical torture.
“Maybe this explains why ISD officers are still entitled to the pension system”
If that is true, the pension is there to shut their’s voice else the pension scheme will be stopped for those who say anything. Same wise for retiring ministers.
Using the power of state as a coercive instrument to silent and instill fear to destroy the opposition or social workers to retain total control in Sinkapore had been perfected into a fine art by the PAP regime. All of us condemned atrocity if it occured somewhere else. The West in particular was quick to condemn China or Africa but when it is in SinKapore, strangely total silience. We Sinkaporean must use our coming GE to change this state of affair as it had gone on for too long. We own it to our children to correct a mistake we and our fore fathers had made. I am of the view that many Sinkaporean currently residing oversea might go back if there is a change of regime in Sinkapore. We just pray and hope that the new regime from the opposition will not retain the same old method to stay in power once voted in. But it is worth a try, keeping the same is no longer an option.All of us should learn a lesson, never entrust power to the same party for too long.
When I saw all those detainees being paraded on TV and making their “confessions” I did not believe all the government accusations at all. I could still visualize when looking into the eyes of Teo Soh Lung that it was emotionless and dead, as if trying to send a message to me.
ISA is cruel and has destroyed many lives and livelihoods of innocent people. ISA must be abolished.