The Ministry of Home Affairs’ statement of 23 September 2011 (see HERE) contains the usual rhetoric, inundated with Cold War parlance such as “Communist United Front activities” and “Marxist plot”. Its intent is clearly to justify the act of arbitrary arrest under the ISA and instil fear in the people.
The statement fails to address the most important concern of the 16 of us, which is indefinite detention without trial. None of us was brought to trial before a court of law. Our imprisonment was solely based on the statements of ISD officers and statements extracted from us while we were subjected to torture, cold room treatment, deprivation of sleep and the threat of indefinite detention.
Article 9 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights to which Singapore is a signatory declares: “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.”
We reiterate that the ISA is a draconian law that allows the ruling party to arrest and imprison without trial anyone it deems a threat to its power. Its impact on Singapore over the past half a century has been both crippling and pernicious.
We call upon the Government of Singapore to set up an independent Commission of Inquiry to investigate if the allegations made against us as well as all former ISA detainees are justified. More so when recent publications, memoirs and panel discussions by historians and ex-ISA detainees have given accounts different from the official narrative on the events of those years. We urge the government to have the moral and political courage to set up such a commission in the interest of truth and transparency.
Dated this 28th day of September 2011.
Dr Lim Hock Siew
Dr Poh Soo Kai
Said Zahari
Lee Tee Tong
Loh Miaw Gong
Chng Min Oh @ Chuang Men-Hu
Tan Sin alias Tan Seng Hin
Toh Ching Kee
Koh Kay Yew
Vincent Cheng Kim Chuan
Teo Soh Lung
Yap Hon Ngian
Tan Tee Seng
Low Yit Leng
Wong Souk Yee
Tang Fong Har
–
16名前政扣者呼吁：设立独立调查委员会
内政部2011年9月23日的声明满载其惯用的字眼，充斥着什么”共产党联合阵线活动”与”马克思主义阴谋”等冷战语调。显然，其意图是要证明在内安法令下，他们的专制任意的逮捕行动是合法的，并在人民当中注入恐惧的心理。
该声明对我们16人最重大的关切点，即无限期和无审讯拘留的事实避而不谈。实际上，在我们当中，没有人曾被控上法庭依法审讯。我们被关进监狱纯粹是根据内安部官员的一纸声明，以及它利用拷打盘问、冷房虐待、剥夺睡眠、及以无限期拘留的恐吓方式，在我们身陷囹圄期间榨取的所谓供词。
《世界人权宣言》第九条款规定：“任何人不得加以任意逮捕、拘禁或放逐”。新加坡是这个宣言的签署国之一，理应遵守这项规定。
我们要重申：内安法是一部残酷的法律，它让执政党可以在不经审判的情形下，逮捕任何它认为对”国家安全构成威胁”的人士。在过去半个世纪多的时间里，它对新加坡构成的冲击是瘫痪性的、是恶毒的。
我们要求新加坡政府设立一个独立的调查委员会，审查对我们16人以及所有在内安法下被拘留的人士所作出的指控，是否有正当理由。尤其是近年来，许多历史学家和前政治扣留者所出版的书刊和回忆录，以及所举办的座谈会所揭露的许多事实，跟当年有关事件的官方论述是有许多
相左的地方。因此，我们要求政府拿出道义与政治勇气，为我们国家的利益着想，设立上述委员会。
2011年9月28日
1. 林福寿医生
2. 傅树楷医生
3. 赛扎哈里
4. 李思东
5. 卢妙萍
6. 莊明湖
7. 陈辛
8. 卓清枝
9. 许庚犹
10. 钟金全
11. 張素兰
12. 叶汉源
13. 陈智成
14. 刘月玲
15. 黄淑仪
16. 陈凤霞
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@ Michael Lim Peng Liang
Just because you are boot-licking PAP, you think you are safe from ISA. It could happen to you, your family or your relatives, any time in your life-time, if ISD do need to justify their action.
@Michael lim peng Liang
aka cancer spread to aljunied aka steven kho aka Alvin Chua aka usha aka 1 step at a time
and now also lim??
As Chicharito posted : “Michael Lim Peng Liang aka Steven Kho aka Alvin Chua aka cance spread to aljunied. If you are a real man, stop using so many different names.. be up front and admit that you are all the same person.”
Admitting will only be a little embarrassing but you already a complete shame here and everyone knows……and you “can’t be considered real men if they can’t even tolerate a little hardship” (being shame by admitting that you are all of those is not any where near hardship)…..Can you be man enough to do it (even though you serve as a clerk with “heavy responsibility” during NS)???
Why should we believe in the MHA?
If you have bothered to find and read up on literature about the detentions, if you have any compassion, you will be less cynical.
For some others, they will say if you have a friend or relative, you will know more from them and hence will believe in the accounts of the detainees.
Even if you do not believe them, give them the right in a proper COI to prove themselves with full evidence from the government.
If you are wrongly accused of something, you will want to have the chance to prove yourselves. The ISA does not have sufficient safeguards for them to clear their name. It is all to the ISD.
Many of us here will not benefit directly by our comments here but we are citizens who want our country to have a better standard of governance. We have grave doubts about the arbitrariness of the ISA and we think that such tyrannical law should be abolished. It is very embarassing for a supposed first world country to have a North Korean style law like the ISA, not to mention how the ISD like to carry out their supposed duties. I feel embarrased that there are Singaporeans who think all this is acceptable. It is not. That is why most countries don’t have such laws.
what happened to the fundamental law of singapore ?
- Thought its always innocent until proven guilty…
- Benefit of doublt to the accused….
ISA certainly challenged that ..
@lim,
I think you are right. Singapore should not bend down to these 16 people, who suddenly appeared in GE under SDP, go around telling unverifiable sad stories, using (ignorant) netizens to give pressure to an elected Government. I am surprised why no one highlighted this.
Vincent Cheng is now in the SDP CEC. If these 16 SDP-backed detainees managed to force the Government to do a COI, won’t Singapore be a laughing stock? I remember there is one Secretary General who loves to shame Singapore using foreign media and foreign conferences.
The argument that the 16 were detained for political beliefs did not appeal to me. CST & JBJ were formidable opponents in the ’80s.
@ Clown. I disagree. What ISA does is to shift the burden of establishing guilt from an open judiciary to the minister of home affairs.
The minister still has to be elected by the people.
Many people don’t realise the fundamental law in Singapore is that Parliament has complete powers (since 1960s before independence with the colonial govt as the predecessor) and the sole check at least from 1965 is the ballot box.
@Michael Yong
Agreed. The government should not be subjugated to the whims of 16 insignificant fellows. The COI is but a triviality that distracts our government from dealing with real issues. In every society, decisions have to be made as to what is worth pursuing and what is not. Being beholden to 16 dubious characters is not worth our time. Let’s move on.
Lee Hsien Loong cannot and will not do anything as his father, Dictator Lee Kuan Yew is alive.
Supposing they were actually wrongly accused of something which they never did, then what would this imply to our govt ? That they have abetted someone in committed a crime against humanity ?
So is there any compelling reason for the govt not to convene a COI then ?
@Michael,
actually I think I agree with you. I think just because they wrote books, tell sad stories about what happened 20+ years ago dun mean what they say is true…. of course they will say they r innocent. Who doesn’t?
Hmm..to the commentators who say that we should read the detainee’s books, what about the social context back then? cold war, berlin wall, China, Vietnam, etc
I am no fan of SDP but with the lack of transparency and accountability of the PAP on this ISA issue alone, I think they already make Singapore a laughing stock. Why do you think there are hardly any first world countries with such laws? I think our country can do better than this.
Even if MHA will not convene a COI, surely they should disclose all records relating to the detention to put the issues at rest once and for all. If they can’t, then surely the inevitable conclusion is that they have something to hide. That is what a lot of people is not comfortable with. It is not just about what the 16 want to do. It is all about the lack of due process with the ISA and the lack of accountability of the ISD to the public. ? If there is nothing to hide, show the people the full records. Leave them in the National Archives. In the laws of many developed countries, such government records are automatically released into public archives after a number of years. Why does PAP not do the same?
Aljunied has already shown that the ground is highly receptive to alternatives.
Actually I cannot figure out whether is SDP is making use of Vincent Cheng & Teo Soh Lung or the other way around.
TSL & VT uses SDP for political cover while SDP uses TSL & VT to make Singapore look bad.
TSL fought in Yuhua under SDP banner while Vincent Cheng is SDP CEC. It doesn’t look as simple as it is.
I think these 16 are trouble makers. I think our country have more pressing matters – transport, cost of living, the hyper inflation and the potential collapse of the world economy.
One cannot detain anyone just because there is a war going on or a communist threat. Then the government of the day can put away anyone it does not like using the war or communist threat as an excuse. What kind of totalitarian regime would that be? There must be proper evidence linking a person with a particular allegation of wrongdoing before the person can be detained. That is the purpose of “due process” in a proper legal system.
You mentioned Berlin Wall. Berlin wall is about the beginning of the collapse of communism in 1989, the freeing of people detained by the Stasi under laws not dissimilar to the ISA; opposite of what we are talking about.
Well since the GE, the PAP government is not changing its approach to the problems you mentioned anyway, certainly the transport and inflation. Did they reduce any charges on their part such as utlities, oil, etc? So what are earth are they doing then?
@calibri
I think this is all about Politics.
Some clever people are looking at 2016. They have to prepare the ground now. Get the necessary publicity and become well known by saying something controversial, deny their wrong doings, condemn the Government, make wild allegations, get the necessary publicity, and hope to win more votes in 2016.
It’s all about politics.
That’s why I think the Government have to focus on transport & inflation issues, and not bogged down by these 16 people. I believe the Government back then did what they believe is right for everyone’s interest.
Right now at least I think the Government did one right thing, which is Housing. I think Khaw did a decent job. His predecessor, Mah Bow Tan is really a donkey.
Btw, did anyone notice the increase in PUB bills? Or is it just me?
@Aaron,
Regardless of whether it is about politics, you have to ask the question whether the furore over the ISA is a valid concern.
These people were imprisoned for years! Of course to them it is a valid concern.
And as “active citizens”, of course we should be concerned if our fellow citizens are wronged! This would be the case irrespective of whether the govt is pap, sdp, wp, etc.
Any nation should have the resources to deal with a large number of issues. How can we say we shd just leave the govt to focus on the economy, transport, etc?
When there is injustice, this has to be dealt with.
Also, for the past 5 years, the pap was left to focus on the economy, housing, etc. What happened then? Things got worse! Cuz they got complacent.
The problem with joining a political party like the pap is that suddenly you lose your moral compass.
Individuals who themselves would privately be against the ISA have to tow the official govt line. But when the party or the system is morally corrupt, what do you do then? Pretend that nothing is wrong?
By doing nothing, they are complicit in the wrongdoing.
So I ask all right-thinking ministers and officials, former and present: what do you think is the right thing to do, in the name of justice?
Who are the ISD officers who were involved? How are they now? Interviewed them?
Their sacrifice should let the people acknowledge right?
Given they done such good deeds, their karma must have given their children good prosperity??
…in “Men in White: The Untold Stories of the PAP”, he revealed that former National Development Minister S Dhanabalan decided to quit the Cabinet because he was not comfortable with the way the PAP had dealt with the “Marxist Conspiracy”.
“At that time, given the information, he was not fully comfortable with the action we took… he felt uncomfortable and thought there could be more of such episodes in the future… he’d better leave the Cabinet. I respected him for his view,” Mr Goh said.
Mr Dhanabalan said his reason for quitting, some 12 years later, was one of conviction: “My philosophy is one where I need to have complete conviction about some key policies and if I have differences, it doesn’t mean I am against the group… but I have to try and live with myself if I have some disagreements on some things,” he said.
Ex-Attorney General Walter Woon said in an interview in 1991:
“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.”
The current DPM, Mr Tharman was also unconvinced:
“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,” he told the Straits Times in 2001.
We are talking here about the lives of 16 persons who are denied a fair trail but detained under ISA for years and even decades. They deserve a hearing. If PAP is justified in detaining them, then proved to us and put the case once and for all to rest. If not, doubt will always be in the public mind of their abuse of power. If they have nothing to hide then come clean with us.
From 9:42 onwards:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEcIsRo-m0A
@To “To Aaron”,
Let’s try to look from different angles.
Quote:
——
One cannot detain anyone just because there is a war going on or a communist threat. Then the government of the day can put away anyone it does not like using the war or communist threat as an excuse.
——
LOL. So you want the high court judge issue a summon to invite the Guerrilla Communist to the court room, ask him/her whether he/she need legal representative. then, fix another hearing date?
You expect the Guerrillas who are against capitalism state to abide to the Court of Law?
How about a scenario:
—————————–
Let’s say you discovered your maid intends to poison your children but she haven’t commit the act yet. What will you do? Wait for her to poison your kid first so you can prove to police? Or dismiss her quickly?
So this maid comes back 10 years later and wants to sue you because of the wrongly dismissal. She will say “Where is the proof that I want to poison your children? I was such a wonderful maid. But you everyday abuse me and dismiss me. ”
What can you say?
I definitely see enough reason for a COI because:
1. it would allow the government to present their evidence openly
2. it would give detainees a chance to give their side of the story
3. it would provide clearer guidelines to all what would trigger the usage of the ISA.
The last point especially is of interest to all Singaporeans.
These 16 are just troublemakers, not worthy of our time. The government should just focus on transport issues. but over the years, they have done an excellent job in housing though. Our HDB flats are of the highest quality public housing in the world, and at a very low price. Most of us (both husband & wife working) would be able to pay for the HDB in full with cash + CPF without having to take any loan. We should be thankful to the government for making HDB so cheap for us.
In an interview with The New York Times in 2010:
“I am not saying that everything I did was right”, “but everything I did was for an honorable purpose. I had to do some nasty things, locking fellows up without trial”.
So LKY is essentially saying, at least some of his detentions were not right.
Locking people up without trial really is a “nasty” thing.
I am not sure how believing he did the “honorable” thing will hold up in a court of law. Surely some criminals and dictators also believe they are doing the honorable thing.
Given all the evidence available to the public, how can citizens not question the rightness of such detentions?
Do you fault us for questioning it?
Are we to be arrested for feeling that injustice has been committed?
Should a COI not be formed to clear the air?
As Singapore, as Singaporeans, we deserve a higher standard of public accountability.
Moving forward, in all areas, including the use of our reserves by GIC, etc, transparency and accountability will remain the measure of whether the govt is truly a mature democratic govt.
This is what they have to prove to citizens. Show us what you are made of, pap.
And stop this shameful business of locking people up based on your fancies and fantasies.
@Kuan
Interesting scenario but:
“Let’s say you discovered your maid intends to poison your children but she haven’t commit the act yet. ”
So how did you discover? On what basis? Since she have not committed it yet?
If you can answer the above, maybe it is not difficult to answer : “Where is the proof that I want to poison your children? ”
And the maid should start protesting about the abuse and claim of being a wonderful maid. Or was she forced and threatened being
fired and left quickly?
And really, the comparison is not quite appropriate.
Michael,
I don’t believe them either. furthermore, some are in SDP, one is even a high ranking SDP member. Opportunistic? Political play? I think it is pretty obvious.
I don’t think these 16 are worthy of our time or anyone’s time.
I think the Government should focus her efforts to settle the issues facing Singaporeans. I understand ICA is more tight on issuing PR these days.
These issues will be diluted when the new Singaporeans are included on a monthly basis.
Newbies especially from PRC and IND will not know the harsh reality of the past. Even if they know what is harsh to us is nothing to the place they originate.
The Papigs are hell bent on making Singaporeans (TBS) impotent.
At the Pine Tree Club the highfliers joke that their sperms can help eliviate the TFR problem. Meaning they are prepared to adhere to the great LKY believe of Euginics. Breeding. Damn
KEEP THE ISA SO THAT WHEN WE FORM THE GOVERNMENT IN 2016, WE CAN LOCK UP THE PAP PEOPLE AND THEIR CRONIES!!
@ Keep the Isa
You mean to say ISA is a double edged sword which can cut both ways. How about detenting all the GIC and TH top brass for acting against the national interest for 20 years.
How about bringing in the CCCC, RC, PA including Yammee and NTUC for questioning?
That will be the day we are waiting for and shall be soon realized.
Only duffers believe that when you spit at the sky it won’t spit at you back.
So however is your meditation whether it is Christian or any other way the result is the same. YOU WILL BE PUNISHED.
well, it would be better if all the lawyers here including the IBA can come and speak out to support this cause, its been many years back since but here we are not talking about one or two people, its 16 of them and till now they have not been proven guilty at all. Does this mean such incident can be repeated by the same people again? then must as well don’t set any law at all, it’s meaningless.
Interestingly, todays paper reports that an employer has been given a two week jail sentence for hitting her maid.
That is not enough punishment.
In addition, the employer should have been banned from hiring another maid for two years. The more serious case should carry a LIFE ban on employers hiring maids.
“First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out, for I was not a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out for I was not a trade unionists. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out, for I was not a Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.”
- Martin Niemoler, 1892 – 1984 about the silence of German society in Nazi Germany.
As a civilized society, we need to make sure there is real evidence before allowing people to be locked away for years.
“Our HDB flats are of the highest quality public housing in the world, and at a very low price. Most of us (both husband & wife working) would be able to pay for the HDB in full with cash + CPF without having to take any loan. We should be thankful to the government for making HDB so cheap for us.”
Aaron, are you kidding? Pay for HDB without having to take a loan? Hey, I am a working professional and let me tell you, I needed a loan. Please, even if you want to praise the government, please can you not exaggerate.
@ Aaron
I’m no believer in publicity for publicity’s sake. This is definitely politics, but everyone will have to undergo scrutiny and not everyone will come out smelling like a bunch of roses. Voting is highly personal business. What makes each and every voter tick can be very different. The ball is now very much in opposition court.
I will support the detainee’s statement if only Vincent Cheng resign from SDP’s CEC and ceased his membership with SDP.
Did Vincent Cheng draw any allowances or salary from SDP? If yes? It is even more suspicious
Now they are using political pressure via SDP to shame our government. 25 years ago, they gave trouble, 25 years later, they give trouble again.
If you were wronged by the govt, you would want to join a political party and affect change.
What is wrong with that?
In fact, according to GCT, if you want to affect change, you MUST join a political party or else keep quiet like a Catherine Lim.
So VC, etc are simply taking GCT at his word. Like that also wrong, issit?
The question is: do people join political parties for fun to wrong the govt? Or is the wrong they suffered at the hands of the govt the reason why they join political parties?
This shows they join SDP for their personal reasons, and not to benefit Singapore as a whole.
I wonder how will Yuhua residents feel now.
And the pap keeping quiet about the details of this incident, is not for their “personal reasons” and self-preservation?
Wow, you really are deluded.
@lim and Michael Yong
Good luck and good riddance to both of you if you still believe the ISA is relevant and effective for this modern and internet age. Human rights should not be taken lightly. Even animal has animal rights!
One group cry innocence by selling books and earn our tears & money, another group come up with boring reasons.
I think the self-claim innocence group benefits by earning revenues from the books they sell; additionally, they gain political mileage for 2016.
Who to believe? Who benefits?
@Ex Singaporean,
Animal rights? Don’t eat meat, okay?
But I think everyone has their views, I notice the anti-establishment group tends to be upset when the other group air their views.
The anti-establishment group think that they are enlightened and more superior and allows them to void out other views that is not in-line with their own
@Ex Singaporean,
The bunch of animal right activists are a bunch of hypocrites.
They say fight for dolphin rights, dog rights,
But the animal activists are meat eaters. They go to Zoos, they go to Night Safaris and watch these animals in their unnatural habitat.
Long and short, Never trust pap .
At the end of the day, we all have to make decisions, and to hold a COI is not worthy of our time, especially when these 16 people are criminals who don’t deserve any respect. It is unfortunate that they were released. They should remain in ISD detention for the good of our nation.
Has steven kho now taken on a girl’s name.., ‘yuhui’..
That’s not me!