the following is a media release of the Ministry of Home Affairs:
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Sixteen ex-ISA detainees issued a joint statement on 19 Sep 2011 taking issue with the length of detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA) and also the ISA Advisory Board process (see HERE).
2 These sixteen ex-detainees were not detained for their political beliefs, but because they had involved themselves in subversive activities which posed a threat to national security. Nine were actively involved in Communist United Front (CUF) activities in support of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM), which was committed to the violent overthrow of the constitutionally-elected governments in Singapore and Malaysia. They infiltrated legally-established organisations like trade unions and student associations, and instigated illegal strikes and demonstrations to cause mayhem and civil strife, to complement the CPM’s armed revolution. In 1974, one of them provided medical assistance to a CPM saboteur who was hiding in Malaysia. The saboteur had been conveying a bomb for an attack in Singapore, and was travelling along Still Road (Katong) when it detonated prematurely, injuring him and killing his two accomplices. Such was the volatile and dangerous security situation then prevailing in Singapore. Following the CPM’s call in 1968 to its underground networks to return to armed struggle, new CPM organisations were formed in the 1970s which included killer squads to carry out sabotage, assassinations and other acts of violence.
3 In the 1980s, seven of the sixteen ex-detainees were involved in a Marxist plot to subvert and destabilise Singapore. The plot was part of the CPM’s renewed efforts to rebuild the united front by penetrating and manipulating legally-established organisations. Three of them infiltrated and manipulated several religious organisations and, exploiting the religious cover, pursued activities towards subversive ends. They worked with others, including leftist elements from the CPM era, to build a covert network to promote a Marxist agenda, using united front tactics to control and influence organisations engaged in religious and social activism. Five of these ex-detainees swore Statutory Declarations concerning their past activities.
4 On the issue of length of detention under the ISA, whether a person’s detention is extended depends on whether he still poses a security threat. For example, detainees who refused to renounce violence were detained for longer periods until they were assessed to no longer pose a security threat to society, whereas others who renounced violence and no longer posed a security threat were released much sooner.
5 The allegation that “the protection accorded by the Advisory Board is spurious, if not a farce” is baseless and unwarranted. The Advisory Board is chaired by a Supreme Court judge, and scrutinises every detention case to satisfy itself that there are valid security grounds which warrant detention. Members of the Board are appointed by the President and the Board enjoys the immunities and powers of a court of law. It examines representations from detainees and their legal counsel, studies the evidence including classified intelligence, and examines witnesses including senior ISD officers when it deems necessary. These safeguards were further enhanced when in 1991, the elected President was given the power to veto the Government’s decision to detain a person against the recommendation of the Advisory Board. Indeed, the Board has on several occasions made independent recommendations for the early release of detainees, including three of the sixteen ex-detainees.
6 The external security environment and the threats to our national security have evolved with changing times and circumstances. In the CPM era, armed communist insurgencies, transnationally motivated and supported, infected countries throughout our region. The communist threat was not just violent insurgency but also the systematic subversion of the political arena to foment civil strife and de-stabilise the country. We also encountered cases of espionage, and cases where a foreign power or agency tried to subvert Singa¬pore’s domestic politics. From time to time racial and religious extremists, sometimes externally supported and instigated, sought to provoke racial conflict and subvert our ethnic harmony. Today, we face the threat of jihadist terrorism, not only from Al-Qaeda-linked clandestine groups like the Jemaah Islamiyah but also from self-radicalised individuals.
7 A small country, open to external influences and located in a turbulent region, will always face security threats. Their nature will evolve over time. The ISA and its use have likewise evolved as Singa¬pore’s circumstances, vulnerability and risk tolerance change. While the Government certainly monitors developments in the laws and systems of other countries, on a matter as important as security it ultimately has to decide based on what is prudent and necessary in Singa¬pore’s context and is in Singa¬pore’s best interests. As an instrument of last resort, the ISA has enabled us to counter serious security threats, protect our people, and preserve our racial harmony and social cohesion. It remains relevant and necessary in today’s evolving security environment, for keeping Singa¬pore safe and secure.
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By this claim can we see the evidence?
A pack of lies. The charges are all trumped up by the paranoid Govt under LKY.
PM Lee must come out of the shadow of his father, be a real man and set the records right for the wrongs suffered by the 16 detainees.
We are no longer 3 year olds being led by the nose for the past 25 odd years.
Do you believe in PAP ? ISA has been used in hundreds of political detainnees and it claim every one of them is communists, including Lim Chin Siong. Go to hell PAP cronies.
This is too long for me to digest in one day. After a cursory glance, I can say that reading numbers (1, 2, 3) does not satisfy me. I’d like to know identity of those identified as conspirators, context/ details of their activities, dates & etc. More later.
We can look first the previous cases like Lim Chin Seong, Chia Thye Poh to establish the issue of credibility.
According the declassified documents released by the British sources, there was no concrete evidence against Lim Chin Seong as alleged. Chia Thye Poh refused to admit he was a communist so he was detained indefinitely without evidence being established except for a suspicion.
Among these 16 detainees who was really proven to be communists or marxist communist?
If Young Pap associated with the youth wing of communist China, would they be similarly charged for prejudicial activities affecting security or with the intent to overthrow government. Is there a more established yardstick in alleging or suspecting someone to be associated with violent communists.
If there isn’t such a clearly defined yardstick, except for branding them as Marxist conspirators then we can see that it is only based on ISD’ own suspicions without real evidence like in the case of Lim Chin Seong or Chia Thye Poh.
If Teo Soh Lung joined the Law Society, does she automatically become someone penetrating organization with a view to subvert such organization. Where is the evidence that she was subverting such an organization ?
A commission of inquiry should be convened to prevent false braning of people as communist given the fact of similar false accusation against Lim Chin Seong and Chia Thye Poh and possibly many others as shown in the de-classified documents.
If MHA has all the evidence of their so called subversive activities, they should have been charged in an open court. By not doing so, the government has allowed itself to be accused of abusing the ISA to silent its political opponents. A Commission of Inquiry should be set up to bring this matter to a closure. Otherwise the sole judge of this sordid period of political repression is best left to history. Truth can never be suppressed forever.
None of the 16 ex-detainees were caught “red handed” in their so called “subversive activities”.. So far, they have thrown up many other active groups and CLAIMED that these people were involved, in fact they even used e word ” actively involve”.. Still the point is that they were unable to show any concrete prove… That is how miw works. Same goes for TT who insisted that his son had served out his NS liability in a proper manner without explaning how.
It is hard to believe them anymore. And the era when “you say it is white it must be white” is long gone…
Only goondoos like steven kho will swear by them.
And talking about steven kho, I believe he will soon appear again, but not before he once again transform himself into Michael Lim Peng Liang, who is “in charge” of this topic…
How is providing medical assistance to anyone wrong?
Whilst the rest of the world imposes sanctions on Burma, Singapore receives Burmese generals who travel here for medical treatment with open arms. I remember vividly an interview where LKY said “Do we say ‘He is a bad man’ and deny him medical treatment?”. Another case of double standards, I suppose…
If the joint statement by the 16 ex-detainees is baseless, the government can always sue them since the ISA is rarely used nowadays. The kangaroos should not find them difficult to handle based on past track records.
Do Singaporeans understand the implications of indefinite detention without trial? Because that is what the ISA can do to all and any Singaporean who falls out of favor with the PAP. Of course the PAP will claim that this power has never been abused, but there is no judicial process to validate those claims. This is the reason why the ISA has to be abolished, because there is absolutely no guarantee that this power will never be abused in the hands of any politcial party in power.
We want an open and fair trial.
I don’t believe what I just read here and if these ex.detainees are guilty of what they claimed to be, how come none of them were being proven otherwise? and what about those are already released and still alive today have to proof anymore? its so scary isn’t it?
Hi Titiana,
Miss you
ISA is a tool to suppress political dissent at all costs.Where is the evidence ?Chin Peng the MCP leader did not carried subversion activities during the same period n how can they be terrorists if MCP is inactive in Malaysia?
Why LKY up to now is not charged for political crimes on those detainees?
Lim chin Siong was never linked with Chin Peng n of there are such claims where are the evidence ?A full inquiry is important n issuing such statements smacked more of political cover up of all past wrongful detentions.The govt is now fearful of a public inquiry as they know the naked truth of past atrocities
I cannot imagine the pain that these ex-detainees must be going through right now. Teo Soh Lung once called her arrest and detention, “political rape” and that it remains “an open wound”. It must feel like being raped by the PAP again.
MHA statement on Marxist detainees is simply a political statement to wash away past mistakes .LKY must be put on trial for his political crimes to kill all opponents at all cost n Nathan is ever willing executioner .Both were mentioned in wikipedia that they were active during Japanese occupation for some intelligence activities for the Japanese army during second war world.Why are we so afraid of conducting a public inquiry ?Before present detainees or their elderly executioners will soon go to heaven or hell let us hv full disclosure for the benefits of all Singaporeans .
.
By gut, a good number of the purported ‘extremists’ come across as gentle souls. There is not a modicum of ill intent; much less, vile, in them.
Pictures are obviously taken when they are at their lowest point; for obvious reasons.
What is done and perpetuated comes back to us all; in person, and collectively. Why should Singaporeans continue to be on the receiving end of principles and practices that are at variance with our beliefs. This dissonance costs the country much more than the benefits it brings to the few who continue to clutch on to these injustices. It is criminal, in my view. Ironically, this is law.
Who believes the MHA and the PAP kee chiu!
The PAP and its gahmen machinery have lost all credibility. How can the PAP function effectively as a gahmen when large sections of the population no longer trust and believe many of the things it says.
Who believes LHL is “sorry” kee chiu!
MHA talks rubbish, its like telling you the moon is not round.
We all know that whatever ministries or authorities or statboard or pa here in sickapore, they are all in cahoots with the pap .
We see a system operating here that is flawed to its core.
While having claimed what is mentioned in the article, did MHA also released to public did isa detained both or either mr Lim Chin Seong and Chia Thye Poh WITH EVIDENCE?
When you tell one lie, you have to tell 10 lies to cover that one lie, and for each of the 10 lies you tell………
In the end, you lose credibility, when the real wolf appears……
In the 60s, Lim Chin Siong was a threat to stability. He instigated the Chinese-educated to cause riots & uprisings. He had obtained funding from the CCP in China. That is how dangerous the man was, and hence, rightly detained.
In the 80s, the Marxist conspirators were using church work to cover up their covert activities. Under Marxism, they were pushing for a classless society. They were trying to cause a revolution to topple our government. Look at histroy. All these revolutions involved bloodshed. Try to understand the severity of the situation. Those peopel were rightly detained, and should never have been released.
@Michael Lim Peng Liang aka steven kho,
Bingo! I was expecting you!! And thanks for adding more of your bullshit to help make more people fared up of pap and their ISA bullshit..
Happy 2016!!
The only way to resolve this matter is for the Law Society to make a stand on these claims and counter claims by the aggrieved party and the Govt.
Have a commission of inquiry with independent ‘think tanks’ and men of substance ‘with balls of steel’ to sit and deliberate what is true or untrue.
We are no longer a bunch of “DAFTS” like those way back in the sixties giving LKY & PAP a blank cheque.
What utter nonsense from MHA. If they think that giving their 2 cents worth in the papers will convince the people of their misdeeds, then they are absolutely wrong. If they are too cocksure about what they are saying, then bring them to court and prove the case before the Court of Justice instead of hiding behind the ISA to imprison them for years without trial. Close down the law courts if they think that justice can be achieved by spurting utter nonsense in the major newspaper.
Down with the ISA. The ex-detainees are innocent until proven guilty in The Court Of Justice.
Come on – this article is rubbish. TOC, do yourself some credit and investigate these claims a little. Since being gazetted, this site is a little too sanitized. Waiting for TRE to come back only…
Back to the above, we know that Macdonald House bombing was one of the most deadly, and this was done by Indonesian commandos. Special Branch could track, catch, try and hang them all in the 60′s. Why use ISA on this group in the 70′s? My only 2 conclusions are: 1. The isn’t any proof of wrongdoing that could keep these 16 in jail. 2. Our police are becoming less and less efficient.
Can’t waiit for 2016. The entire PAP must be thrown out. Not only has change not come after May, these bastards have dug in further and spun more lies. We are even regressing to North Korea style of government with the setting up of the fascist Cybersecurity Centre that reports to the ISD. t
Nobody can hide the truths for long as the LAW OF NATURE will catch up with them.Old cunning fox will never stop manipulating and whitewash truths for his selfish aims and S’poreans are the his pawns to realise his diabolical motives.Catastrophies have been inflicted on true blue S’poreans solely with his self-serving policies of perpetuating his control by dirty means.WE can see for ourselves his true colours if we bother to scrutinise his past years acts and policies and all these are detrimental to the well-being of common citizen.The wide control of the machineries in their hands like the MSM,CPF,Education,Health,Transportation and the likes are for perpetuation their callous control of S’poreans.We have only one avenue to seek redress that is by constant prayer for our emancipation from the demon’s craws!!!!!
What was interesting was that nobody seems to have signed off this document. Why should civil servants be accountable for policy or political decisions? Shouldn’t the Home Minister be fronting the whole exercise ? Talk about transparency? A commission of inquiry, not chaired by Gerard Ee, could be one way. But I guess Singaporeans ‘cannot handle the truth’. Hard or soft.
MHA drug abuse records was incorrect for so many years. We think Teo CH ought to arrest the ex Director behind bars for lying, misrepresentation and fraud.
Now is this Marxist ISA story even true?Who is to know.
Hard and harder still to try run a countries trying to cover up issues one after another. Soon all stories will surface.
Francis Seow – What sort of security threat was he in the eyes of ISA? Singaporean need to know the answer to believe.
I, myself was a victim as one mid afternoon, while going to take my lunch during working time, I fainted in a open field, due to a tumour in my brain, when I wake up I found myself being lock up with lot of injuries and dirty clothing, and charge with disorder behaviour. They asked me whether I took drugs and took my blood for testing. When I wrote a few complaints e-mails to PM, he don’t even care to reply me. His doggies gives me a standard reply, its under investigation in due course or intimate me, never really reply me questions. After so many attempts, they now told me that I was concious during that time and SCDF paramedics attended to me and the injuries causes by them is lawful, wich is a sickening lies. A few day ago, they reply me again, and insist that I was concious and told me that on that day I had a fall and ask me to go for a medical check up. I had asked them so many times that why they did not send me to hospital instead lock me up, they never reply me and now they told me that I had a fell and asked me to go for a medical check up. This show that this hypocrite government have no concern and respect to human life at all. I hope that Singaporean will wake up and know the true colour of this hypocrite government, I still try to seek justices from them but I don’t think they will want to hold any responsibility at all.
Yes nobody dare to sign the document, so who is MHA!
As what TJS has advocated – Let us have a Commission of Enquiry into these so-called claims by MHA!
To :Innocent.
Yes we believe they first looked at you with suspicions. We suggest you get a lawyer to write to them .It is only you against the whole party and whole system, you will not get any reply. Its all up to them to say. They never take average singapore as human .
I though the man (beast) that insiticated the sit in at chinese high and zhong cheng is an old man that fred singapore when thing get too hot.
MHA thinks we are so naive :MHA is also their own kaki, own gang, own party, theres no independant equiring body to challenge them,to check them,- its all up to them to say.They simply pluck words from the air.
The whole world reading in the internet on singapore is laughing at them.
Singaporeans really cant help but feel very ashame of MHA.
@ Innocent 24 September 2011
are you giving a hypothetical case or your story is real.
To Human Right.
But getting a lawyer need a lot of monies, I am just a ordinary worker that don’t earn much. I need someone who knows well the jungle law in singapore to write a letter with some of my injury photos to tell singaporean about it and let them juge it themselves.
To Singaporean,
This is the real, true life story, I have all the necessary document to prove why I was there on that day and the medical report with MRI and the letter from doctor and photos self taken of my physical injuries.
LKY and his cohorts at MHA, should stop
persecuting innocent political oppositions.
LKY, you are now 88 and going, TO HELL!
But, before you GO, please repent and speak
the truth. Lying will only cause you to
suffer extreme pains in Hell.
LKY, we urged that you speak the truth and shame the devils in you!!
Doubts have surfaced about Lim Chin Siong’s status as a communist. The erstwhile Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, later Minister Mentor of Singapore, maintained that Lim was communist, but this claim had been denied by Lim. Lim had also stated that he felt that labelling one a Communist was the quickest way to justify a detention without trial. The secretary general of the Malayan Communist Party, Chin Peng, never acknowledged Lim to be a party member, while the MCP in Southern Thailand had also stated that they did not exercise direct control over the Singapore left. Lee Kuan Yew had once introduced Lim Chin Siong as “our future Prime Minister”. He had also perceived Lim to be a challenge to his authority.
Declassified British documents have stated that Lim was not actually a Communist. However, history textbooks in Singapore have stated that he is one[lie!]. Dr Greg Poulgrain of Griffith University has also observed that the British Governor of Singapore and his Chief Secretary in their reports to London stated that the police found no evidence to establish that Lim was Communist. During Lim’s rallies, the British and anticommunist Chief Minister Lim Yew Hock incited riots among the unionists and students in attendance. Lee Kuan Yew later used these incidents as reasons to imprison Lim under the charge of Communism, after Lim split from PAP to spearhead the Barisan Sosialis. Lim was imprisoned not because of what he knew about Singapore. He was imprisoned because he had met the leader of the Brunei revolt, A.M. Azahari. He had promised his party’s support to A.M. Azahari and the PRB. The then Brunei Sultan, Sir Omar Ali Saifuddin who was rebelled against by the PRB was furious. At his instigation, Lee Kuan Yew did the bidding of the Brunei Sultan to lock up Lim Chin Siong. This was so that the true history of the Brunei revolt would never be known. The complete story of this revolt in 1962 is not known even until today despite the passing of more than sixty years. Part of his jailing was to ensure that lee Kuan Yew also had no competitors for the premiership during the early days of Singapore’s establishment. Because of Lim Chin Siong’s exile Lee was able to stay as premier of Singapore unchallenged for a longer time. The political survival of Lee Kuan Yew was furthered by Lim’s exile. Lim later resided in England. Chin Peng, the leader of the MCP, stated that the Malaya Communist Party had never controlled and manipulated Lim Chin Siong or Barisan Sosialis, in contradiction of the claims of Lee Kuan Yew.
There are still no evidence of him being a communist.
Kudos to wikipedia for publishing both sides of the story. So which side will you believe?
Morons (or acting morons) like steven kho aka alvin chua and michael LPL will beat the drum about the con job version, whether it is because they are playing devils advocate or if they are really that dumb..)
Innocent
If you are a foreigner, you would be sent to hospital straight away. Too bad you are local. Our police put on their uniforms only to nab innocent locals, you are lucky they dun use ISA to set you up, on the slightest excuse you are a security threat.
Use law? forget it, they would use the whole machinery to hammer you down and bankrupt you.
It’s their Judiciary, who do you think you are. Just take care of your health and avoid further stress.
God will punish those, that laws cannot get to in time.
Time is running out for you.
Continue to live in self denial.
Where is the evidence ? They have never been brought before court of justice. It is the same out thing MHA dish out to smoke screen the public of how ‘dangerous’ these ISA detainees were. I suppose they are dangerous to LKY only, as they pose a challenge to his party power to continue bull s-h-i-t us.
We have heard them and seen them in video clips, they don’t come across as lying. On the other hand, we think LKY lies and tell half truth all the time. He has been getting away with it. But truth will be truth. Just like Mao of China. Now all his evil doings are know internationally. LKY will end up the same faith as Mao, as there are many similarities between the 2 self center, power crazy and selfish men.
Michael Lim Peng Liang24 September 2011
… Try to understand the severity of the situation. Those peopel were rightly detained, and should never have been released.
…………
Well said,but
do you understand the severity of the situation when you yourself keep claiming and provoking our neighbour for no reason by saying that they are incompetent etc everywhere….
My view is that you yourself need to be call up to limkpopi with ISD if you continue with these unnecessary remarks everywhere.You are a threat to our peaceful country and your remark may result in worse situation.
Give these people a fair trial, unless pappies have something to hide!
Until and unless a fair trial takes place people will not buy the crap of the pappies. LKY is contradicting himself about the communists’ threat when our young members of YP were sent off to CHINA for some ‘interactive activities’!!
@innocent
What you’ve gone through is atrocious! As a Singaporean, I’m so ashamed this had occur on our soil. You have to be prepared to go for a long battle if you seek legal redress. I hate to discourage you but Popcorn is right! It’s THEIR JUDICIARY! Do take care of your health.
//To Singaporean, This is the real, true life story, I have all the necessary document to prove why I was there on that day and the medical report with MRI and the letter from doctor and photos self taken of my physical injuries.//
If it is true, your case is real solid. Go to AG and lodge a complaint or ask the AG for advice & start to keep a record of the advices (no conflicting advices or pushing around of authorities) given by all the relevant institutions e.g be it police or AG, etc and as the case is quite serious be prepared that you may involve specific persons. It would be good if there are independent parties (e.g passer-bys, family members) to collaborate your story.
Alternatively, you may try some lawyers willing to do pro-bono & who like to make sure that justice is done for those who cannot afford the resources to do so themselves.
Also please bear in mind, there is a possibility that your tumor may have altered your usual good sense & caused you to have done things that you could not remember very well during a specific period.
@Singaporean
Alternatively, you may try some lawyers willing to do pro-bono & who like to make sure that justice is done for those who cannot afford the resources to do so themselves.
How about try approch Jeanette Chong Aruldoss??
If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.
Adolf Hitler