Whitley Road Detention Centre: The “Blue Gate”
Whitley Road Detention Centre - few have seen for themselves, let alone heard of the infamous Blue Gate that guards the enigmatic facility that lies beyond it. This is a place where detainees under the Internal Security Act are incarcerated and denied a fair hearing.
We shall focus on the events that transpired in what is commonly known to many as the ‘Marxist Conspiracy’.
On 21 May 1987, 16 persons were arrested under the ISA. Prominent amongst the 16 includes SDP Chairman Dr Wong Souk Yee as well as Ms Teo Soh Lung and Vincent Cheng. In the dead of night, police raided and ransacked their homes. The police blindfolded and handcuffed them while they were being taken to Whitley Detention Centre. Upon arrival, all were registered, fingerprinted, photographed, medically examined and given the standard prison overalls. They were led to the basement, ice-cold rooms for interrogation.
Interrogation was tough on the detainees. This often went on for long periods of time; round the clock over the span of three days without interruption. Many violations and abuses were committed if the detainees were not forthcoming with the confessions. Psychological and physical coercion were employed in the form of dousing with cold water in an already unbearably cold room, made to stand for long hours, beatings and slappings, deliberate sleep deprivation. The list goes on.
The Straits Times soon released a report quoting the MHA verbatim on the arrests alleging that the arrests were made in connection with ‘investigations into a clandestine communist network’. In it, it detailed how the government believed that it had uncovered a Marxist plot masterminded by Tan Wah Piow and spearheaded by Vincent Cheng and the co-conspirators using clandestine, communist united front tactics while infiltrating the Church, the Workers’ Party and social organisations to further such political agendas. Many were skeptical, and for good reason. Those detained were church social workers, lawyers, or volunteers with the opposition Workers Party. How could these well-intentioned, idealistic and committed young people possibly be masterminding a communist plot in Singapore?
The Catholic Church under the late Archbishop Gregory Yong expressed confidence in the church workers and held vigil masses for the detained. Vigils organized by the families o the detained were also held right here, before the Blue Gate to stand in solidarity with the detainees in their time of ordeal. Tan Wah Piow, in exile in London, issued a detailed statement refuting the government’s concocted conspiracy theory and the charges against him. The statement was never published. Eventually, the Church’s refusal to toe the government line brought it into a headlong clash with the government, culminating in a meeting between LKY and the Archbishop. Unfortunately after the meeting, the Church decided to acquiesce to the state and disengage.
While the government had managed to get the Catholic Church in order, it had to contend with the persistent, ever increasing international criticisms ranging from Amnesty International, which adopted some of the detained as prisoners of conscience, as well as those of the foreign press such as Asiaweek and Far East Economic Review. Numerous rights groups like the International Commission for Jurists set up a commission to investigate the veracity of the charges. Law academics globally too condemned the government’s charges as ‘ridiculous and cynical slanders’. A constant thorn in the government’s flesh, the circulation of prominent journals like Asiaweek and FEER were restricted, while the government accused the foreign press of meddling in Singaporean politics.
While the general public remained unconvinced, the government set itself to further its claims and charges through production of the TV program ‘Tracing the Conspiracy’. If one actually surveyed the rhetoric of the government at that time, the very fact that the government had actually contradicted itself on its narrative of the mastermind of the conspiracy has done little to assuage Singaporeans of their skepticism of this whole operation. In fact, former Foreign and Law Minister S Jayakumar said this at that time that Wah Piow was not the mastermind and that he ‘was a mere puppet in a more deadly game’, touting the mastermind to be ‘more sinister, unseen hands’.
Soon after, the detainees were released after being assessed that they would no longer pose a subversive threat. A group of these detainees decided to issue a joint statement refuting all charges made by the government that they were instigators of a Marxist plot and revealed their experiences of harsh treatment while in detention. They were promptly rearrested.
Legal action was soon brought to bear by the detainees against the government with applications for habeaus corpus being raised. It was during this time that former Law Society president and Solicitor General, Mr Francis Seow, was arrested upon visiting his clients at Whitley Detention Centre. Further strings of arrest of lawyers who represented the detainees created a climate of fear amongst the legal community such that none of the local lawyers would step forward to take up these causes. Queens’ Counsels from overseas such as Geoffrey Robertson and Anthony Lester had to be hired.
In the ensuing legal battles, the Court of Appeal made a landmark judgement on judicial review in 1988 after considering various Privy Council judgements. (Privy Court was the highest court of appeal back then. It is based in the UK). The court essentially decided that the judiciary also had the power to review whether the Executive (that is, the ministers) decisions to arrest suspected subversives was reasonable and based on evidence acceptable in court. This was a U-turn from established principles that the executive would have absolute, unchecked discretion in ISA cases. Naturally, the PAP decided to reverse this judgement and using its parliamentary majority, amended the Singapore Constitution and the ISA to revoke the right of appeal to the Privy Council on ISA arrests. The power of the judiciary to review ISA cases were also revoked.
Naturally, there remains much skepticism to the veracity of the allegations and charges made by the government, even within the government itself. Former PM Goh Chok Tong revealed in an interview that former Minister S Dhanabalan had resigned from his cabinet position because of differences he had with the handling of the Marxist Conspiracy.
Former Attorney General Walter Woon also had this to say "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 skepticism.’’
All reactions:
92
Nadrah Abd Rahman
Read "To Catch A Tartar". Heartwrenching
8y
Tan BL
So what's your view on the recent terrorism happening in Singapore? Should we ban ISA and reduce defense budget then give free will to the terrorists?
8y
Raja Kannappan
Until our parliament is balanced, such thing will continue in the interest of the PAP govt and familee.
8y
Leong Isaac
too much!!
8y
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