Ex-detainee Vincent Cheng barred from speaking in history seminar

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Thursday, May 27, 2010

Ex-detainee Vincent Cheng barred from speaking in history seminar



Vincent Cheng at the "Remember May 21st" commemoration event at the Speakers' Corner last year.



Former detainee Vincent Cheng has been prohibited from speaking at the NUS History Seminar to be held on June 4th at the National Library. The organiser NUS History Society has apologised to Mr Cheng and offered to read his speech at the event. Over the phone, Cheng told me he was not surprised and is looking forward to speak when another occasion arises. Last year, police harassed the venue owners of a forum I had planned on the 1987 arrests.

LATEST : Seminar will proceed without Vincent Cheng. (posted May 28th 1300hrs)

The NUS History Society will proceed with the seminar without Vincent Cheng. It has also decided, for unknown reasons, not to read out Cheng's speech at the seminar. When asked if Cheng is barred from attending the event in person, it said that it would be up to the National Library Board to decide.

The following is the statement from NUS History Society, following my queries on facebook.

Monday, May 24, 2010

23 years after Operation Spectrum : Ex-detainees recall mental and physical abuses





May 21st 2010 marks the 23rd anniversary of the "Marxist Conspiracy" arrests and detention-without-trial of 22 young professionals in Singapore. The following are excerpts of accounts by the ex-detainees in a book published last year entitled That We May Dream Again.




Persecuted for justice's sake
by Vincent Cheng

Tacked on one wall of my prison cell was a large poster with these words in bold red:

"Jesus said: Blessed are those who are persecuted for justice's sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and tell all kinds of evil lies against you because you are my followers. rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven."

I took this quotation from Matthew 5:10-12; it was to remind myself of the reason for my detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA). This had begun with my arbitrary arrest at my home on Thursday 21 May, 1987, at 5am by about eight officers from the Internal Security Department (ISD). Being under ISA meant being deprived of my right to a fair and open trial.

"You acted in a manner prejudicial to the security of Singapore by being the central figure in the Marxist conspiracy, masterminded by Tan Wah Piow, to subvert the existing social and political system in Singapore, using communist united front tactics, with a view to establishing a Marxist state ... by violent means, if necessary."

This and other allegations against me would have been demolished in an open court. But alas, under the ISA, I, along with 21 detainees, were denied judicial review and subjected to arbitrary treatment in detention. Most of us bear the physical and psychological scars to this day.





For me, the trauma is insidiously lodged in the subconscious, even after the passage of 21 years. I still feel angry at the injustice of the whole incident, and that the perpetrators have not been brought to account. "Operation Spectrum" was political rape.

I cannot forget, nor forgive, the harsh treatment meted out to me in prison to extract information – the freezing room, the slapping and the beatings, including the blow to my abdomen.

That last act which triggered my abject subjugation haunted me for a long time.

To mitigate the duress, I decided to allow myself to be abused and bullied into writing tracts of self-incriminating lies and half-truths. It seemed less painful to surrender in the interrogation room, but it was more painful when I was put back into the cell.

There I would shed tears, stemming from my sense of utter powerlessness, loss of self-esteem, and constant worry over how my "confession" would harm others. The government onslaught resulted in 3 years of imprisonment, 5 years of restriction orders, a fine of $87,000 and other painful consequences for me and my family.

People have advised me to let go, to forgive and forget, to move on with life. But I ask myself: Why should I? To close the issue is tantamount to condoning the injustice. I can understand why the Nanking massacre survivors and the Korean comfort women are still fighting for justice today. Victims of injustice must not give up the fight to regain their dignity. I believe that forgiveness and letting go is genuine and meaningful only when justice has been, or is seen to have been, done. And if justice cannot be done, then the forces of karma will take over. The law of nature will prevail.

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21 May 1987
by Tang Lay Lee


“Are you a Marxist?”

“No. I’m a Catholic.”

PIAK!

“Are you a Marxist?

“No. I’m a Catholic.

PIAK!

“Are you instigating workers?”

“No. I’m helping workers.

PIAK!

“Are you a Marxist?”

“No. I’m a Catholic.

PIAK! PIAK!

“Are you instigating workers?”

“No. I’m helping workers.”

PIAK!

I felt cold, very cold and numb. Surely this can't be real, this can’t be happening. But the blows to my face kept coming after every reply.

Men kept coming and going out of the room, talking among themselves, barking at me, shaking their heads. J.T*, another little man with a moustache, the case officer. T.*, a little woman, his assistant case officer. Long Jaw, who slapped me with powerful swings of his arm and the full force of his body behind every blow.

I wanted to forget it all but I couldn't. It was humiliating. I was crying out that it was totally unwarranted. Were they stupid? Marxist? Me? I tried to tell them what I am – a Catholic.

But they were not interested in my answer, but continued hitting me and dousing me with cold water in an air-conditioned room.

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The knock on the door
by Kevin De Souza

Then came the knock on the door at 5am on 21 May 1987 which indelibly changed my life.

I still remember clearly the sequence of events - being roused from my bed, opening the front door to a tall Indian officer of the Internal Security Department (ISD), who announced in an almost apologetic tone that I had been arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

My father stood beside me in his shorts and singlet, in total shock, and asked me what I had done. My immediate reply: "Nothing, I have done nothing wrong."

The period of detention turned out to be the most traumatic years of my life – the strip search, the blindfolds, the interrogations in the cold room, the sleep deprivation, the television interviews, the slaps on the face, the three-legged chairs I was forced to balance on during the initial interrogations, the solitary confinement and, most of all, the fear of long-term incarceration without trial.

This experience would haunt me for may years after my release - the constant fear of being re-arrested under the ISA and the guilt of not withstanding the pressures of interrogation and detention. Such detentions are meant to break a detainee's spirit and diminish his or her effectiveness upon release.

The impact on me was profound. Detention sapped my confidence in my own abilities and strengths. The question would constantly surface : Could I cope with another round of arrest, interrogation and detention?

Through all this, other constants helped me survived those dark years - the unwavering support of my then girlfriend and now wife, Lucy, my parents and sister, and the immense solidarity of people on Singapore and around the world.

This community spirit meant we were never forgotten and never alone. In prison, we tried to maintain a strong bond. Separated by the high walls of our cells, the detainees would sing to one another on most nights to keep our spirits up.

Relatives and friends who were unable to visit us would stand 100 metres away from the gates of Whitley Road Detention Centre just to catch a glimpse of us and to wave to us for a fleeting 10 seconds, when we walked to the visitors' room. I remember seeing my good friend, Joseph Ng, on a showery afternoon, and on another occasion, my elderly godparents, Jenny and Stephen Yeo, shouting and waving frantically to me.

TeeKee said:

to all ya buddha worshippers.....where's the karma for the people who did so many bad things to them?

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yeah, Con You so fast to falsely label them Marxist. Well, guess what? Someone is letting in thousands of card carrying communists from PRC into our country. How many of them hardcore, spies, formentors of trouble, etc. ? Shouldn't the one allowing in all these communists be treated as a traitor too?

Tan Wah Piow did not serve NS. He still owe the government 2.5 years of NS.

myo539 said:

Tan Wah Piow did not serve NS. He still owe the government 2.5 years of NS.

Click to expand...

What about yourself, bitch?

makapaaa said:

What about yourself, bitch?

Click to expand...

Don't expect a quick reply as she will have to refer to her textbook.

myo539 said:

Tan Wah Piow did not serve NS. He still owe the government 2.5 years of NS.

Click to expand...

National Service what so great about it?..it is a Slavery ACT...:p

This brings back such terrible but necessary memories. I know quite a number of those detained. Very sad.

PAP very scared of Ah Peks these days.

Cos Ah Peks will punch and burn their MPs

TeeKee said:

to all ya buddha worshippers.....where's the karma for the people who did so many bad things to them?

Click to expand...

To Hong Xiuquan and all god worshippers, don't argue against the 'will of god' that appointed and allowed people to rule and be in charge and start describing them as "the people who did so many bad things to them" together with natural calamities and other things that befall the earth that he claimed to create.

They being in charge was decided with the lord's approval. Don't fight it and blaspheme him.

LKY is still afraid of Marxists

More like anyone who questions his system. Its no wonder that many are impatiently waiting for him to up the lorry

>> “Are you a Marxist?”

“No. I’m a Catholic.”

PIAK!

“Are you a Marxist?

“No. I’m a Catholic.

PIAK!

“Are you instigating workers?”

“No. I’m helping workers.

PIAK!

“Are you a Marxist?”

“No. I’m a Catholic.

PIAK! PIAK!

“Are you instigating workers?”

“No. I’m helping workers.”

PIAK!

I felt cold, very cold and numb. Surely this can't be real, this can’t be happening. But the blows to my face kept coming after every reply.

[COLOR=_______]Perhaps Vincent Cheng can formally sue ISD now for ill-treatment? Even if one is a criminal, it doesn't give the right to Govt officials to hit criminals personally...

[/COLOR]

Huh? There are no more Communists in China, only capitalists!

Papsmearer said:

yeah, Con You so fast to falsely label them Marxist. Well, guess what? Someone is letting in thousands of card carrying communists from PRC into our country. How many of them hardcore, spies, formentors of trouble, etc. ? Shouldn't the one allowing in all these communists be treated as a traitor too?

Click to expand...

TeeKee said:

to all ya buddha worshippers.....where's the karma for the people who did so many bad things to them?

Click to expand...

To all you closed-minded people who cannot see beyond your own beliefs


善有善报，恶有恶报。
不是不报，时候未到。
时候一到，立即全报。
善恶到头终有报，只争来早与来迟。

Communism stopped being a viable state ideology 21 years ago. The parties that used to call themselves communist now take part in elections. The only exceptions are China, Cuba, Vietnam and North Korea. Of these, only Cuba and North Korea can be described as communist.

So, are the PAPzis afraid that Mr Cheng is motivated by the 'shining example' of North Korea or the Latin lure of Cuba? Or our security czars fighting yesterday's wars?

The marxist conspiracy has nothing to do with communism unlike the Lim Chin Siong era. The marxist tag is just attaching labels to convince themselves and others that its a security threat. If you say that they are troublemakers, you can't invoke ISA.

They are stopping Vincent Cheng from undermining the actions and the incarcerations that occurred.

The issue was simple
- some smart people was helping WP to publish the Hammer without revealing themselves
- one of them is married to Juliet Chin's sister and Juliet was Wah Piow's comrade in arms
- there was contact between wah piow and one of them
- the catholic church was warned off previously for causing issues in Jurong and Bukit Ho Swee over workers right and housing/welfare and the workers issue surfaced again in Geylang.
- ISD had nothing to show for over a decade to justify their existence

So these buggers got a heartache. Its no different to your son getting romantic with your neighbour's daughter who you hate with a vengence.

If you know your history, the communist singapore leaders and the PAP were at that moment kissing and making up and asking to return home, find job for their families.So it has nothing to do with communist or communism.

As our local communist were from the Maoist camp, they used the term marxist. If our local chaps were from Marxist camp, then history might show the arrest as the "Maoist Conspiracy"

Its the oldest trick in the book - Give a dog a bad name and then hang it. I am surprised that people think there is communism involved in the first place. If you read the white paper, communism does not even surface but things like liberation theology does.

HTOLAS said:

Communism stopped being a viable state ideology 21 years ago. The parties that used to call themselves communist now take part in elections. The only exceptions are China, Cuba, Vietnam and North Korea. Of these, only Cuba and North Korea can be described as communist.

So, are the PAPzis afraid that Mr Cheng is motivated by the 'shining example' of North Korea or the Latin lure of Cuba? Or our security czars fighting yesterday's wars?

Click to expand...

HTOLAS said:

Communism stopped being a viable state ideology 21 years ago. The parties that used to call themselves communist now take part in elections. The only exceptions are China, Cuba, Vietnam and North Korea. Of these, only Cuba and North Korea can be described as communist.

So, are the PAPzis afraid that Mr Cheng is motivated by the 'shining example' of North Korea or the Latin lure of Cuba? Or our security czars fighting yesterday's wars?

Click to expand...

Those who have power are always afraid to lose it. The MIW will never admit that they were wrong and spoil their image of flawless prefection. They have and always will seek to turn black to white or in this case blacken others to show off their whiteness.