i c where u r coming fm bro...n no doubt u hv raised some legitimate painful issues of this dark period in s'pore's history which hv yet to be resolved one way r the other, prolly may never be resolved...
however the pt i wanted to put across, in particular to chaopappypoodle, is the apparent inference tat Dr. Lim's family was provided some sort of financial assistance fm harry during those 22 yrs of his incaceration...this is not true for reasons tat i posted abv...
now as to Dr Lim's son's employment at NUS...well i guess tat one is open to debate...just like harvard educated alleged marxist conspirator chew kheng chuan's employment at NUS; ex isa political detainee n playwright the late kuo pao kun being awarded the cultural medallion; janadas d. n to some extent philip j being cosy wif the pap establishment etc...
i read Otto Fong's insightful n pretty candid moving description of wat it is was like growing up as a child of an isa political detainee, Otto is Fong Swee Suan's son...goes wifout saying tat it was tough going n heartbreaking for the whole family...perhaps it is all relative but i dont think u can compare wat Dr Chee & his family has n is presently going thru compared to the past isa political detainees' families, especially Dr Lim...no disrespect to Dr Chee but he has his family wif him something Dr Lim n the other political detainees never had...
btw since stones r now being cast at Dr Lim...i wonder wat u chaps think abt Chia Thye Poh?...i ask becuz it is obvious tat the big difference between Chia n the rest of the political detainees is tat Chia was single when he was detained...
Maybe or maybe not.The point being does it counts?In fact it makes matter all the worst for the Chees.Imaging living in a 3rm flat with 3 kids at the glare of the public and in school.No wify in her right mind would want that.And to seek financial help from father-in-law is really rubbing salt on Chee's wounded pride.No man wants to live the life of a kept man.
The gist is LKY had interfered in ISD detainees family lives.I guess,it must be a far worse pain to bear than being behind bars.Imagine a family suddenly without the bread winner,lost financially and emotionally---because LKY detained him for their political rivalry.Than comes LKY's outfits giving handouts to such families.Some family may refuse initially but it's just a question of time before they succumb.And at midst of this is the very detainees--torn between having their families accepting 'help' from the very devil who incarnated them.But unable to persuade their families not to since they they themselves cannot feed them.
This is the trauma LKY must have had placed heavy on many people he detained without a trial.Had any of us were in that position,we would have wished for death as a relief.Damn if you do and damn if you don't kind of situation.And in between your family and children's future at stake.
Hence LKY than would have effectively shifted the focus to jailing the entire family.The detainees in jail while their families beholden to the very evil regime for their daily bread and butter.
This is something many Sinkies fail to see.
The emotions that drains the detainees to see their very family torn apart.Worse,if their very family starts believing that it's their fathers who are at faults while the LKY regime is the benevolent.