Operation Coldstore remains the most contentious event in the history of postcolonial Singapore. Despite attempts by the state to silence ex-detainees, by warning that they would not be permitted to rewrite the state's official version of history, the authors in this volume have done just that. They have placed on record their own perspective of events. The autobiographical element in the narratives brings to life what these individuals went through as left-wing political actors who responded to the call of anti colonialism and the challenge of shaping a new society. Their accounts of life in prison are a sober reminder of the deprivations and tortures inflicted to break their spirit. These stirring accounts are supplemented by academic contributions that provide contextual depth to the historical events and a critique of history writing in Singapore. Fifty years after Operation Coldstore is certainly not too soon a time for us to speak about our understanding of our imprisonment. I maintain that I was imprisoned for being part of a slate of left-wing anti colonialists who were going to pose a challenge to Lee Kuan Yew in the election of 1963. The charge of communism and subversion, used to frame people like me, has simply been chanted repeatedly to this day. Our rejection of the charge has been ignored outright, without any attempt to supply evidence or specific details which we could answer.

The 1963 Operation Coldstore in Singapore: Commemorating 50 Years

History

Tan Kok Fang

Hong Lysa Kai

Asia

Strategic Information and Research Development Centre

This book throws new light onto the 1963-66 period of confrontation between Malaysia and Indonesia. The Brunei revolt in December 1962 started Confrontation but who started the Brunei revolt? Most historical accounts still hold A.M. Azahari of Brunei as culpable, but this book vindicates his role: Roy Henry (from British intelligence) openly admitted responsibility for starting the Brunei Revolt.This is but one result of accessing recently-released archival material and interviewing many former officials (some of whom are featured in the archival material). Documents which no previous works have accessed helped Dr Poulgrain piece together the genesis of Konfrontasi.An American-British group called SIFE (Security Intelligence Far East) was the key to Konfrontasi. The British kept control of Brunei oil, even at the cost of manipulating the Sultanate; and in Singapore, they actively promoted Lee Kuan Yew; but in Indonesia, beyond the joint strategy of ousting Sukarno, the British and Americans were actually rivals.This book looks into the vectors that generated Konfrontasi in early 1963, rather than the attempted solution by President Kennedy in late 1963.

The Genesis of Konfrontasi: Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia, 1945-1965 by Greg Poulgrain (2014-08-02)

Greg Poulgrain

Outlined here is clarity, simplicity, commitment and sacrifice of an exemplary Malaysian, a Christian who seeks to fight with her deep faith, impeccable character and profound courage to secure, by God's strength and with much prayer, a better future for all Malaysians. There is great hope for Malaysia if many more Hannahs could be replicated in politics. Dr. Daniel Ho Senior Pastor, DUMC, Petaling Jaya Hannah's story is not only about politics. It is about a spiritual journey of self-discovery. It is also about the role of values and faith in public office. Hannah's Christian convictions show us how faith is a prime mover for righteousness, justice and good governance in the state and the nation. She truly believes that politics needs more good people if positive change is to happen, and because of her faith, has shown that she is willing to walk the talk. Saari Sungib, Selangor State Assemblyman, Hulu Kelang About the Author Hannah Yeoh Tseow Suan is the Speaker of the Selangor State Legislative Assembly and State Assemblyman for Subang Jaya, Selangor. Hannah won the N31 state seat in the General Elections 2008 as a DAP candidate at the age of 29. She was elected as the Speaker at the age of 34, making her the first woman and youngest Speaker in Malaysia. She obtained her Bachelor of Laws from University of Tasmania. She is married to Ramachandran M, an IT entrepreneur. They are now proud parents of two baby girls Shay Adora Ram and Kayleigh Imani Ram. The couple is passionate about nation-building and seeks to inspire Malaysians to play their respective parts in establishing a righteous nation free from corruption and racial discrimination.

Becoming Hannah

Hannah Yeoh

Sukarno was at the centre of the conflict between John F. Kennedy and Allen Dulles (Director of Central Intelligence). With the intention of removing Sukarno from power, Dulles' strategy of 'regime change' was well-advanced before Kennedy became president. Indeed, his career in intelligence had started even before Kennedy was born! In 1958, DCI Dulles was at the height of his power. He was not simply targeting the Outer Islands in Indonesia, but the entire Indonesian archipelago -- including Netherlands New Guinea where the world's largest gold deposit was located (and is today still being mined). Unlike Dulles, neither Kennedy nor Sukarno was aware of this El Dorado. But when the author interviewed Joseph Luns, the former Dutch Foreign Minister who became NATO Secretary-General, Luns said that he had asked the Americans involved to exploit the huge gold deposit jointly with the Dutch. It was their refusal, Luns said, that actually forced the Dutch out of New Guinea. When Kennedy and Sukarno in 1963 resolved to work together, US foreign policy threatened to disrupt -- unwittingly -- Dulles' own Cold War strategy which was focused on Indonesia. JFK's wariness, after Allen Dulles' role in the Bay of Pigs, drew a tongue-in-cheek but prophetic comment: 'Domestic policy can only defeat us', he used to say. 'Foreign policy can kill us'.

The Incubus of Intervention: Conflicting Indonesia Strategies of John F. Kennedy and Allen Dulles

Bangsa Melayu: Malay Concepts of Democracy and Community, 1945-1950

Ariffin Omar

Lim Chin Siong was the most prominent left-wing leader in Singapore for a decade until he was eliminated from the political scene by the infamous Operation Coldstore on February 2, 1963. This book is an account of Lim's significance in Singapore's political developments in the decade preceding. It also contains tributes by his friends and colleagues in Singapore and Malaysia. This new edition features an essay by Dr Poh Soo Kai and an extract from Lim's posthumous manuscripts. It will redefine the debate on the post-war history of both countries and the legacy of continuing political repression in them. 
 "The entire Singapore Special Branch file of evidence against Lim, including the transcription of Lim's 'Pah Mata' speech, has been unearthed from files recently declassified by the National Archives of the UK. The Special Branch files show they had no evidence on which they could convict Lim of any crime. In order to justify his detention without trial in 1956, the government deliberately misrepresented Lim Chin Siong's speech. After the PAP came into power, it did not provide the opportunity for Lim to clear his name either. It remains an open question if any of the detentions over the last sixty years were justified. The Internal Security Act remains in operation today. To ensure that this Act has been used appropriately and responsibly, an open Commission of Enquiry into the detentions of Singapore's political detainees is needed to set the facts straight once and for all. Only by learning the truth of our own collective past can we learn and grow as a nation." - Dr Thum Ping Tjin (2014)

Comet in Our Sky: Lim Chin Siong in History

As the first private practitioner in some 70 years to be appointed Attorney General of Malaysia, Tommy Thomas describes his experience in the highest legal office in the land in this highly personal book.The former AG discusses key decisions he made, including the prosecution of former Prime Minister Najib Razak, Jho Low, Arul Kanda and Goldman Sachs for their roles in the 1mdb scandal.His book is the first insider's account by a senior Pakatan Harapan government official on the achievements, disappointments and failures of the first non-Barisan administration in the 60-year history of independent Malaysia. His authentic voice is captured in this candid memoir, and is recommended reading for anyone interested in Malaysian politics and the law.

My Story:Justice in the Wilderness

Biographies & Memoirs

Thomas, Tommy

Professionals & Academics

Teo Soh Lung's book should be read by all people who are interested in democracy and the rule of law. Not only is it a poignant personal account of official ill treatment, but it is a brilliant testimony to the cruelty of authoritarianism, even, indeed especially - when it comes in the guise of legal due process. This is perhaps the most shocking aspect of her story: the abuse of the law in a republic which is democratic in theory, but sacrifices its most democratic citizens to the whims of the rulers. -- Ian Buruma, Henry R Luce Professor of Democracy, Human Right and Journalism, Bard College LawyerTeo Soh Lung's memoir of her 21 May 1987 arrest and framing by the Singapore authorities as part of the so-called 'Marxist Conspiracy' is a remarkable document. Not only does it show how a person of courage and integrity can speak truth to power, but it also illustrates how that power corrupts and destroys the souls of those who wield it unscrupulously. One day a Singaporean Truth and Reconciliation Commission will determine the truth of the PAP years. Until this happens, this memoir will serve as an essential benchmark. -- Peter CareyBehind the Blue Gate documents vividly Soh Lung's intellectual and emotional awareness and reflections of a person in captivity. How power blinds justice is nothing new in the world of politics. But Soh Lung's accounts impressively details and transmits viscerally her physical and psychological journey whilst in detention. This book is a must-read. It not only gives the reader insights to the human condition, but it also enables one to reflect on one's moral capacity when facing the hurdles and challenges in standing up for one's beliefs. It's also very important to have this literature. Thanks, Soh Lung for taking the trouble to write it all down. Reading the accounts amazes me how sharp your memory was. It is testimony of how human cruelty can be etched so deeply in the human psyche. -- Alvin Tan

Beyond the Blue Gate: Recollections of a Political Prisoner

Teo Soh Lung

The Road To Reform

Tricia Yeoh

The May 13 generation was the first belonging to the immigrant communities from China to grapple with the issues of being Malayan/Singaporean, breaking irrevocably with the received wisdoms of their elders, and in a political climate where their explorations were deemed to be subversive.This book comprises the recollections penned by the participants of the era of the 1950s, where their generation was in the forefront of the anti-colonial movement, and the work of academic researchers who have examined the historical framework and context of the period, as well as how it has been made to fit into the country's mainstream history. The researchers have also examined the students' cultural expressions, whether it is in art, drama, dance or literature and found them to be socially engaged, and grappling with the question of who they were as a people. The cultural explorations of that period have been forgotten or repudiated.  It is revealing just how this amnesia and silence has become so set.It is also impossible to imagine the demands that the age had put on this generation of youths.

The May 13 Generation: The Chinese Middle Schools Student Movement and Singapore Politics in the 1950s

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