Dr Lim Hock Siew is Singapore’s second longest-held political prisoner. He was accused of being a communist and was arrested without trial in 1963 in Operation Coldstore.
After 9 years in detention, he was asked to issue a statement of “repentence and contrition”, which he refused. His sentence was then extended by another 10 years which, Dr Lim says, made the total period he spent behind bars “longer than a life sentence.”
He was released in 1982.
Dr Lim made his first post-detention speech on 14 November 2009, to coincide with the arrival of US President, Barack Obama, in Singapore for the Apec Summit.
Watch the video, shot & edited by Martyn See, of Dr Lim’s speech below.
