The Ministry of Home Affairs’ statement of 23 September 2011 (see HERE) contains the usual rhetoric, inundated with Cold War parlance such as “Communist United Front activities” and “Marxist plot”. Its intent is clearly to justify the act of arbitrary arrest under the ISA and instil fear in the people.
The statement fails to address the most important concern of the 16 of us, which is indefinite detention without trial. None of us was brought to trial before a court of law. Our imprisonment was solely based on the statements of ISD officers and statements extracted from us while we were subjected to torture, cold room treatment, deprivation of sleep and the threat of indefinite detention.
Article 9 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights to which Singapore is a signatory declares: “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.”
We reiterate that the ISA is a draconian law that allows the ruling party to arrest and imprison without trial anyone it deems a threat to its power. Its impact on Singapore over the past half a century has been both crippling and pernicious.
We call upon the Government of Singapore to set up an independent Commission of Inquiry to investigate if the allegations made against us as well as all former ISA detainees are justified. More so when recent publications, memoirs and panel discussions by historians and ex-ISA detainees have given accounts different from the official narrative on the events of those years. We urge the government to have the moral and political courage to set up such a commission in the interest of truth and transparency.
Dated this 28th day of September 2011.
Dr Lim Hock Siew
Dr Poh Soo Kai
Said Zahari
Lee Tee Tong
Loh Miaw Gong
Chng Min Oh @ Chuang Men-Hu
Tan Sin alias Tan Seng Hin
Toh Ching Kee
Koh Kay Yew
Vincent Cheng Kim Chuan
Teo Soh Lung
Yap Hon Ngian
Tan Tee Seng
Low Yit Leng
Wong Souk Yee
Tang Fong Har
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16名前政扣者呼吁：设立独立调查委员会
内政部2011年9月23日的声明满载其惯用的字眼，充斥着什么”共产党联合阵线活动”与”马克思主义阴谋”等冷战语调。显然，其意图是要证明在内安法令下，他们的专制任意的逮捕行动是合法的，并在人民当中注入恐惧的心理。
该声明对我们16人最重大的关切点，即无限期和无审讯拘留的事实避而不谈。实际上，在我们当中，没有人曾被控上法庭依法审讯。我们被关进监狱纯粹是根据内安部官员的一纸声明，以及它利用拷打盘问、冷房虐待、剥夺睡眠、及以无限期拘留的恐吓方式，在我们身陷囹圄期间榨取的所谓供词。
《世界人权宣言》第九条款规定：“任何人不得加以任意逮捕、拘禁或放逐”。新加坡是这个宣言的签署国之一，理应遵守这项规定。
我们要重申：内安法是一部残酷的法律，它让执政党可以在不经审判的情形下，逮捕任何它认为对”国家安全构成威胁”的人士。在过去半个世纪多的时间里，它对新加坡构成的冲击是瘫痪性的、是恶毒的。
我们要求新加坡政府设立一个独立的调查委员会，审查对我们16人以及所有在内安法下被拘留的人士所作出的指控，是否有正当理由。尤其是近年来，许多历史学家和前政治扣留者所出版的书刊和回忆录，以及所举办的座谈会所揭露的许多事实，跟当年有关事件的官方论述是有许多
相左的地方。因此，我们要求政府拿出道义与政治勇气，为我们国家的利益着想，设立上述委员会。
2011年9月28日
1. 林福寿医生
2. 傅树楷医生
3. 赛扎哈里
4. 李思东
5. 卢妙萍
6. 莊明湖
7. 陈辛
8. 卓清枝
9. 许庚犹
10. 钟金全
11. 張素兰
12. 叶汉源
13. 陈智成
14. 刘月玲
15. 黄淑仪
16. 陈凤霞