TR EMERITUS

Late Dr Lim Hock Siew

June 4th marks the 10th anniversary of the demise of Dr Lim Hock Siew, a victim of Operation Coldstore on 2nd February 1963.

Dr Lim Hock Siew knew that he was a target of arrest but he and his friends did not leave Singapore. He waited for the security police, their dogs and gurkhas to arrest him that dawn. He did not possess any weapon. All he had was his courage, expansive intellect and ability to write and speak as eloquently as Lee Kuan Yew. As a political rival and a true socialist, he could not be left free by Lee, the fake socialist. Lee had in his early years spoken loudly about socialism and fighting for the oppressed.

Dr Lim Hock Siew always viewed his arrest as political. He philosophically rationalised that in other countries, he may have been assassinated by his rivals. But he never thought that he would be imprisoned for more than eight years. Back then, he had in mind the Malayan journalist and nationalist, Ahmad Boestamam who was arrested and imprisoned by the British under the Emergency Regulations in 1948 and released after seven years.

Dr Lim Hock Siew’s refusal to oblige Lee Kuan Yew with a “face saving statement” and his strong statement issued in 1972 through his lawyer, TT Rajah and released by his wife, Dr Beatrice Chen (Read The Fajar Generation, The University Socialist Club and the Politics of Postwar Malaya and Singapore) led to his continued incarceration by the cruel Lee Kuan Yew and his gang for a staggering 20 years.

Dr Lim Hock Siew told a gathering organised by Function 8 in 2011 that in prison, his plans were by the decades. If a prisoner thinks of release, he will not survive.

The sacrifices of those who were arrested and imprisoned under Operation Coldstore are enormous. Singaporeans should never forget the contributions of Dr Lim Hock Siew and his compatriots, Said Zahari, Ho Piow, Lee Tse Tong, Dr Poh Soo Kai and many others. They gave up their young families and successful professional careers for us. Their imprisonment without trial is a great loss to Singapore.

Teo Soh Lung

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