Protests Intensify Against Lee Kuan Yew-Hussein Onn

The campaign against Lee Kuan Yew and Hussein Onn gathers momentum as the Commonwealth Conference (8-16 June) draws near.

A big poster, published Jointly by COBRA and NUS (National Union of Students) depicts Lee and Hussein as 'perpetrators of crimes against the people of Malaysia and Singapore', and highlights 'the British Connection' with the neo-colonial regimes.

Meanwhile, an anonymous sticker also appears on the scene, bearing the photos of Lee and Hussein with the captions 'Two Terrorists in London!! 8-16 June'. "They Jail and Kill People of Malaysia and Singapore". The posters and stickers proliferate all over London and the provincial cities.

On May 25, before a public meeting. "Stop Repression in Malaysia and Singapore", took place in the House of Commons at 7 pm, a BBC radio programme, 'World At One', gave publicity to the meeting, in the form of an interview with Christopher Price. MP. Mr Price talked about the repressive practices in Singapore in particular and detention without trial in Malaysia and Singapore.

"It is important to remind people of this", said Mr Price, "because many of the people who are in jail without trial were actually put there before these countries became fully independent by us, the British, and so we have a responsibility here".

"What we're saying is that at a time when President Carter has brought the issue of basic human rights onto the world stage and at a time when it will be discussed very shortly at the Commonwealth Conference, we shouldn't sweep the things in the Commonwealth out of the way just because they're embarassing. We believe that it is possible to guarantee fundamental basic rights in all countries of the world".

At the beginning of the meeting in the House of Commons, attended by over 70 people, the Chairman. Ivor Clemitson, MP. read out an Open Letter to Jim Callaghan, the British Prime Minister. The letter was signed by four MP's, namely, Ian Mikardo, Robin Cook. Ivor Clemitson and Christopher Price. The letter drew attention to the repressive laws and policies practised by the Malaysian and Singapore regimes. It concluded thus: "We have a special interest in and responsibility towards these two countries in that a) it is upon the foundation of emergency powers that we laid that much of the repression is based and b) we continue to support the present regimes militarily and economically. We urge you, therefore to draw the attention of the representatives of Malaysia and Singapore to these matters and review our continued support of their regimes in the light of them".

The first speaker of the meeting. Dominic Choong, the President of FUEMSSO, elaborated on the continuing foreign domination of the Malaysian and Singapore economies, the repressive practices of the regimes, and the use of racialism to divide and rule the people. He drew attention to the application of the Essential (Security Cases) Regulations and the Internal Security Act, and the appalling rise in the number of death sentences recently.

Tan Wah Plow, the former student leader from Singapore, talked about the use of extracted 'confessions' of detainees to intimidate the people of Singapore. He pointed to the hushed-up detention since the beginning of this year of Grace Poh, wife of Dr Poh Soo Kai, as indicating a new wave of repression against the families of detainees. He stressed the importance of the present campaign to restrain the Singapore regime.

Dr Puey Ungphakorn, the former Rector of Thamasat University, Bangkok, talked about the 'Repression Club, of the ASEAN Alliance countries and how the regimes learnt from one another in repressive techniques.

After a brief discussion, the meeting ended with a tape-recorded message sent to FUEMSSO by Dr Poh Soo Kai, on the occasion of the 12th Anniversary of Operation Cold Store on 2.2.75, during the brief period when Dr Poh was at liberty. His message greatly inspired all at the meeting to continue relentlessly the struggle for democracy and to intensify the campaign to release all detainees in Malaysia and Singapore.