Back when this thread began, it was about the book, Escape from Paradise, and more
specifically perhaps the page at http://www.escapefromparadise.com/NewFiles/bc.html]
referring to the unilateral banning of the book by Helen Yeo, wife
of Yeo Cheow Tong.
In the greater scheme of things, the fact that this book was banned
is a small matter. However through this small incident, Singapore
is needlessly making a bad name for itself. (Although an American,
I am very pro-Singapore, even pro LKY.)
Another unnecessary (and much more important)
incident which will have a negative impact on Singapore is the
imprisoning of Chee Soon Juan. Although I do not agree with Chee's
politics, I disagree with his imprisonment. Even for diplomatic
reasons Chee should not have been imprisoned. It makes a bad
impression on Singapore, and can cause potential economic
damage.
Any foreigner who reads Chee's letter written from prison will draw
from it a very negative picture of Singapore, and a picture which
is largely undeserved.
You be the judge. Here is the text of Chee's letter, which I
received on 14 November:
Dear friends and supporters,
This is just a note to thank all of you for your support and help
over the last few weeks while I was in prison. I am doing well
although I have lost some weight as I was ill for the initial part
of my incarceration. I want to give you a glimpse of prison life in
Singapore and to highlight some deep concerns I have about the
justice system here.
I shared a tiny cell (6ft by 15 ft) with two other inmates and a
toilet bowl, the squatting kind. I ate and slept at nose level
the entire 5 weeks beside a latrine. I was fortunate as other cells
had four inmates crammed into an even smaller cell. The cell is
completely bare except for a small window near the ceiling, which
allows natural light into room; an awning covers the window so that
one cannot see the sky. The wardens peer into the cell through a
tiny slit on the solid metallic door, which entombs the cell.
Were given a straw mat to sleep on the concrete floor (there are
no bunk beds like you see on TV) and a plastic box containing two
small blankets, toothbrush and toothpaste, soap, toilet paper, a
small pail, a drinking mug, and a face towel. Water is provided
during meal times. Because of the heat and humidity, inmates flush
the toilets and use their pails to collect extra water for washing,
cooling down and even drinking.
There is yard time an hour a day for exercise and showers. Were
locked in for the rest of the 23 hours. Breakfast is brought in at
about eight, lunch at noon and dinner between 3 and 4 oclock in
the afternoon. The meals are adequate except that by nightfall
inmates get hungry because dinner is eaten so early.
I spent a couple of nights in the sick bay when I was ill. The
beds have no mattresses, just a metal plate with holes throughout
on which you tried your best to make yourself comfortable. Our
ankles are chained to the bed-post. Some prisoners even had both
ankles and a wrist cuffed to the bed-frame.
At night if one needs to answer the call of nature, one is given a
small pail to urinate into. With one ankle chained to the bed, it
takes some skill (and not a little bit of contortion) to manoeuvre
into a position where you could bring the bucket onto the bed and
kneel over it to ease yourself.
In prison, minutes seem like hours and hours like days. You long to
be free and be with family and friends again. Dont get me wrong, I
am not complaining. I accept willingly the punishment because in
doing so, I want to demonstrate the nature of the ruling party in
Singapore and seek to help it mend its undemocratic ways.
While I dont have complaints, I do, however, have major
concerns:
Hundreds of prisoners comprising men from China, Thailand,
Indonesia, Burma, South Asia, etc. who are caught for overstaying
in Singapore after their work visas have expired. I witnessed what
seemed like an endless row of new inmates all squatting, head shorn
and clutching their straw mats and plastic boxes, waiting to be
introduced to their cells.
They all looked bewildered and terrified. Why wouldnt they? A
minimum of three strokes of the rotan awaited them (the number
depended on how long they overstayed in the country). Caning in
Singapore is a barbaric act where trained personnel (some say the
caners are trained exponents of the martial arts) slash a six-foot
long, one-inch thick cane, across the hapless victims buttocks.
The individuals ankles are strapped onto a heavy, metal frame and
they bend forward where their wrists are similarly locked, with
only their naked backsides exposed.
I was told by some of the inmates that the screams of the victims
after each stroke of the whip makes one lose all appetite for food.
The cane breaks skin and draws blood. Doctors are on hand to
administer treatment and to assess if the individual can take more
punishment. A maximum of 24 strokes is the legal limit and only
males below 50 years of age can be whipped.
I shared my first night (inmates are rotated in different cells on
a regular basis) with a 45-year-old guy from China. His face turned
ashen when he told me of his impending ordeal under the rotan. My
heart sank further when he told me that many men in his plight
leave their countries out of desperation in search of a livelihood.
Many are not aware of mandatory caning rule in Singapore.
Our short conversation ended when he lay back on his mat and stared
blankly at the ceiling. I then thought of Michael Fay, the American
teenager who was caned by the Singapore government for vandalising
(spray-painting) cars. The situation then caused a furore in the
United States. It was over one individual. But now, only silence
greet the thousands who have been whipped, and continue to be
whipped, for their criminal acts. The pain is just as
excruciating for Fay as it is for these overstayers. The only
difference is the colour of their skin.
I also saw a couple of inmates who were imprisoned under the
Criminal Law Temporary Provisions Act, a law that empowers the
government to detain a suspect when it is unable to secure a
conviction in open court. The detention order is signed by the
minister and is valid for a period of two years. It is also
renewable so that a suspect can be detained indefinitely, much like
the Internal Security Act used for the ruling partys
opponents.
Dr Chee, I want to commit suicide, one of the detainees whispered
to me when I paused outside his cell. I cant take it. I dont
know when I am going to be released and I cant get a trial. He,
like the rest of his fellow criminal law detainees, is kept singly
in isolation cells.
If my imprisonment can bring the international spotlight to bear on
the economic, social, and political injustice that prevails in
Singapore, then every minute that I spent in jail was worth it. If
pressure can be brought to bear on the Singapore government by our
friends in democratic countries and international organisations,
and so doing help us in our struggle for freedom, human rights and
democracy, then I would without a moments hesitation step into
that cell again.
But change must ultimately come from us Singaporeans. And if we, by
daring greatly, attempt to restore justice and democracy to our
country, our current sacrifices would more than compensate for our
future successes. For success will come, it is only a question of
when and how.
Once again, I thank you all for your support and concern. I am
well. Unfortunately, it is democracy in Singapore that is
not.
Sincerely yours,
Chee Soon Juan
