Operation Coldstore

Part of a series on the
History of Singapore
Early history of Singapore (pre-1819)
Founding of modern Singapore (1819–26)
Straits Settlements (1826–67)
Crown colony (1867–1942)
Battle of Singapore (1942)
Japanese Occupation (1942–45)
Post-war period (1945–55)
Internal self-government (1955–62)
Merger with Malaysia (1962–65)
Republic of Singapore (1965–present)
Singapore portal

Operation Coldstore (sometimes spelled Operation Cold Store, Chinese: 冷藏行动) was a security operation launched in Singapore on 2 February 1963 in which at least 111 anti-government left-wing activists were arrested and detained, including key members of the opposition political party Barisan Sosialis. Others arrested included newspaper editors, trade unionists and university students. The operation, authorised by the Internal Security Council which comprised representatives from the British Colonial, Malaysian Federal and Singapore governments, was touted as an anti-Communist sting.

Background

At that time, Singapore was a self-governing state under British rule. In 1959 the People's Action Party (PAP) headed by Lee Kuan Yew won the general elections and established the government. In order to secure the support of the Progressives and union leaders, Lee had made a number of promises during the election campaign to work for the release of the political prisoners detained by Lim Yew Hock's government in 1956 and 1957. As a result, Lim Chin Siong and some other PAP left wing members were released.

By 1961, no further political prisoners had been released. This played a role in the PAP's loss of two by-elections, to David Marshall in Anson and to Ong Eng Guan in Hong Lim. This led Lee to consolidate his party's support in his government. It was during this period that Lim's faction broke away from the PAP in 1961 to form the Barisan Sosialis.

In 1962, a referendum was put forth for Singapore's integration into the Federation of Malaya to form the Federation of Malaysia in September 1963. The pro-communists, led by Barisan Sosialis, strongly opposed this merger and challenged the government of Singapore endeavours to establish a socialist state.

The Singapore Trade Union Congress, the dominant trade union at the time, was also split into two factions; the left-wings formed the Singapore Association of Trade Unions (SATU), while the pro-PAP faction formed the National Trade Union Congress (NTUC).

Operation

Malaya had a strong anti-communist policy. During the Malayan Emergency, Malaya managed to contain communist influence. However, the communists had substantial influence in Singapore.

On 8 December 1962, the Brunei Rebellion broke out. The Barisan Sosialis issued a statement in support of the uprising against British colonialism. As this could lead to violent subversion in Singapore, a case was made for the arrests in the interests of safety and security. From British declassified documents, Lord Selkirk, the UK Commissioner, Singapore agreed to the operation and said,

"I said I had recognised all along that a threat was presented by the communists in Singapore. I had not however previously been convinced that a large number of arrests was necessary to counter this threat. Recently, however, new evidence had been produced about the extent of the communist control of the Barisan Socialis and also there had been indications that the communists might resort to violence if the opportunity occurred. Recent statements by the Barisan Socialis and Party Rakyat supporting the revolt in Brunei confirmed this."[1]

Those arrested were detained under the Preservation of Public Security Ordinance (PPSO).[2] They were alleged to be involved in subversive activities aiming to establish a "Communist Cuba" in Singapore.[3] The arrestees included

Said Zahari, a journalist and one of those arrested during Operation Coldstore, said that Coldstore was not about arresting the communists as "the Communist Party of Malaya in Singapore was no longer active", but was to weaken the opposition to the PAP in Singapore.[4] However, Chin Peng, the Secretary-General of the Communist Party of Malaya then, said in his memoirs that "Contrary to countless allegations made over the years by Singapore leaders, academics and the Western Press, we never controlled Barisan Socialists". He also wrote that "Operation Cold Store shattered our underground network throughout the island. Those who escaped the police net went into hiding. Many fled to Indonesia".[5]

Aftermath

The Operation dealt a heavy blow to the Barisan Sosialis, just months before the 1963 general elections.

SATU was deregistered after its leaders were arrested, and the NTUC became the main trade union in Singapore ever since. NTUC remains closely associated with the PAP, with many of its union leaders being PAP's members of parliament.

See also

References

  1. ↑ CO 1030/1160 No 56, 14 Dec 1962 [Singapore Arrests]: Inward Telegram No. 582 from Lord Selkirk to Mr Sandys, Reporting the Decision of the ISC on 13 Dec
  2. ↑ Zahari, S. (2007). "The Long Nightmare: My 17 years as a political prisoner" Malaysia: Utusan Publications & Distributors.
  3. ↑ The Straits Times, 3 February 1963 "107 HELD IN SINGAPORE DAWN DRIVE"
  4. ↑ Zahari, S. (2007). "The Long Nightmare: My 17 years as a political prisoner" Malaysia: Utusan Publications & Distributors.
  5. ↑ Chin, P. (2003). "Chin Peng: My side of history" Singapore: Media Masters.