By Janice Heng, The Straits Times, 3 Jun 2012
It has been 25 years since Mr William Yap was detained for his part in an alleged Marxist conspiracy, but the bewilderment at being interrogated remains fresh in his mind.
Along with 21 others, he was accused of being part of a conspiracy to overthrow the Government and rounded up under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in mid-1987.
'I had no idea what they wanted from me,' the 65-year-old told a crowd of some 400 people at Speakers' Corner yesterday.
Mr Yap, who was released in late 1987, was recounting his experience at an event to mark the 25th anniversary of the 1987 Operation Spectrum. He was one of nine speakers at the event, which included an exhibition on the history of the ISA and stories of past detainees, as well as a chance for people to chat with them.
These included playwright Chng Suan Tze and Mr Vincent Cheng, vice-chairman of the Singapore Democratic Party.
The event's organisers, civil society groups Function 8 and Maruah, said that public doubt remains over whether the 1987 allegations were founded.
One of the speakers, opposition politician Vincent Wijeysingha, noted that even Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam had expressed doubt in a 2001 interview when he said: 'Although I had no access to state intelligence, from what I knew of them, most were social activists but were not out to subvert the system.'
Other speakers, such as Maruah president Braema Mathi and blogger Ravi Philemon, called for the ISA to be abolished and replaced by specific anti-terrorist laws, as Malaysia did last month.
Yesterday's event also featured the launch of two books by former detainees that detailed their experiences in 1987.
'These stories always contradict the official version given by the Government,' observed Maruah vice-president and former Nominated MP Siew Kum Hong.
Maruah, which wants to see more evidence for the Marxist conspiracy allegations, on Tuesday launched an online petition calling for a review of the detentions by an independent Commission of Inquiry.
The group also wants a government response to former detainees' claims of maltreatment.
The petition has drawn nearly 300 signatures, but Maruah is aiming to collect 350,000.
The event was originally scheduled for May 19 but was postponed when its organisers learnt that a police permit - not usually required - was needed during the Hougang by-election period of May 16 to 26.
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