Folio No: DM.326 Folio Title: Correspondence [re: the conditions of the political detainees] Content Description: This file contains 46 items all re: the conditions of the political detainees in the Outram Road Prison, Pulau Senang Prison and the Changi Prison. This file gives a clear insight into the plight of the political detainees and the roles played by Amnesty International and David Marshall in putting pressure on the government to alleviate the intolerable conditions under which the detainees were subjected. There is a letter from David Marshall to the Solicitor General to draw his attention to the inhumane conditions existing in respect of detainees recently arrested. There is also a copy of David Marshall's Report on conditions of detention of Preservation of Public Security Ordinance detainees in Outram Prison. Attached to DM.326.019. is a photostat copy of a letter in Chinese with a copy of its translation, from Peh Tian Guan, a detainee under the Preservation of Public Security Ordinance, giving details of his ill treatment under the hands of one of the Special Branch interrogators. There is David Marshall's detailed report re: the Pulau Senang prison, the type of prisoners, their living conditions and the incidents that provoked the tragic uprising culminating in the trial and condemnation of the 18 Pulau Senang prisoners. There is also a Memorandum on requests received from political detainees at Changi Gaol as well as a Memorandum presented to the Prime Minister of Singapore from the families of the political detainees

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David Marshall's letter to Peter Benenson of Amnesty International with a detailed report of the conditions of DM.326.001 15/5/1963 Digitized Open political detainees in the Central Police Station lock-up and the Changi Gaol.

A letter from the 9th Magistrate's Court to inform the Legislative Assembly of the imprisonment of 7 members DM.326.002 26/4/1963 Digitized Open of the Singapore Legislative Assembly. Copies of charges of criminal offence against each of them are attached.

A press cutting from the Straits Times entitled: "3 DM.326.003 6/3/1963 Digitized Open lawyers allowed to interview political detainees."

David Marshall's letter to the Minister of Home Affairs DM.326.004 11/3/1963 to inquire about the conditions of detention of Digitized Open detainees arrested on and after the 2nd Feb 1963.

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David Marshall's letter to the Solicitor General to draw his attention to the inhumane conditions existing in respect of detainees recently arrested. This letter gives details of the conditions under which the detainees lived. David Marshall appealed to the decency of the Solicitor General to redress the inhuman directives of DM.326.005 14/3/1963 Digitized Open the Ministry of Home Affairs. He explained that it was futile writing to the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Home Affairs because the inhuman directives were issued from that Ministry. The letter also gives the contrasting conditions of detention in the Federation of Malaya.

David Marshall writes a mordant letter to Ong Pang Boon, the Minister for Home Affairs, to protest against the inhuman treatment of the detainees. He requests a DM.326.006 15/3/1963 confidential interview with the Minister to convince the Digitized Open latter that improvements in conditions were forth- coming so that he would not be forced to make it a major political issue.

David Marshall's letter to the Commissioner of Prisons to request for permission to exercise his powers under DM.326.007 16/3/1963 Section 68 (1) of the Prisons Ordinance to visit and Digitized Open examine the detainees and their cells at the Outram Road Prison.

David Marshall's handwritten notes of his observation of the conditions of the detainees and their cells. (These DM.326.008 Undated notes were possibly taken on 23rd March 1963 during Digitized Open his visit of the Outram Prison and they were the basis of his official report in DM.326.009.)

David Marshall's Report on conditions of detention of DM.326.009 23/3/1963 Preservation of Public Security Ordinance detainees in Digitized Open Outram Prison.

David Marshall's letter to the Commissioner of Prisons to request permission to forward for the use of the DM.326.010 25/3/1963 Digitized Open detainees, reading materials and some recreational articles for which he would pay.

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David Marshall's letter to the Commissioner of Prisons DM.326.011 25/3/1963 to request for the implementation of some Digitized Open improvements in the living condition of the detainees.

A copy of Singapore Government Press Statement on DM.326.012 25/3/1963 Digitized Open conditions of political detainees in Outram Road Prison.

David Marshall's letter to the Press in reply to the DM.326.013 26/3/1963 Digitized Open Government press statement. (Re: DM.326.012.)

A letter from Peter Benenson of Amnesty International to Lee Kuan Yew to request the Prime Minister to DM.326.014 12/3/1963 Digitized Open answer some questions re: the detainees at Outram Prison.

DM.326.015 6/4/1963 Reply to DM.326.011. Digitized Open

David Marshall's telegram to Amnesty International to inform them that the Singapore government had DM.326.016 4/4/1963 Digitized Open agreed to give the Red Cross access to the Outram Prison.

DM.326.017 11/4/1963 Re: DM.326.016. Digitized Open

David Marshall's letter to Peter Benenson with a quote from his speech in the Legislative Assembly on the Motion to thank the Yang di-Pertua Negara for his address. This speech states that although the Prime Minister had given an assurance to allow a delegate from International Red Cross to investigate the prison conditions, by the time of their visit, those conditions DM.326.018 17/4/1963 Digitized Open would have improved to an extent that would be bearable to the detainees. If that was the outcome, he would be happy because his cause was not to seek to "blacken faces that were already black," but to seek that persons should be treated as human beings, however much he may disagree with their political views.

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A letter from J. Tan Chor-Yong to David Marshall to request the latter to make public the detestable treatment which his client, Peh Tian Guan, a detainee under the Preservation of Public Security Ordinance, DM.326.019 16/3/1963 Digitized Open had suffered under the hands of one of the Special Branch interrogators. Attached is a photostat copy of the detainee's letter in Chinese with a copy of its translation.

A letter re: the condition of the detainee, James DM.326.020 10/4/1963 Digitized Open Puthucheary.

DM.326.021 19/4/1963 Re: DM.326.010. Digitized Open

A letter from Peter Benenson to inform David Marshall of the visit of Andre Durand of the International Red Cross to Singapore. He went on to suggest alternative DM.326.022 24/4/1963 Digitized Open measures if International Red Cross was debarred by their own constitution from making visits to prisoners not detained as a direct result of armed conflict.

David Marshall's letters to inform Peter Benenson of Amnesty International and Arthur Bottomley, M.P. of DM.326.023 3/5/1963 the House of Commons, London, re: the transfer of 60 Digitized Open detainees to Changi which meant an end to solitary confinement.

David Marshall's letter to the Commissioner of Prisons with suggestions for the improvement of conditions for DM.326.024 7/5/1963 Digitized Open both the prisoners and the staff at Pulau Senang Prison. Details re: the prison conditions are listed.

David Marshall's letter to the Commissioner of Prisons DM.326.025 7/5/1963 Digitized Open to request a visit to Changi Prison.

Memorandum on requests received from political DM.326.026 14/5/1963 Digitized Open detainees at Changi Gaol during David Marshall's visit.

A letter from Peter Benenson to ask him to persuade the Internal Security Council to release all detainees DM.326.027 6/5/1963 who are prepared to give undertakings not to engage in Digitized Open hostile propaganda provided that they are willing to leave Singapore for the time being.

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A letter from the Director of Prisons in reply to David DM.326.028 16/5/1963 Marshall's letter re: conditions in Pualu Senang Prison. Digitized Open (Re: DM.326.024.)

Correspondence from Peter Benenson to Lord Silkirk and Anwar Ibrahim, Secretary for External Affairs re: DM.326.029 1/5/1963 the request by Amnesty General for detainees who give Digitized Open suitable assurances to leave Singapore. (Re: DM.326.027.)

A letter from Nigel Fisher of the Colonial Office to Lord F. Elwyn-Jones, Q.C., M.P. to inform him that the DM.326.030 30/4/1963 Colonial Office was keeping close touch with the Digitized Open Singapore government re: the relaxation of restrictions on those detainees who are still in solitary confinement.

A letter from Peter Benenson to inform David Marshall that the International Red Cross was more interested in conditions and welfare allowances than in schemes for the liberation of the detainees. As such, he said that DM.326.031 23/5/1963 Digitized Open they had to rely on the combined efforts of Amnesty and devoted lawyers as David Marshall, when it came to putting pressure for bringing the state of administrative detention to an end.

A letter from the Director of Prisons in reply to DM.326.032 16/5/1963 Digitized Open DM.236.026.

A letter from Peter Benenson to express his support for David Marshall's efforts in putting pressure on the Singapore government to allow detainees to leave the DM.326.033 24/6/1963 Digitized Open Colony. He went on to make suggestions re: the problem of funding university places for those detainees who wish to study.

A letter from Peter Benenson to Lee Kuan Yew to request for the release of detainee Tai Yuen for the DM.326.034 3/7/1963 Digitized Open purpose of enabling him to pursue studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies.

A letter from Peter Benenson to inform David Marshall of the visit of Sir F. Elwyn-Jones to Singapore. He DM.326.035 31/7/1963 Digitized Open suggests that David Marshall might find the latter's presence useful in improving the lot of the detainees.

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David Marshall's letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs DM.326.036 8/8/1963 to inquire about the position re: the release of detainee Digitized Open Tai Yuen to pursue his studies.

A letter from Peter Benenson re: the news that the Ministry of Home Affairs had refused permission for Tai Yuen to study in England. He went on to ask David DM.326.037 11/9/1963 Digitized Open Marshall to write a short report about the Personal Freedom situation in Singapore for discussion at the International Conference in Germany.

A letter from Peter Benenson to thank David Marshall for his suggestion to introduce P. Coomaraswamy as a reliable contact for Amnesty International. Peter Benenson also informed David Marshall that he had replied in no uncertain terms to Lee Kuan Yew that DM.326.038 1/10/1963 Amnesty International regarded the question of Digitized Open conditions of the detainees as still very much the onus of the Singapore Government even though the Prime Minister says that internal security in Singapore had been transferred to the jurisdiction of the Central Government.

A letter from Peter Benenson to ask David Marshall for DM.326.039 13/3/1964 a report of the situation following the trial of the Pulau Digitized Open Senang prisoners.

David Marshall's detailed report re: the Pulau Senang prison vis-a-vis the type of prisoners, their living DM.326.040 21/3/1964 conditions and the incidents that provoked the tragic Digitized Open uprising culminating in the trial and condemnation of the 18 prisoners.

David Marshall's letter to explain to Peter Benenson re: the 2 statutory provisions which enable the executive authority to detain a person without trial, viz. the Preservation of Public Security Ordinance and the DM.326.041 10/4/1964 Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Ordinance. The Digitized Open rest of the letter states that the conditions of political detainees are more reasonable since coming under the control of the Central Government after the formation of Malaysia.

DM.326.042 Undated Press cuttings from Chinese Newspapers, Digitized Open

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David Marshall's report to Anson re: the conditions of DM.326.043 Undated Digitized Open detention of the detainees in Singapore.

A copy of Amnesty International's Code of Conduct DM.326.044 Undated Digitized Open towards Prisoners of Conscience.

News cuttings re: the conditions of the detainees. DM.326.045 3/1963 Digitized Open (English & Chinese newspapers)

Memorandum presented to the Prime Minister of DM.326.046 1/4/1963 Singapore from the families of the political detainees. Digitized Open (7 signatories).

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