A major figure of opposition against the ruling Singapore government has passed away in Boston, Massachusetts, where he had been living in exile.
Francis Seow lived to the ripe old age of 88 until the time of his passing, which Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chief Chee Soon Juan said to Yahoo Singapore was due to pneumonia.
Seow had been appointed Solicitor-General in 1969, serving the role until 1971, before becoming the president of the Law Society in 1986.
During his time as the society’s president, Seow was critical of the government’s amendment to the Newspaper and Printing Presses Act (NPPA), which restricted the sale of distribution of foreign publications deemed adverse to Singapore’s politics. The government then accused Seow of using the Law society as a political vehicle, before passing an act that restricts the Law Society from commenting on their legislations.
In 1987, Seow represented a few detainees who were arrested for allegedly being part of a Marxist conspiracy against the government, as part of the highly controversial Operation Spectrum. Seow however was detained under the same Internal Security Act in 1988 for allegedly receiving funds from the CIA to subvert the local government.
In his memoir, Seow described in detail on how he was tortured during his detainment, including being deprived of sleep and being stripped of their dignity.
After 72 days in detention without trial, he was released and contested in the General Election as part of a Workers’ Party team that contested in Eunos GRC. They lost very narrowly to the People’s Action Party (PAP), securing over 49 percent of the votes.
Seow was later accused of tax evasion, which drove him to flee to the United States. He refused to return to stand trial, and was convicted in absentia.
The last interview he delivered was made in 2011 with filmmaker Martyn See:
