Tan Jing Quee, 66, and Michael Fernandez, 72, were accused of belonging to the Communist United Front in the 60s and detained for years without trial. The two held a forum in Singapore on Feb. 26 describing their experiences, saying they never committed any illegal acts and hoped to be recognized as loyal citizens.

In a letter published in the Straits Times newspaper Wednesday, Home Affairs Ministry spokeswoman Ong-Chew Peck Wan said the Communist United Front was linked to the Communist Party of Malaya, which the government blamed for trying to derail democracy in Singapore and Malaysia through violence.

"Together with the Communist Party of Malaya, the Communist United Front was responsible for violent demonstrations, sit-ins, boycotts, illegal strikes, sabotage and riots that resulted in deaths and injuries, destruction of property, political instability and economic losses," Ong-Chew wrote.

Singapore arrested numerous left-wing politicians, trade unionists and Chinese school students involved in strikes and rallies in the early 60s, accusing them of being violent subversives who planned to establish a communist state in Singapore.

Tan and Fernandez were apprehended in 1963 and 1964, respectively. Tan was released almost three years later while Fernandez was held for nine years. Both men said they were never formally charged or tried in court.

Ong-Chew said Tan and Fernandez were now trying to project themselves as nationalists and democrats.

"They may be hoping that a younger generation of Singaporeans with no personal memory of the past will be taken in," she wrote. "However, they and other ex-communists and supporters cannot be allowed to rewrite history ... and glossing over the harm they caused to so many victims."

It remains unclear how many people were killed or injured in alleged violence by communists during the period.

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