'Hogwash'

LATE one afternoon in 1988 a former solicitor general of Singapore and past president of the Law Society, Mr Francis Seow visited two clients being held under the republic's Internal Security Act

He did not come home for 72 days,

While his detention was without trail and without any formal charges being laid, the government claimed Mr Seow had been a "willing partner to acts of interference in Singapore's internal affairs by representatives of a foreign power".

Soon after Mr Seow's arrest a US diplomat, Mr Hank Hendrickson, first secretary at the US embassy in Singapore was expelled from the island, on the accusation of "meddling in Singapore politics".

"It was no secret that I was friendly with Hank," Mr Seow said in an interview after his seven week detention.

"We met on many occasions and discussed various matters including politics. But I was in no way in the pay of the United States. That is hogwash."