May 21, 2001
SINGAPORE
ON
May 21, 1987 the Singapore government arrested and detained without trial
16 people, including several lay Catholic church workers, who the government
claimed were part of a Marxist plot to overthrow the government.
This paper, written in French by John Mais in late 1987, recounts the
incident and offers an analysis the event.
Due to the length of the paper it is presented in smaller sections.
Outline:
Introduction:
Notions about Singapore
Relating of the facts
(May – September 1987)
- the arrests
- the persons arrested (detainees)
- 4 Christians
- 6 volunteer workers of the Church’s organisations
- 6 activists
The Report of the Minister of Home Affairs and the contents of the accusations
Initial reactions of
the Church of Singapore
Pressures of the State
The government endeavours to accredit the thesis of a plot
-International reactions
-the televised interview of Vincent Cheng
-liberations and new arrests
- Let the Church remain within its own domain!
-A discourse of Lee Kuan Yew
-Liberation Theology, the source of all evil
-Fresh liberations and sudden reversal of policy.
Concluding Reflections
-what is most probable
-what is probable
-the Singapore system
-the state of the opposition
-the state of religion
Related article: A
detainee remembers
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