Tang Fong Har - the person

TANG Fong Har, a lawyer and member of the Law Society, was arrested ten years ago on June 20 under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

She was one of the 22 "Communist conspirators" accused of attempting to "subvert the existing social and political system in Singapore through Communist united front tactics to establish a Communist state".

She was also charged with trying to turn the Law Society into a pressure group to further the cause of Marxist conspirators and with playing an important role in influencing the Law Society so that it would oppose amendments to the Newspapers and Printing Presses Act and the Legal Profession (Amendment) Bill in 1986.

She was served with a one-year detention order under the ISA. Three months later, on September 12, she was released under a Suspending Order of Detention.

This stipulated the conditions of her release. In particular, she was not allowed to 'travel beyond the limits of Singapore without the prior written approval of the Director of the Internal Security Department'; she was not allowed to be a 'member of any society within the Societies Act, Cap 311, or in any way to assist in the activities of any society, except with the written consent of the Director of the Internal Security Department'; she was not allowed to 'associate with or take part in, or in any way assist in the activities of any organisation which through its publications, statements or other activities, has shown itself to be used in propagating Marxism or Communism.'

On March 7, 1988 she was allowed to visit for one month, her husband, Peter, a British subject living in Britain.

Tang Fong Har was one of the nine signatories of the joint statement issued on April 18, 1988. Although she has not had direct communication with the Singapore government, she is reported to be wanted for arrest by the Internal Security Department for "breaching a condition of her suspension direction".

Tang Fong Har, Peter and their 3 1/2 year old son Stirling now live in Hong Kong.