In 1987, it was Teo Soh Lung at the receiving end:
"I looked at the officer's face and believed that he wouldn't use his hands. But I looked at his knuckles and they told me he knew karate. I was afraid. He was DSP Benny Lim.
There was one male officer who came in and shouted something. My answer did not satisfy him or rather he was not prepared to be convinced. He gave me four hard slaps. I stared at him and he challenged loudly if I was going to remember his face and complain. I did not respond. The slaps sent a gush of hot blood to my face. I could feel a stinging warmth. After slapping me, he walked out of the room."
Even ex-solicitor general Francis Seow was not spared:
"He was as threatening and as vulgar and as obscene as his Malay colleague, warning me that he was a hot-tempered man and could not control himself as well as his Malay colleague. Unless I spoke out, he threatened to hit me and, as I persevered in my silence, he swung his fist at me. I braced myself for the blow, again, but his fist, too, stopped just short inches from my face. They were without any doubt the goon squad. They were nasty, ugly - like men deranged."
In 2014, three Indian nationals have filed a formal complaint of police brutality. Arun Kaliamurthy, Rajendran Mohan and Ravi Arun Vengatesh were allegedly subjected to racial slurs, threats that they would be put to death and physical violence at the hands of rogue officers. Extracts from the affidavit:
"He was sat against a pillar in the middle of the two officers while they questioned him. During this time, he was repeatedly told to admit to his involvement in the riots. When he denied these allegations, the female officer, of Indian origin, punched Arun in the ribs with her fists. The female police officer also told Arun that 5 police officers have been killed and that he was to be hung. He was told that even if he kissed her foot, he would still be hanged."
"At this point, Rajendran was asked to admit to his involvement in the riots. When he refused to admit to something he had not done, the IO inflicted a backhanded punch on him in the stomach. He was then told that if he chose not to admit to his involvement at this stage, the punishment he would receive would be a lot more severe. Following this denial, the IO then poured a bottle of cold water over him and lowered the temperature in the room. The IO also used the bottle to whack him on the head, albeit not viciously."
"He (Ravi Arun Vengatesh) was then transported to the CID headquarters where he was subsequently brought into an interrogation room and was asked to sit on the floor. Even before any questions were asked, he was slapped 4 to 5 times. When he protested to the physical abuse and declared his innocence in the riot, the IO at the time told him, even before being tried in a court of law, that he must be guilty if not he would not have been arrested in the first place."
In George Orwell's Animal Farm, Napoleon confiscates nine puppies,and secludes them in a loft. Napoleon rears them into fierce, elitist dogs that act as his security guards. The dogs are the only animals other than the pigs that are given special privileges.
The animals are still in charge. Benny Lim was appointed Permanent Secretary PMO in 2011. Police Commissioner Ng Joo Hee used to work for Benny in the ISD. Eric Tan, Benny's go between for ISD/Singapore government and the Church in the Marxist Conspiracy sham of 1987, was moved laterally over the $1.7 million embezzled by his CPIB Assistant Director Edwin Yeo, but you betcha he's still on the payroll.
Tattler
*The writer blogs at http://singaporedesk.blogspot.com/