Operation Coldstore

Common card · No. 402655

Operation Coldstore was the code name for a large-scale internal security operation carried out in Singapore on 2 February 1963, during the period when it was an internally self-governing state within the British Empire. The operation led to the arrest and detention without trial of 113 individuals under the Preservation of Public Security Ordinance 1955 (PPSO). These included leaders and members of the left-wing Barisan Sosialis (BS), trade unionists, students and activists accused of involvement in communist front organisations. The operation was approved by the Internal Security Council, a body composed of representatives from the British government, the Singaporean government and the Malayan federal government. The operation was initiated by the People's Action Party (PAP) government led by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who viewed BS as a serious political threat ahead of the 1963 general election. Officially, Operation Coldstore was presented as a measure to protect internal security...

Read on Wikipedia · Image The Straits Times., Public domain