To Catch a Tartar: A Dissident in Lee Kuan Yew's Prison

by Francis Seow

A semi-autobiographical account of Seow's experiences as a government official and his 72-day detention in 1988 for (quote) courting if not colluding (unquote) with U.S. diplomats to build an opposition in Singapore

330 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1994

About the author

Francis Tiang-Siew Seow (Chinese: 萧添寿; pinyin: Xiāo Tiānshòu; 11 October 1928 – 21 January 2016) was a Singapore-born American writer, political dissident and former lawyer. He lived in exile from Singapore after facing lawsuits from Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first Prime Minister. He was educated at Saint Joseph's Institution in Singapore and at the Middle Temple in London, and was a Visiting Fellow at Harvard Law School.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Dhevarajan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that raises many troubling allegations against the conduct of Singapore authorities and Lee Kuan Yew regarding the (ab)use of the Internal Security Act. Plenty of details but narrative can be disjointed at times, too emotive and lack independent corroboration.

[George Lam · Rating 3 out of 5]

- I remembered I have to buy this book in Malaysia in 1996
as it was not sold in singapore
- it is interesting at that time to read about a dissident who was part of the system as solicitor general and almost won the election
- i remembered he was a very strong and charismatic speaker.LKY would have seen him as the biggest threat at that time. Educated, senior, strong speaker , charismatic.
- it is not surprised they will want to take him down
- we shall not discuss whether the methods are right or fair or about human rights or transparency. It is what it is at that point in time
- I remembered discussing with my brother and he mentioned that the torture he received is nothing compared to what other countries would do. I guess it is all relative.
- it is a tough fight and for some , they were disappointed that Francis went to the US instead of staying back to fight.
- at that time, it got me thinking that it is quite easy to manipulate the system as once you are locked up, there is very little you can do. Esp at that tome , there is no social media and info is controlled
- things are a little different now with social media but it is always a double edged sword

[Asher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells a compelling personal account of Mr Seow's detention in Singapore. He who was mistreated and maligned, exposes the darkest disposition in the Singapore government particularly, the Internal Security Act, which empowers the government to detain suspected insurgents without trial, to prevent subversion.

The story as well-written as it is, however, is in disequilibrium, heavily one-sided, lacking full clarity and candour of his extraordinary and multi-faceted career.

What went wrong?

Even if they (Mr Devan Nair) do not join the politics, they suddenly said and/or did things that were politically incorrect, even critical, to create deep suspicions. Perhaps included in his other books, it indeed ends abruptly after Mr Seow's release from detention, excluding details about his life in exile.​