James left the group and was expelled from the ABL after an altercation at the camp on St. John’s island.
One evening following an afternoon of arguments, James was sitting on the steps leading to the front door of their ‘bungalow’ with Abdullah Majid and Tan Seng Lock. The guard came to collect the knives which were given for their cooking session as he did daily.
Yap Thian Fong brought the knives from the back and as he passed the front door, Yap stopped and stared at James. He took the kitchen knife and threatened to stab James. Samad Ismail took the knife away from him.
This was the last straw for James. He, along with Abdullah Majid requested a transfer out of St. John’s island. They were both sent the Outram Remand Center for remainder of their time under detention.