January 1960 to November 1964 : Operation Cold Store – The Conflict Within The PAP

Operation Cold Store, ostensibly to cull the Communist Open front, may have had more to do with the struggle to consolidate power for the P.A.P and Lee Kuan Yew.

1960
January 1960 : “The Political Role Of The Trade Union”
James wrote an article published in the Petir, a publication of the P.A.P.
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May 1960 : Trade Union Bill
James was not involved directly in the trade union dispute. He worked closely with Goh Keng Swee in the preparation of Singapore’s First development plan.  The left sought to consolidate its power base within the trade union movement. The PAP responded by creating what Tim Harper called “a phony war”....
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June 1960 : Lee Kuan Yew Addresses the Socialist Club
The University Socialist Club was a popular forum for intellectual discussions. Even Lee Kuan Yew spoke at the forum on "University of Malaya - its past and present role in nation building."
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28th June 1960 : Eng Guan Challenges Kuan Yew
"In one of my meetings with Harry, he had identified Madam Chan Choy Siong, the wife of Ong Pang Boon, as a great supporter of Ong Eng Guan. At that time Pag Boon was the Organising Secretary of the party and Eng Guan was the Treasurer also Chairman of the...
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1961
April 1961 : PAP Lost The Hong Lim By-Election
"When the Hong Lim by-elections took place, I did not participate because it was an entirely Chinese constituency, and my impact would be minimal. I remember at the Fullerton Square rally, Lee Kuan Yew said the kind of work we are producing is much much better and high quality. That...
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May 1961 : Rift Over The Remaining Detainees
All I regret with PAP is PAP probably did not give it [Singapore] political freedom - individualfreedom. It had given it quite a lot of economic advancement. But it [politicalfreedom] probably couldn’t have worked, how I wished that it could have worked.Anyhow it’s too late that they turn round and...
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May 1961 : The Strained Relationship with Goh Keng Swee
The Industrial Promotions Board was soon to be replaced by the Economic Development Board and James was touted to be the Chairman-designate (Straits Times 12 july 1959). But by this time differences between them over the role of private capital in economic development soon led to James’ marginalisation. Although James...
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May 1961 : Passed Over For Economic Development Board
"Goh Keng Swee and I had become less and less friendly. One day Keng Swee said to me, 'I am going to appoint Mayer to the job I was planning for you at the EDB.' I said 'Yes, fine"" "That afternoon Harry phoned me and asked me to see him....
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2nd June 1961 : Chin Siong Statement of Conditional Support
On June 2 Lim Chin Siong issued a statement supporting the PAP in the Anson by-election on condition that the PAP agreed to demand the abolition of the Internal Security Council in the 1963 constitutional talks.
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June 1961 : Lunch With Lord and Lady Selkirk
The day after my meeting with Chin Siong, James got hold of Charles Ladd of Jardine Wharf and asked him to fix a meeting with Lord Selkirk. On Sunday morning at 9am, James received a telephone call asking him to come for lunch. "I expected to see Charles, but Charles...
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16th June 1961 : Raising the Spectre of “Chinese Chauvinism” and A Communist State
Faced with the possibility of losing power and a PAP electoral defat at the next election, Lee Kuan Yew insisted that  "in the coming months it was necessary that the British, the Federation Government and the Singapore Government should adhere firmly to the belief  in a non-communist Malaya. In order...
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15th July 1961 : PAP Lost The Anson By-Election
James had gone to Bangkok when the Anson by-election was going on. "When I came back, my brother Dominic, Ghaus, Chin Siong and Fong were waiting for me in my house. They said they have decided to support David Marshall. They were going to break with PAP and I advised...
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18 July 1961 : Eden Hall Meeting
Woodhull, Chin Siong and Fong came along in Woodhull's car and asked me to go with them to Selkirk's place. After some discussion I agreed to go with them. I became a kind of pseudo-spokesman for the group because I had left the group. By the middle of 1961 the...
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20th July 1961 : Vote Of Confidence
We always wished that Harry was not so authoritarian and Chin Siong was not so convinced of the people's power. Lee Kuan Yew moved a motion of confidence in his own government five days after the PAP loss in the Anson by-election. The motion was passed with 27 "Ayes", 8...
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21st July 1961 : Lee Kuan Yew’s “Ridiculous Fairy Tale”
Lee's motive is clearly that proposition he put to me on the detainees was designed first to allay suspicions in the party that he had not in fact been pressing for the release of the detainees and secondly to produce a public clash with the British which would present him...
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29th July 1961 : Formation of the Barisan Sosialis
The main objectives of the Barisan Sosialis included eradicating colonialism, establishing a united independent and democratic Malayan nation comprising the Federation of Malaya and Singapore and introducing an economic system to promote prosperity and stability in society. ~ Wikipedia "Chin Siong and his group could not have existed in the...
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31 July 1961 : Record Of The Meeting At Eden Hall
The motive in coming to see Lord Selkirk was to seek a re-assuarnce that in the event of the fall of Lee Kuan Yew's Government, the British would not take over in Singapore.Minutes of Meeting held at Eden Hall, 31 July 1961
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1st August 1961 : Resignation from All Government Offices
In August 1961 James resigned from all appointments and resumed his studies at the Faculty of Law, at the University of Singapore. James stated in his press conference held at his offices in the Fullerton Building that one the causes of his discontent was that there was no democracy within...
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August 1961 : Merger With The Malayan Federation
"I was all the time very pro merger. In my view Barisan Sosialis never accepted merger. They believed in an independent Singapore. My suspicion was that they were afraid they will be arrested and all put in jail once merger took place." "I believed that Singapore could not really exist...
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13th August 1961 : Unveiling The Truth Of The Eden Hall Meeting
Lee's hypothesis that the British gave Barisan Sosialis the assurance the craved for only because they were trying to draw Lim Chin Siong and his supporters into the open by emboldening them has now been debunked.
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14th August 1961 : Goh Reveals His Conversations With James In The Straits Times
In response to the allegations made by the Barisan Sosialis group that had met with Lord Selkirk, Goh Keng Swee revealed his discussions with James that led to the group seeking the meeting. Goh claims that James warned him that the if the P.A.P. was not united, the party would...
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Conversation Between James and The First Secretary of the Australian Commission In Singapore
Australian-Intel-Conversation-with-JJP-17.8.1961Download (Credit Fiachra Ross)
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19th August 1961 : Where Is The “Source Of The Communist Directive”?
At the 22nd meeting of the Internal Security Council held on 19th August 1961 a document entitled "The security situation in Singapore as on the 1st August 1961" which according to Lee Kuan Yew was "a professional assessment by the Singapore Special Branch" was presented. Lord Selkirk was clearly not...
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21st August 1961 : What Caused The Break With PAP
But it must be a very strange state of affairs when a great plot is nothing more than the stating of the correct constitutional position. Were the PAP leaders expecting the British to say the constitutional rights were reserved for PAP leaders only? If not, why all this sensationalism? I...
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30th August 1961 : Again…… Where Is The Source Of The Communist Directives?
From the minutes of the Internal Security Council meeting on 30th August 1961 (CO 1030/1164), Lord Selkirk noted that no link had been established between the subjects under investigation and the source of the communist directive. Lee Kuan Yew in the same meeting went on to propose that Federation citizens...
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Barisan Sosialis Meeting of Conveners
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September to October 1961 : The Battle For Merger Radio Talks
Lee Kuan Yew took to the radio is his campaign for merger with the Federation. However most of his campaign for merger was focused squarely on attacking the Barisan Sosialis and in particular Lim Chin Siong by painting them out as Communists. With the amount of evidence that Lee espoused...
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20th September 1961 : “I Was Once A Communist.”
James gave an interview to Australian journalist Peter Hastings. Mr. Hastings met James as well as Lim Chin Siong and made a record of his conversations with both for Mr. G.A. Jockel, the Australian Commissioner. Mr. Jockel passed these notes on to P.B.C. Moore, the Acting U.K Deputy High Commissioner....
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21st September 1961 : Democracy In The PAP Is What the “Communists” Want !
The Communists, through James Puthucheary, were pressing very hard for a constitution which would allow branches complete control in the party and allow branch committees to nominate members to the central executive committee. Lee Kuan Yew, Straits Times 21 September 1961 According to Mr. Lee, "such a constitution would in...
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22nd September 1961 : “Advisor” to the Central Executive Committee of Barisan Sosialis
At the inaugural meeting of the Barisan Sosialis, James was appointed as an "advisor" to the party. James maintained that he was not consulted about this appointment prior to the announcement. James was a lecturer in economics at the University of Malaya in Singapore at the time and also a...
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23rd September 1961 : Removed as Chairman of the Central Provident Fund Board
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19th October 1961 : Rebuttal Of The Communist Bogeyman
Extract from Sydney Woodhull's Letter to the Straits Times
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1st November 1961 : James’ Stand on Merger
Charles Letts met with James and discussed the Barisan Socialis stand on merger with the Federation. He recounted the conversation to P.B.C. Moore. Credit : British Archives FCO 141/ 17161 [If] the Barisan Socialis forced Lee Kuan Yew into holding a referendum, Puthucheary and his colleagues were fully confident that...
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1962
21st January 1962 : Sustained Smear Campaign By Lee Kuan Yew
"Harry asked for my permission to publish my letter. He asked me to go and see him. I had a flu. He said, "No, no you must come. I will give you a pull-over. When I got there, there was a secretary waiting with a pull-over!" "After a long chat,...
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25th April 1962 : The Real Threat Of A Socialist Malaysia
In spite of intensive investigations, no evidence has been obtained of C.P.M. [Communist Party of Malaya] directions to open United Front workers as to how they should carry out their activities.....There is no evidence that the United Front leaders are looking beyond Merger to the possibilities of bringing about a...
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1st September 1962 : Referendum On Merger
The Referendum result was a huge blow to the Barisan Sosialis. According to Special Branch reports James advised Lim Chin Siong to accept the result. https://youtu.be/tQvaiKOiDjg
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8th September 1962 : “The Long Term Threat” Of Communism
Following the results of the Referendum on Merger with the Federation,  it was clear that the communist threat, if ever there was one, had disappeared. Lee Kuan Yew's desire for the arrests could not be justified on security grounds. Singapore leaders could not admit openly that they wanted the arrests...
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9th October 1962 : ISC Must Prevent Barisan Sosialis From Winning The Election
At the ISC meeting, Lee Kuan Yew claimed that "it was not just a question of a constitutional political challenge at the 1964 elections. He raised the specter of a Communist coup through a constitutionally elected government in the event that the PAP lost the election. British Archives CO 1030/1165...
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December 1962 : Operation Cold Store Postponed
The telegram to the Commonwealth Relations Office reports that Tunku Abdul Rahman is incensed by Lee Kuan Yew use of the Internal Security issues to justify the arrest and detention of his political opponents. He has therefore proposed to proceed with the action if there was a smaller number and...
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December 1962 : An Offer To Study Law in London
"The last time I met Harry in Singapore was when he offered me help to go away to finish my law degree in London. I think it was genuine. If it was, he didn't want me to be arrested. I didn't feel like studying my law studies again as I...
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1963
Early January 1963 : Mavis Was Sacked Again
"In January 1963 I was again sacked, without reasons given. James immediately told me that it was likely that he would be arrested shortly and on 2nd February Operation Cold Store took place."Mavis Puthucheary
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2nd February 1963 : Operation Cold Store – The Sacrifice For Malaysia
I firmly believe that [James Puthucheary] was a true Nationalist, totally committed to an independent Malaya which includes Singapore and not a communist or a terrorist.Teo Soh Lung, 2018 On this day and in the weeks that followed, more than 133 people were arrested and detained without trial. the Internal...
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3rd February 1963 : Singapore Government Denies Responsibility For The Political Detentions
Lee Kuan Yew gave an hour long press conference at Singapore Airport on his return from Kuala Lumpur. He stressed that "the operation had not been to help him or his Government." British Archives CO 1030/1573 However, it is clear from the declassified minutes of the ISC meetings that it...
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9th February 1963 : Offer Of “Assistance” From Lee Kuan Yew
Mavis was sacked from her job in the civil service in January 1963. She was served with a notice of dismissal from her post of Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Education for "security reasons". This was prior to the Operation Cold Store and led James to believe he would be arrested...
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12th February 1963 : Arrests To Support Merger and Not For Security
Lee Kuan Yew said he agreed to Operation Coldstore to clinch merger – which is a political matter and not because of any security issue. In a letter dated 12 February 1963 to Lord Selkirk, Lee Kuan Yew said: It was because of your Government's firm assurance given by your...
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13th February 1963 : Detention Without Trial
None of the detainees of Operation Cold Store have ever been put on trial for the charges that they were detained under.
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2nd May 1963 : Mavis Delivers A Baby Boy At Kuala Lumpur General Hospital
The idea to have Juarez born in Kuala Lumpur was because Special Branch in Kuala Lumpur said they would accommodate visits by James to see Mavis in the hospital. So James told Mavis to come up to Kuala Lumpur to have the baby. The Straits Time 10th May 1963
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23rd July 1963 : ISC Banishes James From Singapore
At a meeting of the Internal Security Council, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew notified the members of the ISC that an order to banish James from Singapore would be gazetted. ISC Minutes for the Meeting on 2British Archives CO 1030/1575 In the meantime, the ISC was still trying to discover...
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21st September 1963 : Singapore’s General Elections
"When the Singapore elections were held, and PAP had won, I told the police officer called Tze-Toh, I said, 'Harry is coming to see me.' He said, 'You quarreled with him, why does he want to see you?' I said, 'No, Harry is coming to see me. Take a bet...
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November 1963 : Audience With Lee Kuan Yew
Six weeks after the Singapore elections, Lee Kuan Yew requested my presence at Rumah Temasek. "Harry kept me waiting for more than an hour and Harry knows that is one thing that irritates me. Harry came down and said, 'James, I am very sorry about being late, I have very...
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November 1963 : Convocation “In Absentia”
In late November, he was released on condition he would no longer take part in political activities. While in jail, James was conferred the degree of law in absentia. At the convocation, the crowd gave him  a standing ovation when his name was called. He had been deported to Malaya...
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29th November 1963 : Released From Detention
"I see no sense in being put in detention time after time on the ground that I am alleged to be a Communist or am sympathetic to Communism. I am neither. In fact, I am opposed to it. I made my position clear in the document published as an appendix...
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1964
1st February 1964 : Restrictive Order
James was released from detention and
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7th October 1964 : Amendments To The Restrictive Order
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1990
1st December 1990 : Retraction Of The Banishment Order
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2013
50th Anniversary Of Operation Coldstore
https://youtu.be/y4GlGNgORZQ
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2023
60th Anniversary Of Operation Coldstore
Today is the 60th Anniversary of Operation Coldstore. Some of the political prisoners detained have issued this public statement. PUBLIC STATEMENT ISSUED ON THE 60th ANNIVERSARY OF OPERATION COLDSTORE (2 Feb 1000hrs)Download https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ex-coldstore-detainees-call-for-isa-s-abolition-apology-on-60th-anniversary-mha-says-allegations-not-new https://www.jom.media/the-long-shadow-of-operation-coldstore/
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The Continuing Relevance Of Operation Coldstore
by Mavis Puthucheary Today, the second of February, we mark the 60th anniversary of Operation Coldstore, when 113 persons were arrested in Singapore under the repressive Preservation of Public Security Ordinance and jailed without legal recourse for an unspecified period of time. At that time and, indeed, since then, there...
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