produced. One picture showed a guitar among a pile of tyres. “Evidence will show,” said the Public Prosecutor, “that these people were singing and celebrating the holocaust.” Lee Meow Cheng, a settlement attendant, told the Court that the rioters had held a victory celebration. “Some of them changed into new clothes for the celebration. They strutted about like conquerors of Pulau Senang,” said Lee.
Low Ah Kow, a settlement assistant, gave the Court a detailed account of what happened. He said that at 12:15 pm that day, he and other officers fell in outside the guard room and were informed by Tailford, the chief officer, that trouble was expected. They were instructed that when the siren sounded, they were to fall in again outside the guard room. Tailford then dismissed them. Low went off to the mess room, where he was detailed to look after Halls, A, B, C and D. Another settlement officer was told to look after Halls E, F, G and H. Low heard the work-gong sound at 12:50 pm and then shortly after, while standing outside Hall A, he heard the three short blasts of the alarm siren. He saw a large group of detainees approaching him: they were armed with cangkuls, parangs, pipes and other weapons. They were led by the gang leader, Tan Kheng Ann, alias Robert. His prison number was 860/60. He had a parang in his hand. They charged towards the mess room, but made no attempt to assault him.
A group of rioters had surrounded Choo Ah Kim, another settlement assistant. He looked as though he was suffering from shock. Then Low saw an unarmed group of detainees rush into the armed mob to rescue Choo and carry him into the administrative block. Low himself went with them as far as the prison hospital to get some medicine. While he was inside the hospital, he saw, across the road, three armed rioters smash the petrol pump lock and draw some of the fuel, then run off towards the store. While still in the hospital grounds he heard a voice yell: “Bobby! Cut the radio wire!” Later, he saw Bobby (whom he identified as Lim Tee Kang) running towards the radio wire and cut it with an axe.
From the hospital, Low rushed to the administrative block to report to Dutton. Dutton then was outside the building about to fire his Verey pistol. By now two groups of rioters were approaching the building. First they set fire to the general office, then the workshop. They attacked the guard room. Tailford was outside, trying to ward off the assault. He was felled, stabbed in the temple. Attacked by three thugs, Dutton dashed into his office. When he came out, his clothes on fire, four rioters brutally attacked him.
The savagery of the attack on Dutton was amazing. Medical evidence showed that Dutton had several cut wounds on his body, three on his head, two on the trunk and nine on the limbs. On the skull there was a large horizontal cut on the right side of the head. The fifth, ninth and 10th ribs were fractured. There was also a deep cut towards the back of the head. Death was due to haemorrhage from intracranial bleeding. The body was almost completely burnt, except the feet, which were covered by his boots. If he had not died from the fracture of his skull, he would have died from the burns.
The preliminary hearing took 18 days. When it ended, 64 of the accused were committed for trial in the High Court. But only 59 actually stood trial before Justice Buttrose on 18 November 1963. The Public Prosecutor decided not to proceed against five: they were stood down.
Never before, in Singapore, had there been such a mammoth trial. A special dock was constructed to accommodate all 59 prisoners. In the crowded Court, over which Justice Murray Buttrose presided, were, in addition to the guards and court officials, 11 counsel, and a jury of seven (all Chinese). Listed as Assize Case No. 68/63 of Twelfth Assizes, 1963, the trial of Tan Kheng Ann (alias Robert, alias Robert Black, alias Ang Chuar), and 58 others, lasted from 18 November 1963-12 March 1964. The Court sat on 64 days. The evidence was recorded in 21 large volumes of typescript, a total of about half a million words.
All 59 prisoners pleaded not guilty. And 44 said nothing in defence: they remained silent. Eleven went into the witness box and made their defence on oath. Three made their defence by unsworn statements from the dock. The Judge took nearly five days to sum up. He ordered the Press not to report anything he said in his summing up until the jury returned with their verdict. The jury retired late in the morning of 11 March 1964. They came back into Court in the afternoon of 12 March 1964. They found 18 guilty of murder 29 guilty of rioting. The rest were found not guilty of murder or rioting and were acquitted though not set free, for they were still under Criminal Law detention.
The Trial
Mr Humphrey A. Ball and Mr G. Abisheganaden were privately retained to represent 40 of the defendants, Mr P. Suppiah (at the request of the Court), three, Mr Chng Kiat Leng, four, Mr Tann Wee Tiong, two, Mr G.J. Advani, three, Mr C.H. Koh, two, Mr Y.R. Jumabhoy, two, and Mr A.J. Braja, three.
The 59 accused were: 1. Tan Kheng Ann alias Robert Black alias Ang Chuar 2. Chia Yeo Fatt alias Botak 3. Cheong Wai Sang alias See Chap Kau Sien 4. Somasundram son of Suptramaniam 5. Lim Tee Kang alias Bobby 6. Somasundarajoo son of Vengdasalam alias Ali 7. Lim Kim Chuan alias Tua Tai alias Tua Pui 8. Khoo Geok San alias Kepala Batu alias Ah San 9. Chan Wah alias Hak Kwei Soh 10. Chin Kiong alias Hakka Chai 11. Hoe Hock Hai alias Ah Hai 12. Ponapalam son of Govindasamy alias Tom Tom 13. Peh Guan Hock alias Han Chee Gong 14. Chia Geok Choo alias Jimmy alias Sar Kang Huay 15. Chew Seng Hoe 16. Yeow Yew Boon alias Mee Mee 17. Teng Eng Tay alias Robert 18. Ong Sik Kwong alias Sar Siow 19. Chew Thiam Huat alias Baby Chai 20. Heng Lian Choon alias Ah Liang 21. Lim Teck San 22. Sia Ah Kow alias Ark Bar 23. Sim Cheng Tee alias Kok Tau 24. Chua Hai Imm alias Botak 25. Sim Hoe Seng alias Chat Ah Seng 26. Ng Cheng Liong alias Ah Pong 27.
Tan Yin Chwee alias Ah Eng 28. Kwek Kok Wah 29. Toh Kok Pen 30.
Teo Han Teck 31. Sim Teck Beng 32. Ng Chuan Puay 33. Tan Tian Soo alias Tian Ah alias Ah Tian 34. Ang Teck Kee alias Ah Kuah 35. Tay Teck Bok 36. Aziz bin Salim alias Terry 37. Chew Yam Meng alias Ah Soi 38. Teo Lian Choon alias Ah Ngar 39. Cheong Kim Seng 40. Tan Chin alias Soi Han 41. Leow Ah Chai 42. Lim Kim Si an 43. Yong Ah Chew alias Au Chua alias Put Yeow 44. Soh Ah Kang 45.
Tan Eng Hoe alias Kang Or 46. Choy Peng Kwong 47. Heng Boon Leng 48. Koh Ah Tiaw 49. Teng Ah Kow alias Ah Kow 50. Tan Tian Lay 51. Neo Lim Leong 52. Gan Kim Siong alias Ang Kee 53. Lim Heng Soon alias Ah Soon 54. Ng Pang Leng 55. Chia Tiong Guan 56. Koh Teck Thow 57. Lim Thiam Huat alias Botak 58. Cheng Poh Keng alias Kow Kia 59. Low Chai Kiat alias Jimmy
Of the lot, 55 of the prisoners were Chinese, three were Tamil Indians and one was a Malay.
They were all charged collectively that ‘on or about the 12th day of July 1963, at about 1:15 PM at the Pulau Senang Settlement, Singapore’, they were members of an unlawful assembly whose common objects were to cause the death of Daniel Stanley Dutton, Arumugam Veerasingham, Tan Kok Hian, Wang Loke Hai, alias Cartoon, Chia Teck Whee, and others, and to cause the destruction of the settlement, and that while members of that assembly, ‘committed murder by causing the death of Dutton, an offence which the members of the assembly knew to be likely to be committed in the prosecution of the common objects of the assembly’.
They were all further charged with murdering Veerasingham and Tan Kok Hian.
Ball applied to the Court for separate trials, or alternatively for the accused to be tried in groups. He also complained that the prisoners were wearing detainees’ clothing and not their own clothing. Judge Buttrose: The issue here Mr Ball is not whether they are detainees, but whether one or more or all of these detainees committed this offence.
Mr Ball also asked the Judge to note on record that the dock had a door with a grille around it. Judge Buttrose: Mr Ball, are you seriously contending that this is not justified in this case?
Later the Judge remarked (the jury was not present) that he would feel ‘distinctly alarmed’ sitting there for the next three months ‘with everything wide open’. He pointed out that any reasonable number of determined men could do irreparable harm in a very few minutes. Mr Ball: We do have cases in other countries where we don’t have this kind of precaution. Judge Buttrose: Unfortunately, Mr Ball, we have not in my experience ever had a case of this sort. Mr Ball: Not of this magnitude. Judge Buttrose: Or of this appalling kind.
Counsel argued that these unusual security precautions were brought about because of the large number of accused, which he held produced an unfavourable atmosphere for the accused. This could be avoided if there were small groups and if they wore their own clothing.
Mr Ball pointed out the magnitude of the trial. He held that the prosecution would have to prove, and the defence to meet, and the Court to give separate directions, in respect of 177 murder charges, because there were three charges for each of the 59 people. In respect of each case no less than 15 issues appeared to arise on the
