Alex Josey - Cold blooded murders

The Court adjourned for a week over Christmas and assembled again on 30 December.

While Robert Choo, another settlement attendant, was giving evidence, he identified Chua Hai Imm as a rioter. Chua swore at him. The Judge warned Chua. He shouted back at the Judge. Judge: If I have another sound from him I will have him gagged. If his counsel does not advise him, I shall take steps. It is quite scandalous. This is the last warning. If he does it again I shall have him gagged.

Mr Braga got the witness, Choo, to admit that he had been a member of the 13 Wonders gang (18- Chap Sar Yeo) but Choo denied he had ever been beaten up by Koh Teck Thow’s gang. The last gang fight he had was a very long time ago, with gang 329. He was assistant headman in his gang. He organised gang fights, but did not take part himself.

Witness Chia Teck Whee, a rehabilitation officer in the prison service, gave evidence that there had been 29 settlement attendants on Pulau Senang and 319 detainees.

Language had its problems. Chia Teck Whee gave his evidence in English. He was recalling a conversation in Dutton’s office in the morning. He had told of how one of the accused, Heng Lian Choon, had handed over his mug to his friend, See Kar Chua, a significant gesture that meant that Heng was about to leave Pulau Senang and was saying farewell. Mr Francis Seow: When he was telling you this where was Dutton? Chia Teck Whee: Mr Dutton was in his office. He sat on the chair in front of his table. Judge: He was seated at his desk. Chia Teck Whee: No. He sat on the chair in front of his table. Judge: When you sit at the desk you normally do not sit on it. When I sit myself at my desk I usually sit on the chair in front of it. He sat at his desk? Chia Teck Whee: On a chair. Judge: Leave it like that.

Inevitably, the evidence was repetitious. When, on 6 January 1964, Sergeant Warder Abdul Ghani bin Mohd. Ali was in the box, the Judge referred to this ‘tedious business’.

He said to Crown Counsel: “Why go into it? The jury must be as sick as I am with people running up to the circus and sitting down in the circus. If you have something to prove, prove it, but are you going to call all the witnesses who gave evidence at the preliminary inquiry?” Mr Francis Seow: I will call all of them. Judge: If you are calling them to prove something. When they have proved it, sit down. Mr Francis Seow: I am giving the background. Judge: If the jury and I don’t know the background by now we had better get hold of another judge and jury. I am getting utterly sick of it if you are going to get 80 witnesses to this court to tell the same old story that they saw rioters coming down Mess Road, and some from Workshop Road, and non-rioters squatting on the circus. I am getting a little tired of it.

A witness, Kok Ah Tong, ran into the sea and swam for his life. He floated until he was picked up by a boat. His nickname was Kiah See Kwai (a timid devil). He said he was not timid, just anxious not to get involved.

When Abdul Rahman bin Maryadi alias Tengku, another settlement attendant, was giving evidence, Seow asked him about the canteen. Did he see footprints on the wall, showing that somebody had climbed to the ceiling? Was the wall dirty? Judge: A few days ago I asked what was the good of this. No one in his senses will dispute that the place was razed to the ground. Why waste time on it? What I and the jury are interested in is are there any of those accused in the dock responsible? We want to know who did these things. Who were killed? Who did the killing? Have another look at the evidence. Don’t stumble along haphazardly.

On 7 January, Chua Hai Imm was reported to be sick again. His counsel, Mr Tann, said he was screaming his head off.

On 10 January at 10:45 AM, Tan Eng Hoe alias Khan Or was, on the application of Mr Francis Seow acting under Section 203 of the Criminal Procedure Code, stood down. Mr Francis Seow informed the Court that he had decided not to proceed further against him on the three charges. An independent prosecution witness had given evidence that Tan had been with him and had not been involved in rioting. The case against the other 58 accused continued.

Tan King Hak, another witness, admitted he had been a ‘Protected Member’ of a secret society. It was explained that a ‘Protected Member’ was a collector or extortioner.

On the 29th day of the trial, counsel complained that only 31 witnesses had been covered. The Judge said he had considerable fellow-feeling for his objections. “Do try and cut it short, Mr Seow.”

When J.W. Tailford was called on 16 January, he could remember little apart from the fact that somebody had assaulted him. He was stood down. The Judge ordered that a statement be taken from him. If necessary, he could then be recalled as a witness.

Evidence was given that three rioters escaped by jumping into the sea and swimming to the lighthouse. They were recaptured.

Tan Chut Gim, owner of the canteen on the island, said on 15 January that he was attacked by a rioter with a piece of pipe. Of the 110 crates of soft drinks in the canteen, only 37 or 38 crates were intact at the end of 40 minutes of rioting. Most of the bottles had been used as missiles. All the bottles in the canteen were empty. Tan was an ex-detainee.

Mr Francis Seow started off his questioning of another witness, Alan Lim Kiat Pang, a long-sentenced prisoner sentenced for armed robbery, by asking him whether he knew there had been rioting on the island on 12 July 1963. Said the Judge, sarcastically, “Well, he must be the only one on the island if he does not. Even the jury and I know that.”

John Victor Roy, a warder, said he was chased and he jumped into the sea and swam to Pulau Pawai, a nearby island.

On 17 January, Tan Chin Chai, a detainee, told the Court that he was working on the poultry farm at the time of the revolt. He admitted to Mr Ball that he had a ‘bad fight’ with another detainee some while before, and had in consequence spent a month in hospital. He had been accused of being an informer. That was why he named friends of this man who had beaten him up. Tan denied he was an informer, or that he had identified them out of spite.

He said that rioters had shouted: “Fellow sufferers! Pulau Senang is not going to be a success! We have been here for 30 months and we are still here! Join us!”

Shortly after 11:30 AM on the morning of 21 January, Crown Counsel interrupted the proceedings to inform the Judge that Yeow Yew Boon had developed a rash which apparently needed urgent attention. Judge Buttrose promptly adjourned and Yeow was sent to hospital. When the Court reassembled after lunch, Dr Peck Tsun Yee told the Judge that Yeow was suffering from a hypersensitive reaction to a drug which had been given to him by another doctor the previous day. She said Yeow was unfit to sit in Court. He was drowsy. The Judge adjourned until the following morning, when Yeow took his place again in the dock.

When the 50th witness was produced on 23 January, the Judge asked whether the prosecution case could be finished by the end of the month. Mr Seow said he hoped so.

Mr Francis Seow to witness: You are known as Mad Chwee Hock? Witness: That is so. Mr Francis Seow: Dutton found out that you had been fighting and gave you a severe beating? Witness: Yes. Judge: He punched you? Witness: Yes. Counsel: It took you a week in hospital to recover? Witness: I never went to hospital.

A.N. Jenardaran, who served on Pulau Senang as Dutton’s first chief officer, told the Court that Dutton was hardworking, resourceful and fair. He was planning to build a school with 12 classrooms and a ring road round the island. The Judge refused to allow evidence on other projects. He felt it was irrelevant.

Tailford went into the box again on 29 January. He was still wearing the watch he wore when he was attacked. It no longer worked. It had stopped at 1:05 PM on 12 July. The fingers of the watch, he said, were bent. He could remember nothing except that he ended up with his arm broken, his watch broken and cuts on his head. He could not say who caused the injuries. He could not identify anybody.