The historiography of post-1945 Singapore is changing. For a long time the history of this tumultuous period has been dominated by narratives that have focused almost exclusively on the role of the People's Action Party (PAP) in leading Singapore's anti-colonial struggle and the perceived threat posed by the Malayan Communist Party (MCP). However, more recently the foundational myths of what has become known as the ‘Singapore Story’ have been subject to greater historical scrutiny. Historians such as Loh Kah Seng, Thum PJ, and Hong Lysa have highlighted the way in which historical myths have been created and maintained by the PAP, while also rehabilitating the image of former leftist activists, arguing that leaders such as Lim Chin Siong were not proxies for the MCP but were anti-colonial nationalists, committed to building a democratic and socialist Singapore, where respect for civil liberties and racial diversity were paramount objectives. These historians have been joined in this endeavour by former activists, most notably Poh Soo Kai and the late Tan Jing Quee, who have set out to refute the charge that they were nothing more than communist radicals.

The publication of The 1963 Operation Coldstore in Singapore represents the culmination of these efforts. Combining chapters by historians, as well as accounts by former activists, the book was published to mark the 50th anniversary of Operation Coldstore, when 133 men and women were detained on 2 February 1963. The arrests, which were a precondition for Singapore's merger with Malaysia and were sanctioned by the British, Singaporean, and Malaysian governments, helped to consolidate the PAP's position, as well as decimate the strength of the political opposition. Since the arrests, with the left neutralised and with the threat of further persecution ever present, public debate concerning Coldstore has been limited. It is for this reason then, that this book is such a welcome addition to the growing body of revisionist literature on post-war Singapore.

The first part of the book includes chapters by Geoff Wade, Thum PJ, and Hong Lysa. Wade's chapter provides a useful overview of the events leading up to Coldstore. Focusing on the ‘high politics’ of the operation, Wade demonstrates that Coldstore was a plot of convenience, which the governments of Britain, Malaysia, and Singapore agreed to in order to secure their own strategic interests. In this respect Wade's chapter is broadly similar to the work of Simon Ball, Tim Harper and Matthew Jones. Where the chapter is more revelatory is in terms of its consideration of the effects of Coldstore, documenting how the operation and the subsequent treatment of the detainees attracted criticism from both within and outside of Singapore. This is important as most historians have treated Coldstore as an end in itself or as simply a staging post on the road to the creation of Malaysia. What Wade's chapter suggests is that there is more detailed work to be done on the left's struggles within Singapore in the immediate aftermath of the detentions.

The chapter by Thum examines the divisions within the PAP, explaining the reasons for the split within the party and the subsequent establishment of Barisan Sosialis. Making good use of Chinese language sources, Thum also investigates the Chinese population's attitude towards contemporary issues, such as the PAP's performance in government and the merger issue. This is a particularly useful approach for historians. In the wake of Coldstore and the subsequent curtailment of civil liberties, it is often forgotten that the post-war period was a time of relative political freedom — in spite of the restrictions imposed by the British authorities as a result of the Malayan Emergency. Demonstrations, political rallies, and labour protests were common, while newspapers carried editorials and stories that not only documented the episodes of infighting among the main political parties but also debated major political issues. What emerges from Thum's chapter is a clear sense that the Chinese community in Singapore was broadly supportive of merger and regarded themselves as would-be Malayan citizens. Thum's work is thus a useful antidote to the views of British colonial officials, who portrayed the Chinese community in Singapore as chauvinist, economically self-interested, and a vector of communist agitation.

The remaining chapters in the book are accounts by former activists and detainees, including original pieces, such as the chapters by Poo Soo Kai and Tan Jing Quee, and abridged versions of autobiographies and oral histories that are available elsewhere. These accounts detail how and why these activists became involved in Singapore's anti-colonial struggle in the aftermath of the Second World War. Traditional histories posit the view that the left was seduced by Marxism, the advances of the MCP, and the success of the Communist Party in China. While it is clear that Marxism held obvious appeal for those activists seeking remedies to the inequities engendered by colonial rule, what emerges from the accounts in the collection is a sense that rather than being doctrinaire communists, the Singaporean left imagined itself as part of a broader, global anti-colonial movement, drawing inspiration and ideas from other colonial situations in order to contextualise the struggle in Singapore. Poo Soo Kai, for example, argues that he and his contemporaries were ‘anti-Western but not communists’ and that their ‘stand was for peace and freedom, for non-alignment to any bloc, and for solidarity with Africa and the world's downtrodden and suppressed peoples' (p. 166).

The collection also addresses the difficulties activists faced at a time when the prospect of detention was a constant threat, as well as detainees' treatment in prison following Coldstore or one of the subsequent purges. In his chapter, ‘I won them back one by one’, Tan Jin Quee recalls the conditions he endured following his arrest in October 1963, including a blood-stained prison cell, periods of sustained isolation, and interrogation by security officials (pp. 289–300). Such vivid descriptions are complemented by the chapters by Teo Soh Lung, who traces the evolution of the Internal Security Act (ISA) from the colonial period to the present day, and Loh Miaw Gong, who has painstakingly researched the names of individuals detained under the ISA. Thus far, Loh has recorded the details of over 1,000 detainees, but even this figure remains some way short of the total number of people thought to have been arrested since the introduction of the ISA. By addressing these issues the collection makes an important contribution to the efforts to challenge the long-standing silences that have surrounded detainees' experience of imprisonment and the use of discretionary powers of detention by the state.

One issue that remains absent from the collection is gender. This is not a specific criticism of the collection per se, but rather a suggestion for future research. In a 1962 speech Lim Chin Siong stated that Barisan Sosialis was comprised of ‘men who are known for their resoluteness, men who have gone to prison, endured privations and tortures because they want to rid this country of colonialism’ (Plebian 1, 7 [1962]: 1). This begs an obvious question, how did ideas relating to masculinity shape the ideologies, actions, and ambitions of male political activists in post-war Singapore? Moreover, although Lim only refers to men in his speech, female activists also played a prominent role in Singapore's anti-colonial struggle, standing as candidates for Barisan and enduring imprisonment as a result of Coldstore. However, while there are plenty of accounts by former male activists, there are few, if any, by their female counterparts. Why is it that these female activists have been marginalised and how can their stories be recovered?

The issue of gender aside, The 1963 Operation Coldstore in Singapore represents an invaluable addition to the literature. The collection undermines established narratives concerning the role and aims of the left in Singapore's anti-colonial struggle; it reveals the complicity of the PAP and Lee Kuan Yew in the implementation of Operation Coldstore; and it sheds new light on the imprisonment of political detainees and use of the ISA by the state. In sum, it is hoped that this collection will serve as the catalyst for further public discussion and debate about the formative years of nation- and state-building in post-war Singapore.