Operation Lalang as told through Kua Kia Soong’s sketches

To be detained without trial is a tough and isolating experience. For activist Kua Kia Soong, 76, it lasted a brutal 445 days.

Arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) during Operation Lalang in October 1987, Kua found himself cut off from his everyday life, family and freedom.

To cope with the long days in detention and keep himself mentally occupied, he turned to something simple: drawing.

With pen and paper, Kua sketched his surroundings and the people around him, capturing moments of life behind bars as he experienced them.

Nearly four decades later, these drawings have been brought together in the book “Lines of Freedom: Sketches of Operation Lalang”, a visual record of his time in detention.

Kua explained that a few of his sketches first appeared in his book “445 Days Behind the Wire” (later revised as “445 Days Under Operation Lalang”), published in 1989.

“That book was more a written record of my experiences. And recently, with it about to be 40 years since Ops Lalang, it seemed a good time to revisit these sketches, especially since the paper on some of them is starting to decay,” Kua told FMT Lifestyle.

Having previously published a pictorial book on local birds, Kua released a similar book under his publishing company, Soong Possibilities.

Operation Lalang was a major security crackdown by the Malaysian government, during which over 100 people, including opposition politicians, activists and civil-society figures were arrested under the ISA, which permitted detention without trial. The publishing permits of several newspapers were also suspended.

Kua, then a prominent Chinese education and civil-rights activist, was only released on Jan 14, 1989.

His latest book contains 40 sketches from his time at the Kamunting Detention Camp.

As no cameras were allowed, these sketches provide an intimate look at life under detention, capturing both the hardship and the everyday moments that helped the detainees endure.

Kua’s sketches depict, among other things, the areas, or “kawasan”, where he was held, as well as the people around him, from fellow detainees to guards. Some, he said, were happy to pose for him, while others had to be sketched surreptitiously.

Several well-known figures from Malaysian history, such as the late trade unionist V David, are featured in the book.

“Many of the people detained with me have since passed away. I hope that my sketches will help Malaysians to remember them, and never forget what happened during Ops Lalang. It took away 445 days of my life,” Kua said.

One sketch depicts a figure known as “Lum Chai”, or “Mr 10%”. Apart from guards and Special Branch officers, he was one of the few people Kua would see during his detention.

A “contractor” of sorts, Lum Chai would buy food and other items for the detainees, charging them an additional 10% for each purchase. He was quite a character, Kua recalled.

Also included are sketches of flowers that Kua’s wife would bring him during visits. His time in detention, Kua said, taught him to appreciate the smaller things in life, from the sound of birdsong to the sight of stars at night.

The most emotional of his sketches, Kua said, were those from his first 60 days in detention, where he was placed in solitary confinement.

“That was an effort by the Special Branch to create sensory deprivation. There were no windows, no way to see the sky or grass. Just a naked bulb for light all the time. No reading or writing materials,” Kua recalled.

While Operation Lalang may have taken place all those years ago, Kua said human rights abuses still occur today, stressing the importance of remaining aware and vigilant to prevent them from happening again.

“We should never allow detention without trial. It is against all human rights laws in the world. If someone has done something wrong, they should be tried in court,” Kua said.

“The Internal Security Act may have been abolished, but there are still laws today which allow for detention without trial. As Malaysians, we need to stand against them.”

‘Lines of Freedom: Sketches of Operation Lalang’ can be purchased here.

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