In August 1957, Singapore was still a British colony.

However, earlier that year, Britain agreed to set in motion the wheels for internal self-government.

The Labour Front, helmed by then Chief Minister Lim Yew Hock, was in power in Singapore’s fledgling Legislative Assembly, and the People’s Action Party (PAP), led by Mr Lee Kuan Yew, in opposition.

That month, at the fourth PAP conference, pro-communists won control of the top posts in the Central Executive Committee (CEC), the party’s highest decision-making body – a blow for its more moderate wing.

Such a blow that Mr Lee’s name cropped up in intelligence reports by the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), in the context of a bold new development.

Mr Lee might leave the PAP to start a new party with the Labour Front’s Mr Lim, the CIA was told.

A source within Mr Lim’s Labour Front party told the American consulate-general that Mr Lee was staying in the PAP temporarily so as to marshal the moderates “to create confusion among the leadership”.

“Failure to regain his authority, which appears likely because of his present weakened position, may lead to his resignation at an opportune moment to help the Labour Front form a new party,” read the intelligence report.

It was part of a trove of 930,000 declassified documents published online by the CIA this month.

Many of its reports at the height of the Cold War were concerned about rising communist influence in Asia.

The report on the PAP, headed Communists Assume Virtual Control Of Influential Singapore Party, went on to say such an alliance would be “a logical development” for both men, given Mr Lee’s loss of influence in the PAP and Mr Lim’s need for a stronger political outfit.

Such an alliance would be urgent, as city council elections – the first time all seats would be open for popular voting – were a few months away, the CIA noted.

Of course, its reports were compiled from intelligence by officers in the field in various countries, with all the challenges of authenticity and motivation for such information that this might involve.

Indeed, history turned out differently: Mr Lim’s government launched a series of anti-communist arrests.

Among the 35 picked up in the first swoop were five of the six newly elected left-wing members of the PAP’s CEC.

The arrests allowed the moderate wing of the PAP to regain control, and caused the Labour Front to lose support among the Chinese majority.

The PAP went on to win 13 of the 32 seats in the city council later in December to Labour Front’s four.

The agency’s database of more than 12 million pages on CIA activities from the 1940s to 1990s also includes some 28,000 pages of declassified presidential briefs from the Nixon and Ford administrations.

Historians told The Straits Times that the CIA assessments have stood the test of time, and provide insights into what the US thought was important to know of Singapore and the world, and also how that information was processed into assessments and used in policy briefs.

“They show that the CIA 50 years ago was well informed about politics in Singapore, and able to make perceptive judgments about Lee Kuan Yew and how he was defining Singapore and its policy dilemmas,” said Mr Kwa Chong Guan, senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

“There is not much to disagree with in these assessments even today.”

The period leading up to the separation from Malaysia was covered in some depth in presidential briefs.

“A sharp new confrontation looms between the central government in Kuala Lumpur and authorities in Singapore,” read a June 1965 brief foreshadowing the split.

“Singapore leader Lee Kuan Yew threatens to push matters to the point of a partition of Malaysia unless Prime Minister (Tunku Abdul) Rahman breaks with his more extremist Malay followers.

These elements, in turn, are demanding strong actions against Lee,” it said.

The CIA files also hint at how American leaders’ view of Singapore and Mr Lee – and vice versa – gradually evolved as the island proved to be a viable nation.

A special report compiled in the lead-up to Mr Lee’s visit to the US in 1967 called the PAP’s economic record “one of impressive achievement”, and spoke admiringly of the programmes the fledgling government had put in place, such as low-cost housing.

The agency judged that Mr Lee had “ambivalent feelings about the US, but a more positive attitude is evolving”.

Part of this boiled down to increased US commitment in Vietnam, which Mr Lee hoped would prevent communism from spreading further into South-east Asia.

“US policies in South-east Asia have a significant bearing on his own aspirations for Singapore, particularly his need for time to build a stable, cohesive society,” said the report.

It added: “The pragmatic prime minister is also aware that about 15 per cent of Singapore’s national income derives from US procurements in Singapore for Vietnam.”

Later files showed that US presidents were eager to tap Mr Lee’s views as they formulated American policy towards Asia.

Among the questions Richard Nixon asked him during his 1973 visit to the White House were what the US should do in South-east Asia, his views on Japan and Indonesia, and whether the US was pursuing the correct policy towards China.

At one point, Mr Lee was cited telling President Nixon: “Americans cannot go on being self-pitying. A weak America is dangerous for the world.”

yanliang@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Jan 31, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

Many people turn to off-the-shelf capsules and remedies to combat chronic ailments and other bodily discomforts.

But not all these health products are legal here. Some contain undisclosed ingredients like Western medicine. These are referred to as adulterated products.

Some of these may be marketed as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) products. However, TCM physician Lim Lay Beng, who runs a clinic at The Adelphi, said: “Any TCM product that contains Western medicine is not considered a TCM product. It is considered an illegal product in Singapore.”

Health products that are not approved for sale here, as well as fake products that are passed off as registered ones, are the other types of illegal health products.

Last year, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) alerted the public to more than 10 of these products. Here are some of them:

1-DAY DIET

It contains a banned ingredient called sibutramine. A healthy woman in her 30s experienced breathing difficulties, increased heart rate and excessive sweating of the palms after taking this product for less than two weeks.

VIP BIO MANGOSTEEN COMPLEX

Apart from high levels of sibutramine, this weight-loss product has phenolphthalein, which can cause abdominal cramps, breathing difficulties and kidney disorders.

MEIZITANG BOTANICAL SLIMMING 100% NATURAL SOFT GEL

It contains diclofenac, a potent painkiller that, when used for a prolonged period, may cause serious gastric bleeding, heart attack and stroke.

ANANDA THUKHA REMEDY FOR DIABETES

This has glibenclamide, a prescription-only medication which should be used only under medical supervision as it can cause blood disorders.

It also contains yohimbine, which can give rise to insomnia and heart palpitations.

A woman in her 60s took this for about three months before seeing a doctor for sore throat and tiredness. She was diagnosed with agranulocytosis, a serious blood disorder that makes one more prone to falling sick from infections.

Also read: Instant ‘magic cures’ that can kill

LONGRED OYSTER-X

Touted to help prevent prostate problems, this product contains a chemical related to sildenafil, a prescription-only medicine used to treat erectile dysfunction.

Using it without proper medical supervision can cause decreased or loss of vision and hearing, low blood pressure and cardiovascular events such as heart attacks.

The ingredient is risky for people with heart-related problems.

HUO XUE QING GAN JIE DU WAN AND HUANG NIU MU SHI NI DE JIU XING

Both products contain dexamethasone, a potent steroid that should be used only under strict medical supervision. These products claim to be able to treat several chronic ailments, such as arthritis, liver disorders, high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke.

HAI LENG HAI BEH HERBAL ITCH-REMOVING CAPSULE

These capsules contain dexamethasone. A woman in her 40s gained weight rapidly after taking them to relieve an itchy skin condition.

Her face also became puffy. She was later diagnosed with Cushing’s syndrome, which is characterised by a “moon face” and upper-body obesity with thin limbs.

TU CHO PAN CHI PIAN

This product, which also contains dexamethasone, claims to treat rheumatic joint pain, backache and numbness of the limbs.

A man in his 70s was hospitalised for Cushing’s syndrome for over a week after taking this product for lower limb weakness.

This article was first published on Jan 31, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

When ComfortDelGro taxi driver Richie Ong did a routine check of the limo cab before starting his shift at 4am on Jan 17, he found a simple, long maroon wallet in the backseat.

He immediately opened it to search for an identity card and found a couple of hundred dollars.

As there was no IC, he called his company’s lost-and-found department, and while describing the wallet, he made a surprising discovery – a $10,000 note in it that he had not noticed earlier.

Mr Ong, 46, a relief driver, quickly called his hirer, Mr Justin Chua, who had dropped off the car at around midnight.

Mr Chua, 42, recalled that his last passengers were two elderly women who had taken his taxi from Marina Bay Sands to their home in the central area at around 11pm.

The cabbies decided to leave the wallet at their company in case the owner called the lost-and-found department. Mr Ong drove to its Sin Ming office to drop it off.

But hours later, when Mr Chua started his shift at 2pm, he took it upon himself to find the two women.

He went back to where he had dropped them off and knocked on the doors of five houses, without success.

He went back to the company before trying again.

This time, he spoke to a neighbour who knew the two women, and she helped arrange for Mr Chua to meet them outside their house.

The wallet’s owner, who gave her name only as Madam Lau, said: “I could not sleep the whole night as I didn’t know where my wallet was.”

The 81-year-old added: “It didn’t occur to me that I had accidentally left it in the taxi.

I am very grateful to cabby Chua, who went door to door looking for us.”

Mr Chua even took Madam Lau’s cousin to the company’s office to retrieve the wallet on her behalf before taking her home.

For their good deeds, ComfortDelGro will award both Mr Ong and Mr Chua the Thumbs Up Award, comprising a certificate and $100 cash, on Thursday.

Mr Chua has often gone the extra mile for his passengers.

In his 11 years plying the roads, his passengers have left items like mobile phones, wallets and watches in his cab.

Each time it happens, he drives back to return the items to them.

He said: “If you want to do something good, why don’t you do it all the way? It’s just a short distance, it doesn’t matter. Singapore is so small.”

Echoing this, Mr Ong said: “It is only right to return something that doesn’t belong to me. I am glad I did.”

abigailng@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Jan 31, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

Last year, retiree Puah Kim An bought a few bottles of Snake Powder Capsules, thinking that the drug could be the magic cure for his itchy skin problem as well as protect him from cancer.

“My wife heard about it from our neighbour’s brother. He had taken five bottles of it and claimed that it’s so good, it can cleanse the blood,” the 58-year-old said in Mandarin. “He helped us buy it in Johor Baru.”

Mr Puah’s wife and daughter, both of whom did not wish to be named, also took some capsules.

Snake Powder Capsules purportedly contain natural ingredients, including a protein found in the venom of some snakes. The product is touted to treat illnesses such as pneumonia, hepatitis, skin problems, shingles, kidney disease, joint pain and rheumatism.

However, Mr Puah said the product did not relieve his itch. Instead, a few weeks after taking it, he was hospitalised with a drug- induced liver injury.

His daughter, who was taking slimming pills together with the capsules, also ended up with drug- induced liver injury. His wife did not suffer serious harm as she had not taken as many capsules as him.

“One day, my daughter had a fever and kept vomiting. She had to be hospitalised,” said Mr Puah.

“We found out Snake Powder Capsules are banned here, so I stopped taking them. But a few days later, I also developed high fever.”

RISK OF LIVER DAMAGE

Every year, more than 100 people report sick after taking alternative health products, according to a Singapore study published last year.

It said that from 2009 to 2014, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) received 842 adverse-event reports – or an average of 140 cases a year – associated with the consumption of such products.

A total of 76 cases were associated with liver injury. Out of these cases, five people died.

Slightly over 60 per cent of the cases involved traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) products. Health supplements accounted for 28 per cent of the cases, while other traditional medicines like Malay jamu and ayurveda products accounted for the remaining 11 per cent.

“There are probably many more milder cases seen by doctors which did not warrant reporting,” said Dr Loo Wai Mun, an associate consultant at the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at National University Hospital.

An HSA spokesman said the authority issued alerts last year for more than 10 harmful health products bought online or overseas.

He said: “Many of these products are touted as quick-fix solutions to enhance sexual performance, relieve pain or to treat weight loss and other chronic conditions.

“They are sold by street peddlers and online through blogs, forums and auction sites.”

Dr Loo, who had attended to Mr Puah, said that if he had continued taking the capsules, he could have developed jaundice. Symptoms include the yellowing of the eyes and skin, and tea-coloured urine. In the worst-case scenario, he could also have suffered liver failure.

By the time patients who develop drug-induced liver injury seek help, they would have developed jaundice, abdominal discomfort or symptoms like fever or loss of appetite, she said.

In some cases, the liver injury is detected via a blood test as there may be no symptoms, she added.

Fortunately, Mr Puah and his daughter sought help early and have since recovered.

Also read: Illegal health products

STEROIDS A DANGER INGREDIENT

In 2005, the HSA warned against taking Snake Powder Capsules as they have undeclared ingredients, including a potent steroid called dexamethasone. This can damage the liver by triggering viral hepatitis in a hepatitis B carrier or by causing fatty liver disease, said Dr Loo.

Snake Powder Capsules also contain antibiotics chloramphenicol and tetracycline; non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen; and chlorpheniramine, which is an antihistamine, she said.

Each of these Western drugs has different treatment indications, she said, and can be harmful when taken together in high doses.

Snake Powder Capsules also supposedly contain snake venom protein, which may harm the liver. These ingredients may interact with the patient’s existing medications and result in liver toxicity.

The likelihood of side effects is increased as such products often contain multiple ingredients, said Dr Loo.

Steroids are also commonly found in adulterated products.

In October last year, the HSA warned against the consumption of LifeSparks 100% Natural Pain Relief Supplement as it contains dexamethasone.

This steroid was also found in Bee Brand Qi Li Xiang, which an unsuspecting user took to treat his body aches. When he stopped taking the product, he ended up with low blood pressure and low levels of cortisol, a key hormone that regulates metabolism.

Dr Loo said that taking products adulterated with steroids can lead to Cushing’s syndrome, where one may develop high blood pressure, diabetes, muscle weakness and osteoporosis, as well as the risk of infections and easy bruising.

MYTH OF WEIGHT-LOSS PRODUCTS

Consumers should also be wary of products touting instant weight loss, which often claim to contain only natural ingredients such as fruit and herbal extracts.

But the truth is, they are tainted with banned or prohibited medications and substances.

The most common undeclared substance in weight-loss products is sibutramine, which was banned in many countries in 2010 due to serious safety concerns.

Dr Tham Kwang Wei, a senior consultant at the department of endocrinology and director of the Life Centre at Singapore General Hospital, said the banned ingredient suppresses one’s appetite.

“The undeclared medication is often present in very high amounts, which can produce dramatic weight-loss effects,” she said.

“But it can also cause serious adverse effects and toxicity.” Such effects include a quickened heart rate, irregular heart rhythms, higher blood pressure, stroke and heart attack. One may also have mood swings, hallucinations and fits. And some people may even die from it.

Another prohibited ingredient in some adulterated weight-loss products is phenolphthalein, an obsolete compound that was used as a laxative in the past.

Dr Tham said: “Phenolphthalein can be associated with abdominal cramps and kidney disease. It has been reported to be associated with cancer in animal studies.”

Even herbal medication can cause harm if used wrongly.

Ms Lim Lay Beng, a TCM practitioner at YS Healthcare TCM Clinic, said: “Prescriptions are usually made up of various types of herbs that not only boost the efficacy of the treatment, but also minimise the side effects of certain herbs.”

She warned against self-medication with herbs and advised people to avoid buying any drugs or TCM medication online or from unauthorised dealers overseas.

Those keen on taking TCM supplements should inform their doctor about it, as these products may interact negatively with Western medication, said Dr Loo.

Dr Tham advised consumers to be wary of products that promise dramatic weight loss in a short time. Examples include losing more than 10kg in 21 days or “guaranteed results” from taking the pill alone, without having to change their diet or do any exercises.

There is little scientific evidence that dietary supplements are effective in weight loss, she added.

• 842

  Number of adverse-event reports associated with the consumption of alternative health products received by the Health Sciences Authority from 2009 to 2014.

  76

  Number of cases associated with liver injury for consuming these products.

  5

  Number of people who died.

This article was first published on Jan 31, 2017.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.