Saturday, December 02, 2006

Prison Repeatedly Denied me to meet Dr. Chee

While Dr. Chee, Mr. Gandhi & myself were together serving in QueensTown Remand Prison, I repeated asked to meet with them, especially after my suspision that Dr. Chee is not doing well in prison had been confirmed. The prison will not even let me have an intercom conversation with Dr. Chee to let me check on his well being and give him my support. I am also concerned about Mr Gandhi who had been suffering from heart problems.

On 30th.Nov.06 Thursday, which was the 8th day of my hungerstrike, I had a surprised visit by Dr. Chee's sister Siok Chin & SDP Vice Chairman Francis Yong, they had told me about Dr. Chee's situation in prison. I immediately informed the prison that I demand to see Dr. Chee & Mr. Gandhi, and I stepped up my hungerstrike immediately until I the prison will allow me to see Dr. Chee - I stopped even taking any water or fluid and went on 100% total fasting. I only resumed drinking after I was released this morning.

As the 146th went on to print distorted part-truth about my hungerstrike in prison, which is in today's ST & ZaoBao, I was not even drinking, and after not drinking for 10 hours, the prison doctor put me on IV drip, 4 bottles of saline glucose @500ml was dripped into my body between 1pm 1.Dec.06 to 8:30am this morning 1.Dec.06. After the 4th bottle became empty, they removed my drip, let me bath, and process me to be released.

I told deputy superintendent that I will refuse to leave the prison unless they let me see Dr. Chee, and if they won't let me see Dr. Chee, they will have to physically throw me out the gate of prison. The deputy superintendent then informed the superintendent, who came to see me at the holding cell where they were preparing me for release. The superintendent still won't let me see Dr. Chee, won't even let me speak to Dr. Chee over intercom, but he admitted that Dr. Chee is not doing so well in prison. The superintendent described the problem as very mild, inconsistent with what the SDP had told me, he assured me that his prison will do the best possible to help Dr. Chee recover. Because I had received good medical care myself in prison while on hungerstrike, and had good mutual cooperation, I decided not to make a scene. The deputy superintendent and his guard then walked me out of the gate at about 9:55am.

I told superintendent & his deputy previously when they interviewed me that I will be their REGULAR CUSTOMER like Dr. Chee, currently there are still 7 pending charges of speeches against me and Dr. Chee. :-)

In the past few days, I had also repeated asked Dr. Ooi who is the only doctor in prison's medical post about Mr.Gandhi & Dr. Chee's conditions, wasn't given any useful information. However, I must say that I personally had received very intensive medical attention from Dr. Ooi & his staff during my entire hungerstrike. I was put in a cell just immediately above the medical post just only one floor above it. Dr. Ooi reviewed me at least once a day, and in many days more than once per day. Nurse / medics checked me very frequently and made very detailed records of my conditions daily. During my 10 days in prison, Dr. Ooi twice sent my blood sample to SGH for test, my heart ECG was tested 2 time in 10 days, my body weight measured 1 or 2 times daily, blood pressure 2 to 10 times a day, blood sugar 2 to 4 times a day. I was virtually living in hospital instead of prison, due to my hungerstrike. However, I had never even once seen Mr. Gandhi or Dr. Chee at the medical post despite my frequent present at medical post.

I am very sure that not every prisoner received the same level of medical as myself, therefore I am still worried for Dr. Chee & Mr. Gandhi. The famiLEE LEEgime just made sure that I don't die of hungerstrike in jail. I kept my hungerstrike and remain hungry throughout by not eating any solid food. The details will be posted later, in fact I will publish online a brief handbook of Hungerstrike in Prison. :-)

I suspect that Dr. Chee had been doped via his food, but not necessary that the superintendent or entire management of prison is aware of that. There are many units and departments among the prion's staff including intellegent units. I have no doubt that ISDs are among them, and I have seen some.