COMMENT I was introduced to Aravindan Balakrishnan (known as Ara) in London in autumn 1968 by my cousin who previously met Ara at a students' sit-in at the London School of Economics (LSE) at the height of students' rebellion in Paris, London and the anti-Vietnam war movement that was gripping the West.

Ara, a Singaporean of Indian descent, was a student at University of Singapore from about 1959-60 to 1962-63 and a member of the university socialist club. He graduated with a general degree which was a great disappointment to his family. He enrolled as a student at the LSE in about 1963-64 to study for a better degree but he did not complete his studies.

He got involved in political activities amongst Malaysians and Singaporeans in London, in particular the students' community. In the mid-1960s he took over the leadership of Pemuda Socialist Malaya, a small group of like-minded, mainly intellectual, Malaysians and Singaporeans in London. Within a few years he had the self-delusion that he was a revolutionary leader and began to reveal his extreme megalomaniac, control freak and authoritarian characteristics...