S. R. Nathan

Born in the Straits Settlements in 1924, Sellapan Ramanathan left school after his father died and worked odd jobs through the Japanese occupation, including as a translator. He finished a diploma in social studies in 1954 and entered the civil service, rising through the Labour Ministry and Foreign Ministry to Director of the Security and Intelligence Division. In 1974, during the Laju incident, he accompanied members of the Japanese Red Army and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine out of Singapore to secure the release of civilian hostages — a gamble that drew international notice.…