political, trade unionists and student leaders who had shown support for the Brunei Revolt were detained. Among those detainees, half of them were Barisan central leaders. Operation Coldstore was a fatal blow to the Barisan. Operation Coldstore almost paralysed the Barisan because of the detention of its major leaders including Lim Chin Siong. However, remaining Barisan leaders did not give up their struggle. On 22 April 1963, Lee Siew Choh and remaining Barisan activists launched the "City Hall Battle". They marched from the Barisan's headquarter in Victoria Street to the steps of City Hall to protest the mass arrests in February and presented a petition to the Prime Minister in protest against the 'ill treatment' of the detainees. The protest was put down and seven party leaders including Lee Siew Choh were arrested. 1963 general election defeat After Operation Coldstore and ensuing protests, major cadres of Barisan were detained or put on long trials. These events severely diminished the strength of the Barisan, which prevented the party from effectively taking part in the 1963 general elections, and the party was eventually defeated in the elections. The 1963 elections ended with a clear victory of PAP winning thirty-seven of the fifty-one seats. The Barisan won thirteen, and the remaining seat fell to Ong Eng Guan who contested under the banner of the United People's Party. After the elections, the Malaysian Government took a series of actions to further debilitate the Barisan. On Malaysia Day on 16 September 1963, the security authorities decided to launch two further crackdowns on the "left-wing" extremists. In those September and October operations, "some fifteen leaders of the Communist United Front" were rounded up. Some student activists from Nanyang University were soon arrested for alleged subversive activities. In late August 1963, seven trade unions under Singapore Association of Trade Unions (SATU) controlled by the Barisan, were served notices by the Government to show cause why they should not be deregistered. On 30 October, the seven unions which were supposed to close down were eventually struck off the register. In October, the government dissolved two of Barisan's most effective ancillary associations, The Singapore Rural Residents' Association and Singapore Country People's Association. Intra-party strife National Service Soon after Malaysia was formed, alarmed by Indonesia's confrontation and rebel activities in the Borneo territories, the central parliament in Kuala Lumpur passed legislation which required all youth between the age of 18