U.S. Defends Envoy in Singapore but OKs His Recall

The Singapore government accused a U.S. diplomat Saturday of interfering in this Southeast Asian nation’s domestic politics and asked that he be withdrawn.

The Reagan Administration agreed to recall the envoy but defended him against the allegations.

A Singapore government statement accused E. Mason Hendrickson, first secretary at the U.S. Embassy, of trying to persuade lawyers opposed to the government to run for public office and had suggested that campaign financing would not be a problem.

In the election, to be held before the end of next year, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s People’s Action Party is overwhelmingly favored to retain control.

In Washington, a State Department spokesman said Hendrickson would be brought home but defended his role and said he had “performed with distinction in Singapore and deeply regretted that he would have to be withdrawn.”

The spokesman, Ben Justesen, said Hendrickson left the country Saturday in keeping with established international law that gives a government the right “without having to explain its decision” to order a diplomat out.

“We do not accept the basis for the Singapore government’s request that Mr. Hendrickson be withdrawn--that he acted in any way improperly,” Justesen said.

A U.S. Embassy statement said that “in meeting with members of the political opposition in Singapore . . . Mr. Hendrickson was doing what American diplomats are expected to do in any country, namely, to be in touch with a broad spectrum of individuals in order to report accurately developments in the country in question.”

Singapore said Hendrickson had been in close contact with prominent local lawyer Francis Seow, who was arrested Friday. Seow had arranged one of the meetings between Hendrickson and lawyers known to be critical of the Singapore government, it said.