Chow Chee Keong, one of the founders of Pentas Drama Kreatif was detained without trial in Operation Lalang, accused of spreading Marxist ideals in Malaysia. Pentas Drama Kreatif was an amateur group established in 1986. It was part of a network of regional groups (including Maya in Bangkok and Third Stage in Singapore) influenced by the Philippines’ PETA. Chow’s ISA detention order specifically mentioned his participation in the PETA workshop in KL, organised by the Ministry of Culture in 1986. Earlier in 1987, members of Third Stage were detained in a similar crackdown in Singapore, Operation Spectrum.