Just before the election, on 6 May 1988, Seow was detained without trial under the Internal Security Act for 72 days. He was accused of having received political campaign finance from the United States to promote democracy in Singapore. According to his account, he was subjected to torture, including sleep deprivation and intensely cold air conditioning. Later, while awaiting trial for alleged tax evasion, he left for the United States for health treatment and disregarded numerous court summons to return to stand trial. Subsequently, he was convicted "in absentia". While living in exile, Seow spoke at events organised by Singaporean student societies in universities outside of Singapore.