All this was happening at the Aware Centre at Dover Crescent even as a press conference called by its new executive committee was going on at Raffles Town Club.

The organisation's centre manager, Ms Schutz Lee, was handed her termination letter by the new vice-president, Ms Charlotte Wong, at about 7.30pm.

At the same time, three male workers from a security systems firm showed up to change the locks. They were not the only men who were there last night. At least three others, believed to be the husbands of the new exco members, were also there.

One of them was wearing a recording device around his neck and walking around the centre's waiting area. When staff and volunteers asked why he was recording their conversation, he said defiantly: 'If you've got nothing to hide, why are you afraid of being recorded?'

Former Aware president Dana Lam and vice-president Margaret Thomas appeared shortly after, as did two policemen.

Ms Lee, who has been with Aware for 15 years, said she called the police after she saw some unidentified men waiting outside the centre.

Meanwhile, new exco members Sally Ang, Peggy Leong, Irene Yee as well longtime member Caris Lim were inside the centre's room.

Ms Lee said there was supposed to have been an exco meeting at 7pm to discuss logistics of the upcoming extraordinary general meeting on May 2. About 160 members of the old guard had called for the meeting to take a vote of no confidence against the new exco.

When Ms Lam and Ms Thomas demanded to know why the locks were being replaced with an electronic lock system, Ms Wong said: 'We're just carrying out the president's instructions.' She told The Straits Times that access cards would only be issued to 'identified personnel'.

Read the full story in Friday's edition of The Straits Times.

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