Big trouble in Little India, Singapore

IT WAS past 9pm on a Sunday night and time for most South Asian migrant workers to board the monstrous buses which shuttle them by the thousands between their dormitories and the neighbourhood they have designated as their local hangout: Little India. It was all part of a familiar weekly routine at the heart of the city-state of Singapore.

But soon some 400 workers had massed, illegally, and proceeded through the streets of Little India as a rampaging mob. They carried on for about two hours, before the riot police and other security personnel contained them. The two sides clashed and at least 31 of the uniformed officers were injured – 27 police and the other four from the Civil Defence. The riot damaged or destroyed at least 16 police cars, two ambulances and several private vehicles. Amateur footage showed at least four of the police cars overturned and an ambulance set ablaze. (Watch video at about 02:50 and 07:00 on the timestamp.)

The bonfire had a spark. Earlier that evening, an apparently intoxicated construction worker from South India, Sakthivel Kumaravelu, had been removed from a crowded bus. He had been creating a scene onboard the bus, according to some witnesses. Next the bus driver, a Singaporean national, turned a corner on his usual route along Race Course Road and heard a loud thud. Upon halting, he discovered the body of Mr Sakthivel, under the rear wheel of his bus. Mr Sakthivel had been killed instantly.

The first responders to arrive after the emergency call included two police officers, paramedics and Civil Defence personnel, who were there to extricate the body. By then a crowd had formed, and grown rancorous. They began hurling projectiles, mostly rocks and beer bottles, at the uniformed personnel. Eyewitness accounts claimed seeing more than ten beer bottles, lit like fire-bombs, and thrown at the police. All the while Mr Sakthivel’s body lay crushed under the bus’s wheel.

Some 300 officers including riot police and a contingent of Gurkha soldiers were deployed during the standoff, arriving at the scene about an hour after the initial police call. The riot was brought under control an hour later, resulting in the arrest of 27 people, 24 of whom were charged in court on December 10th. Another 8 suspects were arrested two days after the riot after some 3,000 workers were interviewed. Those convicted stand to be caned, and to face as much as seven years in jail. More arrests are expected  to be made through the week, as police investigations continue.

Most Singaporeans were utterly shocked by the news that came in late Sunday night; there is nothing to compare with it in their country’s recent history. Singapore’s last real riot happened in 1969, almost in another world.

The government has commended the efforts of law enforcers and rescuers, and at the same time urged Singaporeans to restrain from speculating as to the riot’s causes. The prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, has set up a committee to look at factors which led to the incident, and at how it was handled. As a sort of stopgap, a ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol in Little India has been put in place for the coming weekend.

Local media coverage, as well as some ministers, have alluded to the unregulated sale of alcohol being an important factor. And it seems fair to suppose that booze served as fuel to help fire up a boisterous part of the crowd. Yet as an explanation, it offers pitifully little insight as to what turned some 400 people into a fervent mob. It cannot be ignored that the violence targeted uniformed personnel, specifically those who responded first to the accident. Neither the government nor the mainstream media has ventured to draw any link between the sudden display of rage and the dire state of rights for migrant workers. Rioting is not dissent, but the two things often share common cause.

(Picture credit: AFP) 

-economist