Indians indulge in Singapore riots, 24 arrested

Singapore: 27 South Asian workers, including 24 Indians, were arrested on Monday for alleged rioting in Singapore’s worst outbreak of violence in over 40 years even as the Prime Minister warned to use “full force of the law” against trouble-makers.
High Commissioner Vijay Thakur Singh said the High Commission was in constant touch with the Singapore authorities to ascertain the facts of the incidents.

The government has emphasized that the incident was not pre-meditated but would be dealt with very seriously. Police have classified the traffic incident as causing death by negligence. The bus driver, a 55-year-old Singaporean, was in hospital, assisting police in probing the accident, they said.

Others injured include 10 police officers and four personnel from the Singapore Civil Defence Force. Some 300 police officers were deployed to the site after the riot. The riot was quelled within two hours after it broke out, reported a news channel.

Police had deployed the Special Operations Command and Gurkha Contingent to the scene. Police Commissioner Ng Joo Hee said rioters threw glass bottles, railings and other projectiles at officers. Police exercised restraint and did not fire a single shot.

Police cars were flipped on their sides and attacked by the crowd. Ng said, “Wanton violence, rioting, destruction of property, fighting the police is not the Singapore way and the police will spare no effort. First to identify, and then we will find and then we will arrest and then we will prosecute everyone who was involved in Sunday’s violence.

More arrests were expected in the coming days, according to media reports. In the light of this incident, authorities said extra attention will be paid to Little India, dormitories as well as areas of congregation, where such foreign workers are living or gathering.

This means more patrolling in that vicinity, according to media reports. It has been over 40 years since Singapore witnessed a riot of this extent.

Several hundred thousand South Asians, mostly from India and Bangladesh, work in Singapore’s construction, services and industrial sectors.