December 8, 2013 will go down in the history of Singapore as the day when riots broke all over Little India.
If you haven't heard about the riots yet, skim through the news here. It has been more than 24 hours since this incident happened. Most people I know, even the ones who have never taken any interest in Singapore till now, are aware of this incident. Thanks to the amazing news coverage, facebook and twitter feeds & not to forget real time videos in youtube! Rioting in Singapore is so unimaginable and shocking, that the Indian community here talked more about the riots than the revolutionary election results back home!
Unlike the riots in India which commonly results in a "Bandh", many involved were rounded up under police custody within couple of hours. The whole street was cleaned up by early morning and most business resumed as usual.
The Deputy Prime minister called for a conference within hours (by midnight)and ensured the citizens that situation was under control. You could find pictures of him on site inspection as well.
Prime minister has ordered a committee of enquiry into the happenings, the factors leading to it and on how efficiently the situation was managed. His press statement begins so - "The riot in Little India was a very serious incident. There is no excuse for such violent and criminal behaviour. We are investigating the incident thoroughly and will deal with the culprits with the full force of the law."
This area where the riot occurred was a popular gathering place for workers from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and SriLanka. On Sunday evenings, guys used to get together there, buy alcohol and drink together in the grounds. I am specifically using past tense for these sentences because, this is Singapore and such an incident will not repeat. The government, which had turned a blind eye on this weekly entertainment won't do so again. For starters, there is a complete ban on alcohol sales in the riot area for the coming weekend!
The strong message sent out by government doesn't stop just in Little India. All over the public transport system, messages and posters are on display.
If you haven't heard about the riots yet, skim through the news here. It has been more than 24 hours since this incident happened. Most people I know, even the ones who have never taken any interest in Singapore till now, are aware of this incident. Thanks to the amazing news coverage, facebook and twitter feeds & not to forget real time videos in youtube! Rioting in Singapore is so unimaginable and shocking, that the Indian community here talked more about the riots than the revolutionary election results back home!
Unlike the riots in India which commonly results in a "Bandh", many involved were rounded up under police custody within couple of hours. The whole street was cleaned up by early morning and most business resumed as usual.
The Deputy Prime minister called for a conference within hours (by midnight)and ensured the citizens that situation was under control. You could find pictures of him on site inspection as well.
Prime minister has ordered a committee of enquiry into the happenings, the factors leading to it and on how efficiently the situation was managed. His press statement begins so - "The riot in Little India was a very serious incident. There is no excuse for such violent and criminal behaviour. We are investigating the incident thoroughly and will deal with the culprits with the full force of the law."
This area where the riot occurred was a popular gathering place for workers from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and SriLanka. On Sunday evenings, guys used to get together there, buy alcohol and drink together in the grounds. I am specifically using past tense for these sentences because, this is Singapore and such an incident will not repeat. The government, which had turned a blind eye on this weekly entertainment won't do so again. For starters, there is a complete ban on alcohol sales in the riot area for the coming weekend!
The strong message sent out by government doesn't stop just in Little India. All over the public transport system, messages and posters are on display.
The message is loud and clear.
In this country, Rioting Achieves Nothing But Caning And Imprisonment!
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