Riot breaks out at Little India (Part 5)

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They were targeting people in uniform
Explaining the rules of engagement, the police said officers are permitted to draw their firearms where there is a direct and imminent threat to their lives or personal safety.

In this instance, the officers were “very restrained” as they did not want to escalate the situation. They were focused on dispersing the crowd, the police said. It added that while officers could have fired warning shots, they decided against doing so as such a tactic might have backfired with an alcohol-fuelled mob that was unable to think rationally.

Injuries to police officers were sustained from objects thrown at them. The police said the crowd was purposely attacking uniformed personnel. It noted how a commander in plain-clothes was only pelted by the mob when he was speaking to uniformed officers, but not when he was on his own.

Speaking on Channel NewsAsia’s Talking Point programme last night, Tanglin Police Division Commander Lu Yeow Lim said the police was “perturbed” by how the crowd had attacked rescuers who were extricating Sakthivel’s body. “It appeared ... that they were targeting people in uniform, whether it was the SCDF uniform or the police uniform.”

When the police officers used shields to protect themselves, this “somehow angered” the crowd. “We are hoping at the end of the investigation we will determine the root cause of this,” he said.

Five Malaysian auxiliary policemen injured in Singapore riot
Five auxiliary police personnel who are Malaysians with permanent resident status in Singapore suffered minor injuries while assisting the Singapore police in handling the riot that took place at Little India, Singapore on Sunday.

The Foreign Ministry in a statement, here, today said this was unofficially informed by the Police Command Post of Singapore to the Malaysian High Commission in Singapore.

Malaysian detained over Singapore riot
A statement from the Foreign Ministry said it was informed by the High Commission of Malaysia in Singapore that a Malaysian had been detained.

Malaysian High Commissioner to Singapore, Datuk Md Hussin Nayan said that information from unofficial sources revealed that a Malaysian national was believed to be among the 27 arrested.

"But we have yet to get any confirmation on this from the Singaporean authorities," he said.

Singapore to charge 24 Indian workers for rioting
Singapore prosecutors will charge 24 Indian workers for taking part in the city-state's first riot in more than 40 years, police said Tuesday.

The men face jail terms of up to 10 years plus caning for charges of rioting with dangerous weapons in the hour-long fracas on Sunday night, triggered when an Indian construction worker was struck and killed by a private bus in the Little India district.

They were among 400 people involved in the rampage that saw 39 police and civil defence staff injured, and 25 vehicles -- including 16 police cars -- damaged or torched.

Two Bangladeshis, an Indian national and a Singapore permanent resident initially arrested were released after investigations showed they were not involved in the riot, police said.

Underlying issues to blame?
Mr Alex Au, Vice-President of migrant workers’ welfare group Transient Workers Count Too, cautioned against reading too much into the incident “without a clearer idea of the details of what happened”.

He added: “It would still be good for the authorities to pay more attention to such grievances. Doing so would reduce whatever sense of resentment may exist, and thereby raise the threshold of the tipping point, to better prevent another incident from happening again.”

Mr Bernard Menon, Executive Director of Migrant Workers Centre, noted that workers from some parts of South Asia might be scarred by “how they were treated back home and that could have also sparked a reaction when the (police officers’) shields went up”.

Singaporeans in disbelief
Singaporeans are still in a state of disbelief that a riot by a group of foreigners at Little India actually happened in this relatively trouble-free island late Sunday night.

Bank employee Eugene Leong, 28, said that it was difficult to digest the images of about 200 foreigners attacking several police patrol cars, ambulance, a bus and setting them on fire.

Leong said that while action should be taken against those involved, the government should immediately beef up police presence, especially in areas where there were high number of foreigners.

Investment consultant Davian Sim,30, also said that he was shocked when news broke out about the riot.

He added that the incident was a frightening one that could repeat itself if action was not taken.

A look in the mirror
We do not yet know the full reasons for Sunday night’s riot. But our early reactions have shown us something of ourselves.

During and after the riot, many voices spoke online, with many views. Some worried about friends and family in the area. Others spoke out in support of our emergency responders and law enforcement.

It was worrying to read some of the comments, which bordered on being racist. Some stereotyped entire communities. A few dragged religion into the mix. These are people who would pounce on an incident to fan the flames of xenophobia and racial hatred, provoking friction and tension between fellow Singaporeans.

What we say — and do not say — online and offline about this riot reflects who we are and what kind of society we want to build.