Singapore riot: Timeline of events

SINGAPORE: The police in a press conference on Tuesday evening gave a chronological breakdown of what happened on Sunday night in Little India.

Here is a look at the timeline as told by the police:

9:23pm: Police are informed of a serious road traffic accident.

9.25pm: Singapore Civil Defence Force are alerted to the incident.

9.31pm: First ambulance arrives at the scene.

9.37pm: The first police fast response car arrives at the scene.

9.38pm: First fire engine arrives. A crowd of about 100 have congregated.

9.41pm: Police reinforcements start arriving.

9.45pm: The crowd has swelled to about 400 by this time.

9.54pm: The body of worker is extricated from under the bus. Mob starts pelting emergency officers and are holding dangerous weapons like drain covers.

10.11pm: Police shield bus driver and time keeper to ambulance. Mob behaves aggressively and hinders police efforts.

10.30pm: First group of Special Operations Command (SOC) officers arrive.

10.37pm: Police activate a major recall of patrol cars islandwide. A total of 53 police cars activated.

10.44pm: SOC officers get into formation and began to disperse mob. Police arrest suspects.

11:45pm: Mob is dispersed.

12.01am: Investigations at the scene commence.

12.39pm: Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean arrives with Deputy Commissioner of Police T. Raja Kumar.

5.03am: National Environment Agency begins clean up of site.

6.30am: Roads are passable to traffic.

- The Star

Singapore Riot: Disturbing Questions

SINGAPORE: Singaporeans who witnessed or watched videos of the wanton lawlessness in Little India on Sunday would have been deeply shaken by the spiralling contagion, intensity and seeming mindlessness of the mob.

How could the single death of an Indian national due to a tragic accident spark such a rampage when the victim could hardly have been known to many of the South Asian workers who had randomly gathered at the scene?

Barbaric rage was directed at police officers and civil defence personnel who were there to render assistance.

Yet, they were pelted with harmful objects even as they attempted to extricate the accident victim's body.

Whatever the feelings and underlying grievances of the mob, there was no call to harm others striving to do their duty, or to burn vehicles.

Whatever the street culture and attitudes towards authority in their country of origin, such madness has no place whatsoever in Singapore.

In curbing mobs, police face a dilemma in applying the classic theory of the crowd that attributes the influence of agitators and the grip of mutual excitation to why ordinary individuals lose control of their behaviour.

But an iron-fisted approach can worsen an emerging situation, as held by the contemporary theory of how the social identity of people can change (for example when indiscriminate force is used against them) and unite them in further violence.

As the anatomy of the riot is dissected by the Committee of Inquiry that is to be set up to probe its causes, a range of public views will likely form about the incident and its handling. 

Whatever one's leaning, it would be prudent for judgments to reflect a sense of proportion. First, such incidents are rare and public order is well maintained. It has been decades since the Hock Lee bus riots of 1955, remembered for the chaos caused by striking bus workers and Chinese middle-school students. 

Second, millions of migrant workers have contributed to the economy since the 1980s and the 400 who rioted in Little India represent only a fraction of the largely law-abiding transient workforce here - work permit holders in construction alone now number over 300,000. 

Though hopelessly outnumbered, there were also peacemakers in the unruly crowd, as shown by at least one video of a brave individual restraining others from violence.

Hence, it would be wrong to adversely typecast all foreign workers as the result of this incident, despite its undoubted gravity. Also important is the need to keep a finger on the pulse of migrant worker communities to better understand the issues they face. 

One way is to harness informal community leaders and mediators to educate and engage the constantly shifting pool of workers who throng not just Little India but also other spots on weekends. - The Straits Times/ANN

Singaporeans Stunned By Riot

SINGAPORE: 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.

"Its not something that you would think would ever happen, especially in Singapore, as we are famed for our stringent regulations.

"Watching the incident on the news was shocking and scary and now many of us want to know what action will be taken to make sure it doesn’t happen again," he said when interviewed along Race Course Road where the rioters ran rampant.

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.

"Another option that could be looked into is to limit the timings for selling alcohol so that drunkards do not loiter around the shops and later cause trouble," said the 28-year-old.

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

"We have never heard of such thing happening here and the last major riot were the racial-based ones that occurred in 1969," he said.

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

"The government should study the matter and come up with ways to deal with this.

"One way could be to adopt a policy from Australia where open drinking in public places is prohibited," he said.

Meanwhile, resident S. Ram Prakash, 14, who witnessed the whole incident from his home on the 17th floor of a nearby flat said that it was beyond frightening.

"Seeing the angry mob attack the bus with sticks and rubbish cans was something that I will not forget.

"The group could not be controlled and continued to cause havoc even after a group of about 10 policemen were deployed to the area," he said.

He added that the most frightening was when rioters set fire to several police petrol cars and overturned the vehicles.

"I believe that they were all drunk because they were dancing and shouting as the fires blazed," he said, adding that the crowd dispersed only when riot police were deployed.

Ram said that the whole fiasco ended at around 12pm and the remains of the burnt petrol cars were cleared up at around 4am on Monday morning.

- The Star