New Delhi: A crowd of around 400 people set fire to vehicles and clashed with police in the Indian district of Singapore late on Sunday after a man was hit and killed by a bus, the first major riot in the city-state for more than 40 years. The Singapore Police Force said the violence started following the bus accident.
Police said the 27 arrested were of South Asian origin and that they expected to make more arrests in coming days. About 300 officers were sent on to the streets to quell the riot. The riot is likely to fuel concerns about discontent among low-paid foreign workers. Last year, Singapore saw its biggest outbreak of labor unrest in years when around 170 bus drivers from mainland China went on strike illegally.
A statement by the Civil Defence Force (CDF), which oversees ambulances and fire fighting, said rescuers trying to remove the body had “projectiles” thrown at them when they arrived on the scene. Footage showed police cars being flipped over and several vehicles on fire. The CDF said an ambulance, three police cars and a motorbike were burnt.
The eight-point mission statement from the People’s Action Party included a resolve to strengthen the Singaporean identity where people of different races, religions and backgrounds “live harmoniously together, embrace one another as fellow citizens and work together for a better Singapore.
Footage on Channel NewsAsia showed several vehicles in flames and debris strewn across Racecourse Road, one of the main thoroughfares in Little India. Many other private cars were reported to have been damaged as well. Police said they had the incident under control within an hour of receiving their first call.
Little India is usually packed with people on Sundays, with many construction workers from Bangladesh and India gathering there to spend their day off.
Bureau Report
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