Riot in Little India

[sundaymorningstaple]

And nobody forces you to go to your quarters at night or forces you to return home because you were conned and ended up owing a year or more's salary to some agent who conned you. Or just cancelled your WP and didn't pay you and didn't repatriate you either. Nobody promised you one thing and gave you something extremely different than what was promised. You are right. Myopic thought processes from the land with the highest incidence of myopia in the world. Oh well, true blue are you?

[x9200]

SMS, you have been living in Singapore for so many years I would have hoped that your views are more balanced...

If you are to speak with any Locals, they will tell you that this is the result of too liberal a Foreign Worker policy such that the Govt loses its grip on them.

And if you are to speak with a boss, he will tell you that the cost of employment is so high that he cannot affortf to put all his workers in a bus.

So we are all speculating and there are many views to it. Yours is only one aspect..

His views are pretty balanced. You see this reality as something normal because you have been brought up here but the true is most of the Western countries foreigners are plain shocked when they arrive in Singapore and see for example the dormitories. What is shocking is not the condition (lots of third world countries around) but the fact that something like this exist in Singapore and another fact that you seem oblivious of the impression it creates.

[hairy legs]

And nobody forces you to go to your quarters at night or forces you to return home because you were conned and ended up owing a year or more's salary to some agent who conned you. Or just cancelled your WP and didn't pay you and didn't repatriate you either. Nobody promised you one thing and gave you something extremely different than what was promised. You are right. Myopic thought processes from the land with the highest incidence of myopia in the world. Oh well, true blue are you?

Getting personal isnt it?

I have a BIL who is a construction contractor. I do hear horror stories of Foreign Workers being ill treaded and abused. One illegal worker was dumped into a drain after he fell off the ladder. So there are abuses of workers in Singapore, I dont disagree.

But ill treated worker is the reason for the riot?

[Barnsley]

And nobody forces you to go to your quarters at night or forces you to return home because you were conned and ended up owing a year or more's salary to some agent who conned you. Or just cancelled your WP and didn't pay you and didn't repatriate you either. Nobody promised you one thing and gave you something extremely different than what was promised. You are right. Myopic thought processes from the land with the highest incidence of myopia in the world. Oh well, true blue are you?

Getting personal isnt it?

I have a BIL who is a construction contractor. I do hear horror stories of Foreign Workers being ill treaded and abused. One illegal worker was dumped into a drain after he fell off the ladder. So there are abuses of workers in Singapore, I dont disagree.

But ill treated worker is the reason for the riot?

Its quite clearly a slow build up ........ whatever happened last night was the straw that broke the camels back.

[Travailes]

I can't believe some people on here are suggesting restricting movement to visit an area with which they share a cultural attachment. Surely even SG would'nt impose that ! How on earth could you police it without creating a ghetto. Maybe what will happen is that they'll enforce a curfew it there are further incidents.

Let's be honest - these people are treated like slaves. It is probably better that they do get a chance to socialise rather than being couped up in a dormitory. I've never felt threatened in LI and I've been in some seedy bars in the area. Maybe it's because I have no 'issue' with Indians whereas the local SG population seem to have a very low opinion, sadly, of them as people and a race.

My Mum, who is 80, just arrived this week for Xmas. On seeing construction workers crammed on the back of a flatbed she said "Are those criminals ? being taken to jail ?". "No Mum, that's how they are treated in a First World Country !"

[AngMoG]

I can't believe some people on here are suggesting restricting movement to visit an area with which they share a cultural attachment. Surely even SG would'nt impose that ! How on earth could you police it without creating a ghetto. Maybe what will happen is that they'll enforce a curfew it there are further incidents.

Let's be honest - these people are treated like slaves. It is probably better that they do get a chance to socialise rather than being couped up in a dormitory. I've never felt threatened in LI and I've been in some seedy bars in the area. Maybe it's because I have no 'issue' with Indians whereas the local SG population seem to have a very low opinion, sadly, of them as people and a race.

My Mum, who is 80, just arrived this week for Xmas. On seeing construction workers crammed on the back of a flatbed she said "Are those criminals ? being taken to jail ?". "No Mum, that's how they are treated in a First World Country !"

The gahmen seems to be floating the idea of restricting alcohol sales and/or consumption opportunities in the area. Essentially, trying to fight the symptoms instead of admitting and fighting the root cause.

Fully agree with you. Those people are treated like slaves, and have almost no rights. Check the various blogs on this topic for details.

The way I sees it, the accident was the catalyst, the real reason/root cause is the general discontent.

[JR8]

You are right. Wherever I have been, I am still a Singaporean / local. But having lived in a few countries, I have learnt to be respectful of the host country no matter how superior I feel.

And how about the countries where you and your type have been treated as 3rd-class indentured labour? How did you feel then?

[Wd40]

I can't believe some people on here are suggesting restricting movement to visit an area with which they share a cultural attachment. Surely even SG would'nt impose that ! How on earth could you police it without creating a ghetto. Maybe what will happen is that they'll enforce a curfew it there are further incidents.

Let's be honest - these people are treated like slaves. It is probably better that they do get a chance to socialise rather than being couped up in a dormitory. I've never felt threatened in LI and I've been in some seedy bars in the area.

Well, crowding the whole footpath and then overflowing on the road because there is no space on the footpath and then letting them flout all kinds of laws like jaywalking is the problem. Another very important law in Singapore, is the ristriction on forming crowds. Yet, here there is alway such a big crowd of a single ethinicity. Don't you see the danger there? I mean if everywhere in Singapore was like that then its ok. But letting one place like LI to is like a release valve, brings out all the animal spirits out of people, which is subdued in other places in Singapore.

The moment I go to LI, I get this feel that I am in India again, I am free to do anything there, its just the feel of the place, you get the feeling of freedom.

I am not saying socializing is bad, but they need to let them do it like any other place in Singapore.

[Barnsley]

I can't believe some people on here are suggesting restricting movement to visit an area with which they share a cultural attachment. Surely even SG would'nt impose that ! How on earth could you police it without creating a ghetto. Maybe what will happen is that they'll enforce a curfew it there are further incidents.

Let's be honest - these people are treated like slaves. It is probably better that they do get a chance to socialise rather than being couped up in a dormitory. I've never felt threatened in LI and I've been in some seedy bars in the area. Maybe it's because I have no 'issue' with Indians whereas the local SG population seem to have a very low opinion, sadly, of them as people and a race.

My Mum, who is 80, just arrived this week for Xmas. On seeing construction workers crammed on the back of a flatbed she said "Are those criminals ? being taken to jail ?". "No Mum, that's how they are treated in a First World Country !"

The gahmen seems to be floating the idea of restricting alcohol sales and/or consumption opportunities in the area. Essentially, trying to fight the symptoms instead of admitting and fighting the root cause.

Fully agree with you. Those people are treated like slaves, and have almost no rights. Check the various blogs on this topic for details.

The way I sees it, the accident was the catalyst, the real reason/root cause is the general discontent.

Agreed , surely anyone not blind can see the problems.

Moving it elsewhere by restricting the sale of alcohol in an area looks like addressing the underlying problem is not of concern.

What is a bit strange is that its quite a big event, and nobody in the office has said a word to me about it......... In UK it would be the only talking point in town once the demise of Man Utd had been celebrated.

[JR8]

The gahmen seems to be floating the idea of restricting alcohol sales and/or consumption opportunities in the area. Essentially, trying to fight the symptoms instead of admitting and fighting the root cause.

Ah right.... the 'Little India Prohibition Zone [LIPZ for short]'. That'll go down well with the tourists, and hey Prohibition worked so well in 1920s America didn't it!

p.s. The gahmen won't point the finger at itself, 'someone else's fault, let's blame them darkies'.

[JR8]

I am not saying socializing is bad, but they need to let them do it like any other place in Singapore.

You appear to disconnect yourself from 'them', your fellow countrymen.

There are plenty of racial/national ghettoes in SG, just look at Ion/Ngee Ann at Orchard or Lucky plaza, Peninsular Plaza, the Thai zone (Concourse/Beach Road?), or indeed Boat Quay on a Friday night, that is not the problem (IMHO). It is more about how people get treated and in this case mistreated.

Too often if you're out at a 5* restaurant or bar and look like you have money you'll be treated to the fawning, and ghastly fake 'love bomb', and vice versa. It is an incredibly classist society, and apparently for no more reason than due to the fragile vanity and ego's of those one small rung higher up the ladder. Which when you arrive here from a longer established country, that has a tradition of inter-generational wealth is a curious thing to see, like, two immigrants beating each other up over who is more established and 'less immigrant'.

Poke a stick repeatedly into a hornets nest, and pretty soon ...

[x9200]

But ill treated worker is the reason for the riot?

Surely not, but nobody claimed anything like this. Having said that it is likely a contributing factor. Purely practical perspective: if they were good treated they unlikely were going in packs to LIndia to occupy the curbs.

[morenangpinay]

the amount of inaccurate media reporting is amazing

[Chantikki]

And nobody forces you to go to your quarters at night or forces you to return home because you were conned and ended up owing a year or more's salary to some agent who conned you. Or just cancelled your WP and didn't pay you and didn't repatriate you either. Nobody promised you one thing and gave you something extremely different than what was promised. You are right. Myopic thought processes from the land with the highest incidence of myopia in the world. Oh well, true blue are you?

Getting personal isnt it?

I have a BIL who is a construction contractor. I do hear horror stories of Foreign Workers being ill treaded and abused. One illegal worker was dumped into a drain after he fell off the ladder. So there are abuses of workers in Singapore, I dont disagree.

But ill treated worker is the reason for the riot?

In my opinion the injustice toward workers is the trigger for the riot. A while back a maid stabbed 16 yo girl, the rumor was that the maid was incredibly mistreated by the family, with no day off etc. not an unusual story for singapore.

Unless Singapore makes changes to give these workers access to justice when mistreated there will be more of these kinds of things.

The idea that the workers are expensive to pay is ridiculous. All over the world people build buildings and houses paying workers far more and selling the houses for a fraction of the price of Singapore.

Singaporeans want these workers all sent home, I agree, send them all home. Let Singaporeans do the job with the pay and conditions these guys have. Perhaps only then they will be able to have some compassion for human life.

[Wd40]

Tonight's Talking Point programme on Channel News Asia will be based upon the riots. I am going to watch it keenly at 8PM.