Sunday, December 8, 2013

Singapore bus death triggers riot


Police in Singapore have made 27 arrests after hundreds of people took part in a riot sparked by the death of an Indian national.


Trouble started after the 33-year-old man was knocked down by a private bus in a district known as Little India.


About 400 people took to the streets, hurling railings at police and torching police cars and an ambulance.


At least 16 people were hurt, most of them police officers, before the violence was brought under control.


Police commissioner Ng Joo Hee said it was the first rioting in Singapore in more than 30 years.


He condemned the rioting as 'intolerable, wanton violence'.


'It is not the Singapore way,' he added.


'Criminal behaviour'


Pictures and videos posted in social media showed two police cars being overturned by the mob. Several private vehicles were also damaged.


Rioting in Singapore is punishable by up to seven years in prison plus caning.


Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that 'whatever events may have sparked the rioting, there is no excuse for such violent, destructive, and criminal behaviour'.


'We will spare no effort to identify the culprits and deal with them with the full force of the law,' he said in a statement.


Correspondents say the outbreak of public disorder is rare in strictly governed Singapore.


The hi-tech, wealthy city-state depends heavily on guest workers, with labourers from South Asia dominating sectors like construction.


Many congregate in Little India on Sundays to shop, drink and socialise.


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