Al Jazeera reported on TV and FT also leeport

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An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

First I saw it on Al Jazeera a report on the RIOT in Sinkapore.

Next a leeport by FT.com as reproduced below.
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Riot tarnishes Singapore’s image as place of ethnic harmony

By Jeremy Grant, Financial Times, in Singapore

At least one person was killed and 10 police officers were injured in Singapore after an accidental road death triggered the worst outbreak of civil unrest for years in the island nation, tarnishing its long-held reputation as one of the region’s safest cities.

The incident, on Sunday night, comes as Singapore’s ruling party, the People’s Action party (PAP), has for months been appealing for greater social harmony in the wake of rising unease among Singaporeans over a recent influx of foreign workers, many of them immigrants from South Asia.

It came only hours after the PAP was wrapping up a one-day annual political convention at which its leaders launched a “new resolution outlining its goals and aspirations for Singapore”.

Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore’s prime minister – and PAP leader – told delegates: “We must always keep Singapore a home where all races can live in peace and harmony.”

The city-state, which has long prided itself in maintaining harmony between its majority Chinese and minority Malay, Indian and Tamil populations, has a population of 5.3m. More than 1m of that is a community of mostly Indian, Bangladeshi and mainland Chinese foreign workers.

The incident occurred in the Little India district, home to a majority of Indians and Bangladeshis, after a bus driver accidentally ran over a man, police and witnesses said.

An angry crowd of about 400 – many of them foreign workers, local media reported – swarmed the bus, chasing the driver, a Singaporean, and setting alight to police vehicles. Police said five of its vehicles and one ambulance were damaged.

Mr Lee, in a post on his Facebook page, said the Little India riot was “a very grave incident”. He added: “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. I urge all Singaporeans to stay calm.”

Teo Chee Hean, deputy prime minister and minister of home affairs, said: “This is a serious incident which has resulted in injuries and damage to public property. The situation is now under control. Police will spare no efforts to apprehend the subjects involved in the riot.”

Large red “special operations command” vehicles could be seen parked near the area, which had been cordoned off. Little India is a popular destination for foreign tourists, with dozens of restaurants offering south Asian cuisine and cheap textiles stores.

One Indian man, sweeping up debris outside a restaurant not far from two overturned police cars, said people in the area were very angry that the man had been run over. “Many Indian people here, and they are upset,” he said.

Singapore’s police urged people to stay indoors while police operations were under way. While the streets appeared quiet, riot police with shields could still be seen patrolling some areas.

“Members of the public are also advised to stay calm and not to speculate on this incident,” a police statement, posted on the force’s Facebook page, said.

Last year Singapore was hit with the first industrial strike action in 26 years after 171 foreign workers – all bus drivers from mainland China – went on a two-day strike at a public bus company in a protest over pay and living conditions.

Source: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9266db8a-602e-11e3-b36


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