Singapore plans to deport 53 people and issue warnings to about 200 more for their involvement in the city-state’s worst riot in more than 40 years this month, which shocked a nation that prides itself on its safety and orderliness. Another 28 face criminal charges for the riot, which broke out earlier this month in Singapore’s Little India district. The violent protests broke out after an Indian national was knocked down and killed by a bus.
The outbreak of public disorder is rare in strictly-governed Singapore. The wealthy city-state depends heavily on foreign workers, with migrant labourers from South Asia dominating low-paid sectors like construction.
Many congregate in Little India on Sundays to shop, drink and socialise. The men facing deportation consisted of 52 Indian nationals and one Bangladeshi national, Police Commissioner Ng Joo Hee said.
Home Affairs Minister Teo Chee Hean said: “We have taken strong and decisive action to charge and to repatriate those who took part in the riot, to send a strong signal that we will not tolerate actions by anyone which threaten law and order in Singapore.”
Those being deported failed to disperse despite police orders and “threatened public order, making their continued presence in Singapore undesirable”, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday.
-With BBC input
