Riots raise questions over foreign labour use in Singapore
12 December 2013
The prime minister of Singapore this week moved to calm tension in the city-state over migrant workers after a riot that saw one Indian worker die.
Fri, 13 Dec 2013
The prime minister of Singapore this week moved to calm tension in the city-state over migrant workers after a riot that saw one Indian worker die.
Events in the Little India district last Sunday (8 December) were particularly shocking in what is one of the safest of the world’s leading cities, with the BBC saying it was the first rioting in the state in 30 years.
The events have raised debate about the use of migrant labour in Singapore, a highly multiethnic country with over a third of the population from overseas, where a further 1m foreign workers are likely to be needed by 2030.
Writing on Facebook, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says: "I have ordered a Committee of Inquiry (COI) to look into the Little India riot. The COI will review the factors that led to the incident, how the incident was handled, and how we manage areas where foreign workers congregate.
"This was an isolated incident caused by an unruly mob. The vast majority of foreign workers here obey our laws. We must not let this bad incident tarnish our views of foreigner workers here. Nor should we condone hateful or xenophobic comments, especially online."
The prime minister of Singapore this week moved to calm tension in the city-state over migrant workers after a riot that saw one Indian worker die.
Events in the Little India district last Sunday (8 December) were particularly shocking in what is one of the safest of the world’s leading cities, with the BBC saying it was the first rioting in the state in 30 years.
The events have raised debate about the use of migrant labour in Singapore, a highly multiethnic country with over a third of the population from overseas, where a further 1m foreign workers are likely to be needed by 2030.
Writing on Facebook, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says: "I have ordered a Committee of Inquiry (COI) to look into the Little India riot. The COI will review the factors that led to the incident, how the incident was handled, and how we manage areas where foreign workers congregate.
"This was an isolated incident caused by an unruly mob. The vast majority of foreign workers here obey our laws. We must not let this bad incident tarnish our views of foreigner workers here. Nor should we condone hateful or xenophobic comments, especially online."
