Original Link ; Yahoo News Singapore
[UPDATED: on 9 December at 7pm, adding more details from police]
The 33-year-old Indian national who died after being run over by a bus was drunk, said Singapore police in new details that emerged from its investigation into an accident that triggered the first riot in Singapore in more than 40 years.
In a press conference on Monday afternoon, police told local media that the man, reportedly identified as construction worker Sakthivel Kumarvelu, was drunk and causing trouble when he boarded the bus that eventually ran him down.
According to local media, the bus was full but he climbed on anyway and started to cause trouble. The bus was ferrying workers from Tekka Lane back to their dormitory in Jalan Papan. At one point, Sakthivel pulled his pants down and the bus driver asked his female timekeeper assistant -- in charge of keeping the bus running on schedule -- to get him to alight, reported Today newspaper. Channel NewsAsia reported that the female timekeeper on (the) bus (was) assaulted" before the 55-year-old bus driver closed the bus doors.
Moments later, as the bus turned into Race Course Road, the driver heard a soft thud at the side of the bus -- Sakthivel had been knocked down and caught under the bus' left tyre.
After the accident, the crowd outside the bus became "agitated", attacking the bus driver and timekeeper by throwing bottles, stones and dustbins at the bus.
Police reportedly said they were unable to confirm whether or not the rioters were drunk, and are interviewing others apart from the 27 alleged participants who were arrested on Sunday night.
The bus driver, a 55-year-old Singaporean, was arrested and is out on bail. He will be charged with causing death by a negligent act, said police. If found guilty, the driver is set for a maximum penalty of two years' imprisonment, a fine, or both.
Of the 27 alleged riot participants aged between 23 and 45, who were arrested at the scene on Sunday night, police said 24 of them are Indian nationals, two are Bangladeshis and one is a Singapore Permanent Resident. Some of these may be charged on Tuesday, police reportedly said also.
Second Minister for Home Affairs S Iswaran also announced on Monday afternoon that a
ban on alcohol sales will be imposed in the Little India area this weekend.
Police also stressed that it has stepped up its presence in the area, and will continue to do so until this weekend, reported local media.
Separately, TODAY tweeted an image of "more than two dozen foreign workers" who were being hauled away on board police buses.
During the chaos on Sunday night, at least two police vehicles were overturned and an ambulance set on fire, which sent clouds of black smoke billowing across the night sky.
In one shocking video, a man can be seen trying to smash the windscreen of the private bus that was involved in the accident with a plastic dustbin.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs Teo Chee Hean 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 riots."
Police detain men following a riot in Singapore's Little India district, late December 8, 2013. Local media said …
“In some press and media reports there has been unsubstantiated news reporting which says that a Bangladeshi worker was hit by a bus that escalated the riot incident,” said Mahbub Uz Zaman in a statement.
“I want to categorically state that as per available information the news reports that appeared on a section of media and news involving a Bangladeshi worker is not based on facts.”
On Sunday night, 18 people, including 10 police officers and four SCDF personnel, were sent to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for treatment.
The riot raised concerns among people in Singapore about safety in the city state and how such incidents could be prevented.
On Yahoo Singapore's Facebook page, Ricky Woon commented: "This matter is under control but the underlying issues are not solve(d). If things continue to be this way and we are being complacent, when things happen again it could be our last chance to react. Will you guys want our country to be back to how it is and sleep in peace?"
News of the riot quickly spread on social media as well, triggering a flurry of tweets and posts about the turn of events in usually peaceful Singapore.
-- With reports by Nurul Azliah Aripin and Jeanette Tan
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In a press conference on Monday afternoon, police told local media that the man, reportedly identified as construction worker Sakthivel Kumarvelu, was drunk and causing trouble when he boarded the bus that eventually ran him down.
According to local media, the bus was full but he climbed on anyway and started to cause trouble. The bus was ferrying workers from Tekka Lane back to their dormitory in Jalan Papan. At one point, Sakthivel pulled his pants down and the bus driver asked his female timekeeper assistant -- in charge of keeping the bus running on schedule -- to get him to alight, reported Today newspaper. Channel NewsAsia reported that the female timekeeper on (the) bus (was) assaulted" before the 55-year-old bus driver closed the bus doors.
Moments later, as the bus turned into Race Course Road, the driver heard a soft thud at the side of the bus -- Sakthivel had been knocked down and caught under the bus' left tyre.
After the accident, the crowd outside the bus became "agitated", attacking the bus driver and timekeeper by throwing bottles, stones and dustbins at the bus.
Police reportedly said they were unable to confirm whether or not the rioters were drunk, and are interviewing others apart from the 27 alleged participants who were arrested on Sunday night.
The bus driver, a 55-year-old Singaporean, was arrested and is out on bail. He will be charged with causing death by a negligent act, said police. If found guilty, the driver is set for a maximum penalty of two years' imprisonment, a fine, or both.
Of the 27 alleged riot participants aged between 23 and 45, who were arrested at the scene on Sunday night, police said 24 of them are Indian nationals, two are Bangladeshis and one is a Singapore Permanent Resident. Some of these may be charged on Tuesday, police reportedly said also.
EA sealed prison bus (L) leaves the Subordinate court in Singapore on December 10, 2013. Singapore on December 10 filed charges against 24 Indian nationals who allegedly took part in its first riot for over 40 years, as officials and activists warned against inciting racial hatred over the incident. AFP PHOTO / ROSLAN RAHMAN EA sealed prison bus (L) leaves the Subordinate court in Singapore on December 10, 2013. Singapore on December 10 filed charges against 24 Indian nationals who allegedly took part in its first riot for over 40 years, as officials and activists warned against inciting racial hatred over the incident. AFP PHOTO / ROSLAN RAHMAN EA sealed prison bus (C) leaves the Subordinate court in Singapore on December 10, 2013. Singapore on December 10 filed charges against 24 Indian nationals who allegedly took part in its first riot for over 40 years, as officials and activists warned against inciting racial hatred over the incident. AFP PHOTO / ROSLAN RAHMAN SINGAPORE, Dec. 9, 2013 (Xinhua/IANS) -- Police patrol at the Singapore's Race Course road, Dec 9, 2013. Ethnic neighbourhood, Little India, return to peace Monday. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on early Monday that the riot in a local district involving hundreds of foreign workers on Sunday evening was "a very grave incident." (Xinhua/Then Chih Wey) ****Authorized by ytfs**** A blazing police car lies flipped on its side after rioters went on a rampage in Singapore's Little India district late on December 8 Map locating Singapore's Little India district where a riot was sparked late Sunday after a 33-year-old Indian worker was killed in a road accident SINGAPORE, Singapore : Firemen douse a charred ambulance after a riot broke out in Singapore, in the early hours of December 9, 2013. A riot broke out among South Asian workers in Singapore late in the night of December 8, damaging police cars and other vehicles in the city state's Little India district, eyewitnesses and local media said. The rare outbreak of public disorder in strictly controlled Singapore took place in an area normally packed with thousands of workers, mostly from the Indian subcontinent, on their day off. The cause of the incident was not immediately clear and the situation was brought under control within two hours, people on the scene told AFP. AFP PHOTO / ROSLAN RAHMAN SINGAPORE, Singapore : Firemen douse a charred ambulance after a riot broke out in Singapore, in the early hours of December 9, 2013. A riot broke out among South Asian workers in Singapore late in the night of December 8, damaging police cars and other vehicles in the city state's Little India district, eyewitnesses and local media said. The rare outbreak of public disorder in strictly controlled Singapore took place in an area normally packed with thousands of workers, mostly from the Indian subcontinent, on their day off. The cause of the incident was not immediately clear and the situation was brought under control within two hours, people on the scene told AFP. AFP PHOTO / ROSLAN RAHMAN A flipped over stretcher seen on Race Course Road after the riot. A bus on Race Course Road with a pelted front window and much of the rest gone. A view from a high-rise flat shows two overturned police cars (C) and several other damaged vehicles along Race Course Road following a riot near Singapore's Little India district December 9, 2013. Local media said a mob of about 400 set fire to an ambulance and police cars during the riot on Sunday, which started after a bus knocked down a pedestrian. REUTERS/Stringer (SINGAPORE - Tags: CIVIL UNREST) The burnt shells of vehicles are pictured along Race Course Road following a riot near Singapore's Little India district December 9, 2013. Local media said a mob of about 400 set fire to an ambulance and police cars during the riot on Sunday, which started after a bus knocked down a pedestrian. REUTERS/Stringer (SINGAPORE - Tags: CIVIL UNREST) Police officers at the scene where the riot happened, standing near a bus with a smashed window. A man walks past an ambulance damaged in a riot in Singapore’s Little India district December 9, 2013. — Reuters pic The whole section of Race Course Road where the riot happened, moments before the clean-up took place. SINGAPORE, Singapore : Firemen douse a charred ambulance after a riot broke out in Singapore, in the early hours of December 9, 2013. A riot broke out among South Asian workers in Singapore late in the night of December 8, damaging police cars and other vehicles in the city state's Little India district, eyewitnesses and local media said. The rare outbreak of public disorder in strictly controlled Singapore took place in an area normally packed with thousands of workers, mostly from the Indian subcontinent, on their day off. The cause of the incident was not immediately clear and the situation was brought under control within two hours, people on the scene told AFP. AFP PHOTO / ROSLAN RAHMAN EA sealed prison bus (L) leaves the Subordinate court in Singapore on December 10, 2013. Singapore on December 10 filed charges against 24 Indian nationals who allegedly took part in its first riot for over 40 years, as officials and activists warned against inciting racial hatred over the incident. AFP PHOTO / ROSLAN RAHMAN A police car with pelted window seen on Race Course Road. A group of men handcuffed at Race Course Road after the riot took place. Police officers attend to a man in Singapore's Little India district following a riot, December 9, 2013. Local media said a mob of about 400 set fire to an ambulance and police cars during the riot on Sunday, which started after a bus knocked down a pedestrian. REUTERS/Rob Dawson (SINGAPORE - Tags: CIVIL UNREST) Two policemen check a back street next to a MRT train station where riots took place in Singapore's Little India district late on Dcember 8, 2013 Police officers near a damaged motorcycle on Race Course Road after the riot. A police officer walks with a riot shield following a riot in Singapore's Little India district, December 9, 2013. Local media said a mob of about 400 set fire to an ambulance and police cars during the riot on Sunday, which started after a bus knocked down a pedestrian. REUTERS/Rob Dawson (SINGAPORE - Tags: CIVIL UNREST) The other end of the cordoned area on Race Course Road where some police officers were stationed.
Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean (front R) and Minister in Prime Minister's Office S Iswaran (front 2nd R) look at the site of two burnt vehicles following a riot in Singapore's Little India district, December 9, 2013. A crowd set fire to vehicles and clashed with police in the Indian district of Singapore late on Sunday, in a rare outbreak of rioting in the city state. Television footage showed a crowd of people smashing the windscreen of a bus, and at least three police cars being flipped over. The Singapore Police Force said the riot started after a fatal traffic accident in the Little India area. REUTERS/Rob Dawson (SINGAPORE - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS)
Officials stand around a bus with a smashed windshield following a riot in Singapore's Little India district, December 9, 2013. A crowd set fire to vehicles and clashed with police in the Indian district of Singapore late on Sunday, in a rare outbreak of rioting in the city state. Television footage showed a crowd of people smashing the windscreen of a bus, and at least three police cars being flipped over. The Singapore Police Force said the riot started after a fatal traffic accident in the Little India area. REUTERS/Rob Dawson (SINGAPORE - Tags: CIVIL UNREST)
Second Minister for Home Affairs S Iswaran also announced on Monday afternoon that a
ban on alcohol sales will be imposed in the Little India area this weekend.
Meanwhile, an updated figure of 39 police, SCDF and auxillary officers were injured. Police said earlier on Monday that 22 of its officers and five of its auxiliary officers were treated for lacerations and other injuries. The 27 were since discharged, police said.
The 25 emergency vehicles that were damaged, alongside five set on fire, in the riots were also removed in the hours that followed, and Race Course Road and Hampshire Road, where they happened, were opened by 6:45am Monday.Police also stressed that it has stepped up its presence in the area, and will continue to do so until this weekend, reported local media.
Separately, TODAY tweeted an image of "more than two dozen foreign workers" who were being hauled away on board police buses.
An estimated 400 people rioted in Little India late Sunday night shortly after the accident involving the private bus and the construction worker, the latter of whom was crossing the junction between the two roads, at 9:23pm, police said. The New Paper reports that the driver was dragged out of the private bus, which was carrying a bus load of construction workers, and was assualted by a group of men.
Five police vehicles, one ambulance and several private vehicles were damaged and/or burnt in the process, said police in its initial statement in the wee hours of Monday morning.
Police are appealing for more information from eyewitnesses, who can contact them here and here.Five police vehicles, one ambulance and several private vehicles were damaged and/or burnt in the process, said police in its initial statement in the wee hours of Monday morning.
In one shocking video, a man can be seen trying to smash the windscreen of the private bus that was involved in the accident with a plastic dustbin.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs Teo Chee Hean 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 riots."
Police detain men following a riot in Singapore's Little India district, late December 8, 2013. Local media said …
First responders from SCDF who arrived at the scene saw Kumaravelu, who was pronounced dead on the scene, trapped under a bus. During efforts to extricate him from under the bus, projectiles such as bottles started to be thrown at the personnel as tensions escalated.
Rioters then began attacking the bus, smashing the front windscreen and windows. Photos on social media showed an ambulance and police cars were set on fire and overturned
To control the two-hour riot, police said they activated resources from Special Operations Command and Gurkha Contingent to the scene. In total, 300 police were deployed but no shots were fired from any weapon, lethal or non-lethal, throughout the incident, police said.
Little India is a popular hangout and meeting place, especially on Sunday night, with Singapore's sizeable workforce of foreign labour from South Asia.
.
Singapore's civil defence officers extinguish burning vehicles following a riot in Singapore's Little India district …
The Straits Times earlier reported that the rioting by mainly foreign workers started after a bus hit a Bangladeshi worker, but this was later denied by the Bangladesh High Commissioner Monday morning.Rioters then began attacking the bus, smashing the front windscreen and windows. Photos on social media showed an ambulance and police cars were set on fire and overturned
To control the two-hour riot, police said they activated resources from Special Operations Command and Gurkha Contingent to the scene. In total, 300 police were deployed but no shots were fired from any weapon, lethal or non-lethal, throughout the incident, police said.
Little India is a popular hangout and meeting place, especially on Sunday night, with Singapore's sizeable workforce of foreign labour from South Asia.
.
Singapore's civil defence officers extinguish burning vehicles following a riot in Singapore's Little India district …“In some press and media reports there has been unsubstantiated news reporting which says that a Bangladeshi worker was hit by a bus that escalated the riot incident,” said Mahbub Uz Zaman in a statement.
“I want to categorically state that as per available information the news reports that appeared on a section of media and news involving a Bangladeshi worker is not based on facts.”
On Sunday night, 18 people, including 10 police officers and four SCDF personnel, were sent to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for treatment.
The riot raised concerns among people in Singapore about safety in the city state and how such incidents could be prevented.
On Yahoo Singapore's Facebook page, Ricky Woon commented: "This matter is under control but the underlying issues are not solve(d). If things continue to be this way and we are being complacent, when things happen again it could be our last chance to react. Will you guys want our country to be back to how it is and sleep in peace?"
News of the riot quickly spread on social media as well, triggering a flurry of tweets and posts about the turn of events in usually peaceful Singapore.
-- With reports by Nurul Azliah Aripin and Jeanette Tan
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