"35 men arrested for Kaki Bukit dormitory fight - AsiaOne Thursday, Mar 27, 2014
(This headline is MUCH gentler than that found on CNA "Another 22 foreign workers arrested for rioting at dormitory in Kaki Bukit"!)
SINGAPORE - Police have arrested 35 men after a fight broke out among the residents of a workers' dormitory at Kaki Bukit Avenue three on Tuesday.
The fight took place between two South Asian groups during the screening of a live cricket match, the police said in a statement.
While 13 suspects were arrested at the scene, another 22 suspects were picked up on Wednesday and Friday.
A total of 14 suspects will be produced in court on Friday. If convicted of rioting, offenders face imprisonment of up to 7 years.
Another 3 suspects will face charges of affray, and could be jailed for up to one year, be fined up to $5,000, or both."
The Little India Riot COI sounded that one of the primary reason for the riot was: influence of alcohol. I wonder what are the possible reasons for this 'fight' or 'rioting'?
Lessons for me are:
1. when we bring in foreign workers with low education, do we really understand how they work when they are under pressured or when they feel, rightly or wrongly, that they had been 'ill-treated' or 'unfairly treated' or 'disrespected'? It is obvious that some of us did not think about this question at all while some believed that they understand and can manage the foreign workers brought in;
2. this particular 'fight' or 'rioting' was between the foreign workers themselves. No locals were involved. This is the fortunate part. Having said that, there is a real need to understand what triggered the fight? Just 'rivalry between two cricket teams'? If so, crime of sporting passion, while quite stupid in nature, do happened! When passion i.e. emotion is aroused there is no room for rationality! So, fighting with each other over whose team is better do happened! No need to try to under it rationally!;
3. if 'alcohol' is featured here, what can we deduce or conclude from this? That alcohol be banned or controlled somehow? For those who fight for the 'right' of these workers, does it mean the FWs are DENIED their right to 'living their natural lifestyle and 'sober drinking' is part of it? vs. those who take the hard line that: 'if they cannot control their drink, they deserved to be deprived of it'!
Hopefully this is ANOTHER isolated situation in our million persons FWs population. It always made me uneasy whenever I imagine the worst case of 20% of them rioting at the same time.
May the day never come as we truly understand how FWs tick and the Employers and Employees are in a win-win situation with no one even thinking of trying to 'throw sand into they own rice bowls'!
The fight took place between two South Asian groups during the screening of a live cricket match, the police said in a statement.
While 13 suspects were arrested at the scene, another 22 suspects were picked up on Wednesday and Friday.
A total of 14 suspects will be produced in court on Friday. If convicted of rioting, offenders face imprisonment of up to 7 years.
Another 3 suspects will face charges of affray, and could be jailed for up to one year, be fined up to $5,000, or both."
The Little India Riot COI sounded that one of the primary reason for the riot was: influence of alcohol. I wonder what are the possible reasons for this 'fight' or 'rioting'?
Lessons for me are:
1. when we bring in foreign workers with low education, do we really understand how they work when they are under pressured or when they feel, rightly or wrongly, that they had been 'ill-treated' or 'unfairly treated' or 'disrespected'? It is obvious that some of us did not think about this question at all while some believed that they understand and can manage the foreign workers brought in;
2. this particular 'fight' or 'rioting' was between the foreign workers themselves. No locals were involved. This is the fortunate part. Having said that, there is a real need to understand what triggered the fight? Just 'rivalry between two cricket teams'? If so, crime of sporting passion, while quite stupid in nature, do happened! When passion i.e. emotion is aroused there is no room for rationality! So, fighting with each other over whose team is better do happened! No need to try to under it rationally!;
3. if 'alcohol' is featured here, what can we deduce or conclude from this? That alcohol be banned or controlled somehow? For those who fight for the 'right' of these workers, does it mean the FWs are DENIED their right to 'living their natural lifestyle and 'sober drinking' is part of it? vs. those who take the hard line that: 'if they cannot control their drink, they deserved to be deprived of it'!
Hopefully this is ANOTHER isolated situation in our million persons FWs population. It always made me uneasy whenever I imagine the worst case of 20% of them rioting at the same time.
May the day never come as we truly understand how FWs tick and the Employers and Employees are in a win-win situation with no one even thinking of trying to 'throw sand into they own rice bowls'!
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