新加坡暴動 移民引發民怨？
摘錄自：天下雜誌 經濟學人電子報 2013/12/20
2013-12-12 Web only 作者：經濟學人
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| 圖片來源：flickr.com/photos/adforce1/ |
星期日晚間9點過後，也是大多數南亞外籍勞工該搭上大型巴土的時刻。巨型巴士載著數千名外籍勞工往來於宿舍和他們的娛樂地點：小印度。在新加坡，這是每個星期有的尋常之事。
但沒過多久，約400名勞工已非法聚集，像群暴徒似地穿行於小印度街頭。鎮暴警察和其他安全人員，在約莫2小時後制止了這場暴動；雙方爆發衝突，並造成至少31名制服人員受傷──27名警員以及4名民防部隊成員。暴動至少造成16輛警車、2輛救護車和數量私人車輛受損或毀壞；在一段業餘影片中，至少4輛警車遭翻覆、1輛救護車起火。
當晚稍早，一名顯然已喝醉的南印建築勞工薩蒂維爾（Sakthivel Kumaravelu），被迫離開擠滿人的公車；部分目擊者表示，他曾在公車上鬧事。接著，新加坡籍的公車駕駛便順著正常路線轉彎，並聽見響亮的重擊聲。停車之後，他發現薩蒂維爾被壓在公車的後輪之下，當場死亡。
緊急求救之後，最先到場的人員包括2名警官、數名急救人員，以及負責將屍體移離公車下方的民防部隊人員。那時，群眾已然聚集且越來越憤怒。他們朝制服人員丟擲石塊和啤酒瓶；目擊者聲稱，至少有10個有如汽油彈的啤酒瓶扔向警員。在此同時，薩蒂維爾的屍體一直壓在輪下。
300多名鎮暴警察和廓爾喀警察團，大約在緊急求救後一小時後到達現場，於一小時後控制住情勢，並逮捕了27人，其中24人於12月10日遭到起訴。暴動過後2日、約3,000名勞工接受訊問，又有8人遭逮捕。遭法庭判決有罪者，將面臨鞭刑以及7年以下刑期。警方仍在持續調查，接下來應該還會有更多人遭到逮捕。
這則星期日夜晚傳出的新聞，讓大部分新加坡人極為震驚；新加坡的近代歷史中完全沒有能與之相較的事件。新加坡上一次暴動發生於1969年，感覺就像是在另一個時代。
新加坡政府讚賞執法人員和救護人員的努力，同時也希望新加坡人不要臆測暴動的成因。總理李顯龍己成立委員會，調查暴動成因及處理過程；接下來一周，小印度也暫時禁止銷售和飲用酒精飲料。
當地媒體和部分首長，皆暗示酒類販售未有規範是重要的暴動成因。認定酒精助長了部分群眾的鬧事之心，似乎相當合理。不過，這樣的看法無法探入核心，也無法解釋為何400多人會變成暴民。不可忽視的一點在於，制服人員、特別是那些率先到場的制服人員，正是暴力行動的目標。政府和主流媒體都沒有大膽地將突發的怒火和外籍勞工的悲慘處境聯結在一起。暴動並非異議，但兩者通常有著相同的成因。（黃維德譯）
©The Economist Newspaper Limited 2013
The Economist
Riot in Singapore
Big trouble in
Little India
By The Economist
From The Economist
Published: December 12, 2013
Dec 11th 2013, 6:17 by F.C. | SINGAPORE
IT WAS past 9pm on a Sunday night and time for most South Asian migrant
workers to board the monstrous buses which shuttle them by the thousands
between their dormitories and the neighbourhood they have designated as their
local hangout: Little India. It was all part of a familiar weekly routine at
the heart of the city-state of Singapore.
But soon some 400 workers had massed, illegally, and proceeded through
the streets of Little India as a rampaging mob. They carried on for about two
hours, before the riot police and other security personnel contained them. The
two sides clashed and at least 31 of the uniformed officers were injured – 27 police
and the other four from the Civil Defence. The riot damaged or destroyed at
least 16 police cars, two ambulances and several private vehicles. Amateur
footage showed at least four of the police cars overturnedand an ambulance set
ablaze.
The bonfire had a spark. Earlier that evening, an apparently
intoxicatedconstruction worker from South India, Sakthivel Kumaravelu, had been
removed from a crowded bus. He had been creating a scene onboard the bus,
according to some witnesses. Next the bus driver, a Singaporean national,
turned a corner on his usual route along Race Course Road and heard a loud
thud. Upon halting, he discovered the body of Mr Sakthivel, under the rear
wheel of his bus. Mr Sakthivel had been killed instantly.
The first responders to arrive after the emergency call included two
police officers, paramedics and Civil Defence personnel, who were there to
extricate the body. By then a crowd had formed, and grown rancorous. They began
hurling projectiles, mostly rocks and beer bottles, at the uniformed personnel.
Eyewitness accounts claimed seeing more than ten beer bottles, lit like
fire-bombs, and thrown at the police. All the while Mr Sakthivel's body lay
crushed under the bus's wheel.
Some 300 officers including riot police and a contingent of Gurka
soldiers were deployed during the standoff, arriving at the scene about an hour
after the initial police call. The riot was brought under control an hour
later, resulting in the arrest of 27 people, 24 of whom were charged in court
on December 10th. Another 8 suspects were arrested two days after the riot
after some 3,000 workers were interviewed. Those convicted stand to be caned,
and to face as much as seven years in jail. More arrests are expected to be made through the week, as police investigations
continue.
Most Singaporeans were utterly shocked by the news that came in late
Sunday night; there is nothing to compare with it in their country's recent
history. Singapore's last real riot happened in 1969, almost in another world.
The government has commended the efforts of law enforcers and rescuers,
and at the same time urged Singaporeans to restrain from speculating as to the
riot's causes. The prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, hasset up a committeeto
look at factors which led to the incident, and at how it was handled. As a sort
of stopgap, a ban on the sale and consumption of alcoholin Little India has
been put in place for the coming weekend.
Local media coverage, as well as some ministers, have alluded to the
unregulated sale of alcohol being an important factor. And it seems fair to
suppose that booze served as fuel to help fire up a boisterous part of the
crowd. Yet as an explanation, it offers pitifully little insight as to what
turned some 400 people into a fervent mob. It cannot be ignored that the
violence targeted uniformed personnel, specifically those who responded first
to the accident. Neither the government nor the mainstream media has ventured
to draw any link between the sudden display of rage and the dire state of rights
for migrant workers. Rioting is not dissent, but the two things often share
common cause.
©The Economist Newspaper Limited 2013
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