riot
A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people.
Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targete ...
s that broke out in the
Chinese Singaporean
Chinese Singaporeans () are Singaporeans of Chinese descent. Chinese Singaporeans constitute 75.9% of the Singaporean citizen population according to the official census, making them the largest ethnic group among them.
As early as the 10th ...
community in 1956, resulting in 13 people killed and more than 120 injured.
Overview
In 1956, after
Lim Yew Hock
Lim Yew Hock ( zh, c=林有福, p=Lín Yǒufú; 15 October 1914 – 30 November 1984) was a MalaysianDavid Marshall as Chief Minister of Singapore, he began to take tough measures to suppress communist activities with the support of the British Governor and Commissioner of Police.
In September, Lim Yew Hock deregistered and banned two pro-communist organizations: the
Singapore Women’s Association
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borderin ...
(SWA) and the Chinese Musical Gong Society. The Singapore Chinese Middle School Students Union (SCMSSU) was also dissolved.
The riots came about when Lim Yew Hock announced that the Singapore Chinese Middle School Students' Union would be closed due to its communist activities. The government also arrested four student leaders and expelled 142 students.
In protest, students gathered and camped at
Chung Cheng High School Chung Cheng High School may refer to the following secondary schools in Singapore:
*Chung Cheng High School (Main), in Marine Parade
*Chung Cheng High School (Yishun)
Chung Cheng High School (Yishun) (CCHY) is a co-educational government-aided s ...
and
The Chinese High School
The Chinese High School () was an independent school in Singapore offering secondary education. The school merged with Hwa Chong Junior College on 1 January 2005 to form the integrated Hwa Chong Institution.
Founded on 21 March 1919, The Chine ...
. They sat-in over the next two weeks, organizing meetings and holding demonstrations. On 24 October, the government issued an ultimatum that the schools be vacated. As the deadline approached, riots started at the Chinese High School and spread to other parts of the island.
The government decided to take action. On 26 October 1956, the police entered the schools and cleared the students using tear gas. Forced out from the schools, the students headed for the city. They overturned cars and damaged traffic lights, and also threw stones and bottles.{{cite book, title=SINGAPORE From settlement to nation Pre-1819 to 1971, year=2011, publisher=Marshall Cavendish Education, location=Singapore, isbn=978-981-2859-94-5, chapter=8 Over the next five days, 13 people were killed and more than 100 were injured.
See also
*
List of riots in Singapore
The list of riots in Singapore is a list of riots which happened in Singapore.
Singapore in Straits Settlements
Singapore in Straits Settlements (1826-1946)
* 15 – 20 February 1851 - Anti-Catholic riots (1851) Anti-Teochew Catholic riots ...