Hock Lee bus riots

The Hock Lee bus riots occurred on May 12 1955, in Singapore. 4 people were killed and 31 injured in the violence.

Strikes begin

On April 23, workers from the Hock Lee Amalgated Bus Company began to go on strike. They were members of the Singapore Bus Workers' Union (SBWU) and were protesting against poor working conditions, long work hours and low pay. They also felt threatened by a rival union who were supported by the bus company to counter any labour action by SBWU.

The strike was also instigated by the pro-communists. Singapore had just held a Legislative Assembly Election on April, and the Labour Front led by David Marshall formed a minority government after winning a narrow victory. Fong Swee Suan and Lim Chin Siong, two pro-communist leaders of SBWU, therefore felt it was an opportunity to foster social instability and unrest to discredit the British authorities and Marshall's local government.

The strikers stopped the buses from leaving the depots and crippled the country's entire transport system. In a show of support, students from the Chinese Middle schools came in busloads to joined the strikers. They organised donation drives, brought food and money, and even entertained the workers with songs and dances. Other workers also expressed support.

The police attempted to disperse the picketers many times. On April 27, police tried to break up the strikers and injuried 15 people. This gained more public sympathy and support for the strikers.

Black Thursday

On May 12, later known as "Black Thursday", a major riot broke out in the streets of Alexandra Road and Tiong Bahru. The police tried to break up the 2,000 students and strikers using water cannon and tear gas, but the crowd retaliated by stoning the policemen and buses. Two police officers died as a result, including Detective Corporal Yuen Yan Peng, who was burned to death when the car he was in was set alight by rioters, and Teoh Bok Lan Andrew, a Constable with the Volunteer Special Constabulary, who was severely beaten by the mop and succumed to his injuries in hospital. Gene D. Symonds, an American press correspondent, was similarly beaten up, and died from his head injuries.

A 16 year old student from Chin Kang School, Chong Lon Chong, died from a gunshot wound to his lung, the bullet fired at random from the police in a radio car when rioters descended on them. In a Straits Times report, the student was shot one mile away from a hospital, but was paraded around for two and half-hours by the pro-Communist students to further infame the crowd's emotion. He died before he could received medical treatment. 31 others also sustained injuries, 8 of which seriously.

The aftermath

The police managed to stop the violence by the next morning. Later, Hock Lee Bus Company and the SBWU signed a ruling issued by the Court of Inquiry. The strikers' jobs and pay were restored and they declared victory for their action. However, because of the unexpected violence, public opinion became more critical towards the rioters.

Marshall blamed the pro-communists for the unrest, saying "The pattern of action of the demonstrators conform to Communist techniques." The British authorities were critical of Marshall for not taking tougher actions towards the rioters and strikers. They would later reject Marshall's proposal for independence in 1956, claiming that the local government was not able to manage internal security.