We have had several days of furious reporting on the proceedings and
revelations of the Little India riot by the COI. The committee had a
field day expressing great admirations to individual bravery and
frowning at some acts of ‘cowardice’, not sure if this is an appropriate
word to use. And there were suggestions of what would or could be done
better. It was all about how the rioting could not have happened if the
accident was properly handled, nipped in the bud by properly trained
personnel who somehow failed to do so. There were so many
disappointments on how the men in blue handled the incidents. And one
striking moot point was the choice of not firing a warning shot that
could have made a great difference.
Then the reporting in the media stopped. No more coverage. No more
revelations of bravery and shortcomings and misgivings. What happens? No
more COI, or is there an adjournment and we would hear more of juicy
details later on? I am really looking forward to the interesting
revelations and commentaries from the eye witnesses and the experts. And
I must say I am not disappointed.
There was an adjournment and the COI continued with more aggressive
bouts of verbal tussle between the committee and the witnesses.
Yesterday was more between former Commissioner Tee Tua Bah and current
DAC Lu Yeow Lin, a contest between the veterans who have been there,
seen it and done it, full of valour and experience on one side, and top
scholars, full of talent, meticulous and well honed technical skills and
with modern management skill and expertise on the other side.
The veterans believed in actions, go in and get the job done quickly.
Think later or think quickly. The new technocrats, careful, measured,
situation appreciation, considered the lives of bystanders, officers and
not wanting to aggravate a bad situation. It was all cool, calculative
and thoughtful decision making. The veterans did not favour such an
approach. Too slow and could even be the cause of emboldening the
rioters. The new talents disagreed.
How would the situation be like should the veterans be in charge is a
iffy thing. It could lead to even bigger riot or the rioters could
scamper and all arrested on the spot with minimum fuzz.
The outcome could actually be extrapolated from the assumptions of the
rioters. One view is that the rioters are like innocent and nice school
children. If this is so, the aggressive and swift ‘nip in the bud’
approach of the veterans would surely do the job. Actually, if the
rioters were like school children, they could send in a team of police
women, as long as they are tougher than the female bus attendant, would
do the trick. Just give the rioters a few pushes and they will all fall
on the ground.
On the contrary, if the rioters were wild and untamed beasts, like how
they beat up the bus attendant and driver and some policemen, and
burning of police vehicles, a rough handling could actually go the way
as described by the new talents, bigger riot and burning of Little
India.
Between the veterans and the new talents, who is wiser? Which approach
is the better one? Can we develop a computer game to offer the different
possibilities and scenarios and see how they run out?
What do you think?
Failed to fire a warning shot led to the disaster....I remembered police shot a man near station platform some years ago on the ground that the life of the policeman was in danger.
ReplyDeleteMany life during the riot were in danger as well, and why was it justified for a warning shot? I dont understand...
ReplyDeleteTalk cock!!
Said if charged at rioters, fire warning shots will aggravate the rioting.
More burning, and lives lost.
So the SOC trained just to observe and let the rioters dispersed by themselves after burning public and private properties and hurting our SCDF personnel??
What SOC for what??? Waste public funds. Might as well get those tattoo bounty hunters to do the jobs.
Might as well just put ordinary patrol duties policemen.
Learnt from Tee Tua Bah and ex-PRU commanders like DSP Pestana.
Reserved Unit men just wicker shields and batons strike terror on rioters in the 60s and 70s.
Early sixties, our SAF instructors even wore bayonets when they walked out of camps in their uniforms.
Imagine how terror, our first few batches of CAS (NS) Men at that time.
Our own many many times more terror than these Indian rioters. In India, just beat them with the what you called long cane and they dispersed like cattle.
Our previous Sin rioters, tattoos from head to toes including the dicks. 24, 08,18,369 (enough numbers for Thursday Toto 3M dollars draw)and what have you Loh Kwang gangs of chinatown.
Last time they feared number 999.
Now they laughed at this gang of 999.
At Mount Vernon and Queenstown PRU camps, daily riots drills.
Clang clang the bells on the top of the red vans. Men sweating bare bodies forming formations to charge and fired tear gas at the rioters.
Once a while combined drills with the SAF on IS.(Internal Security.)
Now you see SOC men with helmets tipped at one side grinning away. Fat boys with specks)
How to fight the rioters. Present day commanders too complacent. Think riots would not happen in sinkieland.
Don't know what to say!
Some logics do not apply. Whence there were few officers handling a recalcitrant, the Latter got shot when a restraint by a taser would had the job nicely done. But........
ReplyDeletesomeone got shot.
When lives of several officers were great threatened by many unruly people, officers did not fire warning shot nor use their weapons but fled. How to logic out the measures takened at the Two Situations?
With so many of them here and their experience with the long cane, the COI chairman's recommendation is the most appropriate. All policemen patrolling Little India should be issued with the long cane, lathi, to whip them when they are naughty.
ReplyDeleteFrom the COI reports, we know now that those side arms carried by our city's finest are only to be used in a one to one encounter or when opposing forces are about equal, this according to the doctrine ingrained in one DAC who was the ground commander on that fateful night. What baloney!
ReplyDeleteWe can even conclude that he single handily changed the course of history as well as brought the SPF from a proud force to its knees.
He asked a stupid question. "Shoot What?". Nobody asked him to shoot directly at the rioters. All we are asking is for him to display some manner of bravado, draw his revolver and fire a warning shot INTO THE AIR to mean business. No one wants to die! After this warning shot, on the balance of probabilities, the rioters would disperse and run for cover. If any of the rioters advance towards the policemen after this shot, shoot them on the legs. There are six bullets in each revolver and there were 8 armed policemen next to him. All in, he could have immobilized 47 rioters if his small group was threatened with bodily harm. By doing so, Singapore would not have suffered a disgraceful ignominy. All it really takes is to be brave, stand and face the odds, although overwhelmingly. This is gallantry on the field.
Righf bro, even traffic policeman with baton and certis cisco policeman more garang than those regular officers.
Deletestill charged at them and arrested them. Asked to let them go as disgraced regular constables.
Nos called them constables. More apt than officers.
Pai swee only.
Please lah!
ReplyDeleteThe Singapore Police Force is trained to police Singaporeans.
And everyone knows Singaporeans very easy to police and control.
Don't even need a revolver to control Singaporeans.
Just shout "CPF top up", or "subsidy" or "PGP" .... and all the kpkb disappear.
But Foreign Talents not so easy to bluff or control lah!
Riots happen in Sinkieland only once in 50 years lah!
ReplyDeleteSo maybe police no need to waste time and manpower to be trained well to deal with rioters lah.
Or else have to wait 50 years to put training into practice, u know. Don't make sense, tio bo?
Riots happen in Sinkieland only once in 50 years lah!
ReplyDeleteAnon 11:01 am
Tiok. Sibeh tiok. Before Dec 8, 2013, when was the last time a riot happened? More than 50 years ago, tio bo?
Anyone remember how many of them surrounded Chee Siok Chin during one of the protest march?
ReplyDeleteAnyone remember how many of them surrounded Chee Siok Chin during one of the protest march?
ReplyDeleteAnon 11:22 am
Ah, for that they are very well trained because they may need to handle it anytime, not once in 50 years.
Hey, how much cynical can Sinkies be with the Rulers?
ReplyDeleteWhat do You think?
For the past three scores and ten, I have been sleeping soundly at night, safe in the knowledge that there are good and brave men in blue to make sure that there is law and order in our land.
ReplyDeleteFrankly, not anymore with the likes of this DAC around. Now, I have nightmares knowing that such "protocol" policemen are at the watch.
Hi Lao Bey, welcome to the blog. This is the year of the Bey. Stay in good health and sleep well, don't worry. Trust them.
ReplyDeleteIf Singaporeans riot ... very easy to control lah!
ReplyDeleteJust fire a warning shout:
"Repent or there will be no CPF top up this year"!
And all the Singaporeans will quietly disperse and go home.
Wake up tomorrow morning ... go to polling booth and vote PAP.
Foreigners then I don't know lah!
This problem you have to ask our pro alien Millionaires lor.
The PAP government allowed them to come to Singapore.
Then the PAP government have to find a constructive solution.
Some rebels are made head of state. Some rebels are made criminals. People rebel because of suffering, inequality, injustice, etc. Fundamentally, the rulers are the cause because they are all toooo greedy.
ReplyDeletePlease lah.There is no such thing as warning shot shooting in the air.
ReplyDeleteShooting bird or what.
So many hdb and condo around and even if it justify,will shot at kaypo Sinkies watching upstair.
Once pull out the trigger,some one need to be gun down,unless on shooting range.
Actually such case can be handle in a more proper way without using weapon or damage in properties or image being tarnished.
Unfortunately I am not at the scene.
Saw the comment from TR Emeritus.
ReplyDeleteTee Tua Bah was not CP when Mas Salamat escaped. He was retired long before then. He was still High Commissioner to Brunei.
He was also NOT a scholar. He struggled, studied and made it through a Law degree back in the 65-70's. Ex-CP Goh Yong Hong was a few years before him. Also law degree.
The COI is turning into a trial of LHL for praising the men in blue for doing a good job. Now the COI is gorenging the men in blue from the Dep Commissioner to the DACs and putting them in quite a bad light.
ReplyDeleteMust say that praising the Officers before a post mortem of the Riot was very rash and flippant.
ReplyDeleteI urge all Netizens to think of the matter more deeply.
ReplyDeleteThe Commander's most basic stand is treating human lives more important than destruction of vehicles. The ex-Commissioner is trying to overrule this important concept. All other stuff may just be smokescreen to divert your attention.
The authorities are betting that Singaporeans will be on their side to take heavier measures against rioters. Right now, the rioters are foreign workers. Next time, they may be citizens fighting for our rights. Think about it, do you want to give our Police Dogs more powers? Who wants to bet that the greater powers will not be used against Singaporeans?
We see a confrontation between a Commander and an ex-Commissioner. Even if the Commander is a scholar, who do you think is a bigger lap dog - a Commander or an ex-Commissioner? Think about it, do not let your natural dislike for scholar to blind you to the older person who spent his whole life as a lap dog. He may be on a mission to advance greater powers to the police when citizens gather to oppose them.