The Chinese middle school student riots were a series of
riot
A riot or mob violence 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 p ...
s in
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
that broke out between the
Chinese
Chinese may refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China.
**'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
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 Singaporean-born Malaysian politician and diplomat who served as Chief Minister of Singapore from 1956 to 1959. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for ...
replaced
David Marshall as
Chief Minister of Singapore
The chief minister of Singapore was the head of government of the Colony of Singapore until its abolition on 3 June 1959. It was replaced by the office of Prime Minister. The chief minister was appointed by the governor of Singapore. The chief m ...
, he began to take tough measures to suppress communist activities with the support of the British Governor and Commissioner of Police.
In September, Lim deregistered and banned three organizations supposedly pro-communist: the Singapore Women’s Association (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 and 2 teachers.
In protest, students gathered and camped at
Chung Cheng High School 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 Chin ...
. 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 by 8pm the following evening.
As the deadline approached, riots started at the Chung Cheng 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
References
External links
"Singapore - People's Action Party"''Country Data''
(Archived) ''Our Story Asia''
1956 riots
Chinese diaspora in Singapore
Riots and civil disorder in Singapore
20th-century mass murder in Singapore
Student protests in Singapore
1956 in Singapore
Mass murder in 1956
October 1956 in Asia