S\\\'pore govt finds minor role of a BD worker in riot

The Singapore government has found minor involvement of only one Bangladeshi worker in the country's worse ever riot on December 8 last.
Sources said no Bangladeshi worker was among the 25 persons, charged in the Singapore court for their direct involvement in the riot.
The Bangladeshi worker among a group of 57 others who was deported will be able to return to Singapore after five years. But others are barred from entering Singapore permanently.
"Our workers, detained for interrogation, were released as no involvement of those was found in the Little India riot. But the lone deported worker was accused of staying at the troubled spot despite police repeatedly ordered the mob to disperse," said an official preferring not to be named.
The Singapore minister for home affaires, in his recent statement to the parliament, said within two weeks, 4000 people were interviewed but 400 of them were called up for further investigation. Finally, action has been taken against 295 persons who are categorised into three groups.
In the first group, he said 25 persons have been produced before court for instigating and participating in acts of violence. The second group of 57 workers were declared undesirable immigrants under the penal code for joining and continuing in an unlawful assembly.
In the third group, 213 persons have been allowed to stay and work in Singapore with the assurance that no further action will be taken against them if they abide by the country's laws. These people were present during the riot but their involvement was assessed to be passive and incidental and formal police advisories were issued against them in presence of their employers.
The charge and repatriation against these people are based on evidence from forensic examination, video footage, photographs and witnesses, the minister's statement added.
Bangladesh mission and foreign ministry sources said Bangladeshi workers were more or less aware of the Singapore rules and regulations which helped them remain uninvolved in the incident.
They said the Singapore authorities have taken the incident seriously by bringing many changes in rules but it is unlikely to leave any impact on the Bangladeshi workers if they abide by the country's rules.
The Singapore government considers the riot was the result of an unruly mob action in which vehicles were vandalised following a fatal traffic accident in which an Indian national was run over on the night of December 8.
Officials of foreign ministry and BMET said they are not worried about having any effect on the Bangladesh labour market in Singapore.
They said the Singaporean authorities including the home minister in his statement expressed satisfaction over the role of the Bangladesh High Commission in Singapore which visited dormitories of Bangladeshi workers immediately after the riot.
However, Singapore is likely to bring some changes in its migration policy and laws to abet the law enforcing agencies to control this kind of situation in future. A bill has also been placed to provide police with a special power to take proper measures for maintaining public order and calm in the post riot period.
The new law will also allow police and other agencies to enforce the alcohol restrictions and regulate the movement of persons as the accident centering which the riot erupted was related to drinking. It is found that the Indian worker who was run over was drunk.