Little India riot COI: Driver did not switch on monitor for CCTVs

The driver of the bus that ran over an Indian foreign worker and triggered a riot in Little India has revealed that he did not switch on the monitor linked to the CCTVs on the night of the accident.

Speaking on the second day of a Committee of Inquiry (COI) hearing into December's Little India riot, Lee Kim Huat, 55, said he typically did not turn on the monitor as it would create a glare.

Instead, he relies on the mirrors on the bus.

Lee, who has been driving workers to and from Little India on Sundays for the past 12 years, was taking the stand for the first time on Thursday.

A translator was engaged as the driver testified in Hokkien. Despite that, the witness often appeared to be confused and required questions to be repeated several times during the hearing.

Lee also told the committee that he did not see the deceased, Sakthivel Kumaravelu, 33, during the time the bus was making a turn.

Lee said that after Sakthivel, who was drunk, was told to get off the bus by the bus’ timekeeper, the worker alighted voluntarily. The bus filled up moments later.

“As I was about to drive off, I noticed the drunk Indian worker [the deceased] walking along the left side of Tekka Lane. He did not go up the pavement, and appeared to be walking in the direction of Race Course Road,” he recounted.

Lee added, “I drove very slowly as the road was narrow and there were a lot of people walking around.”

As the driver was driving along Tekka Lane towards a junction with Race Course Road, he noticed Sakthivel again and drove past him on his right.

“When my bus was about two bus-lengths from Race Course Road, I noticed the said Indian worker at the door of the bus waving his hands at me, appearing to signal for me to stop. I waved at him to indicate that the bus was full and that I would not stop for him. Then, I carried on driving towards Race Course Road and drove past him in the process,” Lee said.

He told the committee that was the last time he saw the deceased.

Lee said that he slowed down to halt at the stop line at the end of Tekka Lane, where it intersects with Race Coruse Road and proceeded to look to his right to check for oncoming traffic as he was preparing to make a left turn onto Race Course Road.

As the traffic on my right was clear, he made a quick glance at the left mirror and proceeded to make the turn, he added.

The driver told the committee that as he was completing the turn, he felt a bump coming from the left side of the bus.

He stopped the bus immediately and got off to take a look.

That's when he saw Sakthivel lying under the bus.

An accident reconstruction expert said on Wednesday’s hearing that the deceased was in the driver's blind spot during the critical moments when he was chasing after the bus.

However, the expert said that Sakthivel would have still been visible on the monitor linked to the bus’ CCTVs.

When asked by the committee on Thursday whether he would have noticed the deceased had he switched on the monitor, Lee noted that his attention was focused on the many people in front of the bus who were crossing the road.

During the first day of the inquiry on Wednesday, the accident reconstruction expert acknowledged many demands placed on the bus driver on the night of the accident including navigating the congested area.

He added that images on the monitor were also small, measuring 4.3cm by 7.65cm per screen, and there was glare from the headlights from surrounding vehicles.

More drunken workers: timekeeper

Earlier on Thursday, the female bus timekeeper in charge of the bus, Wong Geck Woon, also revealed during the hearing that there had been more drunken workers in Little India compared with two years ago.

The 38-year-old part time bus coordinator noted that there were many incidents of drunken Indian workers vomiting and urinating inside the bus.

Thus, it had been agreed among bus drivers that they would not ferry drunken workers about two years ago, a point also confirmed by Lee.

“I turned away more Indian workers for drunkenness recently as compared to two years ago,” she said.

Wong added, "Nowadays, almost every shop sells liqour -- even those selling vegetables and groceries."

However, she told the committee that the workers were generally well-behaved, which is also agreed by Lee.

No manhandling of dead worker

Wong also revealed that some workers had told her that Sakthivel had jumped to queue to board the bus on the night of the riot.

The workers told her that was not fair and that he was drunk.

Wong said that the bus driver also told her that Sakthivel had pulled his trousers down, after which Wong sought the help of a worker to get on the bus to check if the deceased had indeed pulled his pants down.

After the worker's confirmation, she went up the bus, told him to pull up his pants and asked him to debus.

A video that was played during the hearing showed Sakthivel appearing to fall on the steps as he alighted from the bus.

But Wong said she did not push or touch the deceased, a point reiterated by the bus driver. It's not immediately clear why he fell.

On Wednesday, the committee heard and saw a video of Sakthivel chasing the bus after alighting and that he was run over after falling directly into the path of the bus.

A pathologist and toxicologist also revealed they found the presence of 217mg/100ml of ethanol in Sakthivel's post-mortem sample of blood -- enough for an average person to be moderately to severely intoxicated.

The fatal accident triggered Singapore's first riot in over 40 years. 54 first responders from the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) were injured while over S$650,000 worth of damage was inflicted on government vehicles and equipment at the scene.

The ongoing hearing will take place over at least four weeks, after which the COI will submit its report to the Minister of Home Affairs within six months of the inquiry.

Related stories:
Video of accident shows Indian worker's final moments
Temporary law to maintain public order in Little India passed
No offence committed by Little India riot bus driver: AGC
PM Lee orders Committee of Inquiry on Little India riot