Malaysia on alert for fugitive Singapore rioters, says deputy home minister
As Singaporean police continued their efforts to identify those involved in Sunday's riot in Little India, authorities in Malaysia are on the alert to ensure no suspects slipped into country.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Wan Tuanku told Bernama that authorities on both sides of the Causeway were constantly exchanging information on security, including blocking and detaining anyone wanted by either nation.
"We have reached an accord with Singapore and Indonesia to give early warning and information on early detection of wanted criminals," said Wan Junaidi, adding Malaysia was doing its part to ensure no fugitives involved in Sunday's riot escaped across the border.
Meanwhile in Singapore, police are interviewing more than 3,700 foreign workers at more than 10 dormitories across the city state. A total of 176 arrests have been made to date, according to Singapore news site, Today Online.
At the Subordinate Court yesterday, 24 of the 28 foreign workers arrested at the scene in Little India were charged with rioting. They were aged 22 to 40, reported to be a disparate group with no ties to each other.
Today Online also reported that police continued with their operations to identify those involved in the rioting, even as Singapore authorities gathered more evidence to ensure no repeat of such an incident.
The riot has been described as the first such outbreak of violence in the republic in more than 40 years.
In its aftermath, a ban on sale and consumption of alcohol in Little India will take effect this weekend.
Police have increased their presence in foreign worker dormitories and areas where foreign workers congregate, including Geyland and the Golden Mile area, and security cameras will be installed in the Race Course Road vicinity next week.
The riot was sparked by a fatal traffic accident involving Indian national Sakthivel Kumaravelu, 33, who was knocked down by a bus which was supposed to have ferried him and other workers from Tekka Lane to their dormitory.
Today Online reported that Sakthivel was apparently drunk, and had been asked by the bus coordinator to disembark from the vehicle as he was causing trouble. However, as the bus turned into Race Course Road, he was knocked down and pinned under the bus's left rear tyre.
According to police, after getting down, Sakthivel walked or chased the bus in an "unsteady manner". He then tripped and fell onto the path of the rear tyre of the bus and was run over, reported Today Online.
An angry crowd then turned rowdy, attacking rescuers and the bus coordinator, a woman. She and the driver, who locked themselves in the bus, was rescued later by the police and Singapore civil defence. The driver, a 55-year-old Singaporean, was however arrested for causing death by negligence. - December 11, 2013.
