Certis officer Nathan Chandra Sekaran, then 34, was surrounded by hundreds of rioters, who were so close he could smell the stench of alcohol on their breaths.
"They were chanting in Tamil, 'Kill the woman, burn the bus," he said.
"They told me to leave and said they didn't want to have a problem with me because I was Indian. But how could I? I told them it was my duty to protect that woman, so I could not go." That night, several hundred migrant workers had surrounded a private bus that had run over and killed Mr Sakthivel Kumaravelu, 33, a construction worker from Tamil Nadu in India.
The rioters blamed the bus timekeeper, Madam Grace Wong Geck Woon, and the bus driver, Mr Lee Kim Huat, for the man's death. They wanted to attack the duo as they holed up inside the bus.
The rioters were especially upset with Madam Wong, because of a rumour she had pushed Mr Sakthivel off the vehicle.
As a timekeeper, she was responsible for the movement of buses transporting foreign workers from Little India to their dormitories in Jalan Papan in Jurong.
Corporal Nathan, now 44 and a Certis officer of more than 13 years, remembered glass shards and debris falling out as he unbuttoned his uniform after the riot.
Earlier that day, the Malaysian had reported for his shift at Little India. It was a volunteer shift on top of his usual duties at hospitals.
He did this every weekend, to educate foreign workers about Singapore's laws while patrolling Little India.
Just before 9.30pm, he was in Race Course Road near the junction of Hampshire Road when he and his colleagues saw an oddly parked bus in the middle of the road.
He said a rowdy crowd had surrounded the vehicle, alarming the Certis teams there.
Denne historien er fra December 03, 2023-utgaven av The Straits Times.
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Denne historien er fra December 03, 2023-utgaven av The Straits Times.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Response to retention of Siglap block shows everyday buildings have value
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Remains of climber who went missing 100 years ago found on Everest
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From timber to tech Sibu's spotty transition to joining Sarawak's booming economy
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Two Singaporeans among six opera performers arrested in Penang
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Woman in Russian tank factory sent to penal colony for selling info to Ukraine
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Malaysians capitalising on stronger ringgit to buy gadgets
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