Anti-NS Riots 1954: 8 Sources

SOURCE N.O 1

Schoolboys Battle Police (13 May 1954) The Straits Times

SOURCE N.O 2

Before Singapore's independence in 1965, Chinese education in Singapore had progressed mainly due to the contributions of rich Chinese philanthropists. Chinese schools were run by governing bodies that comprised of members selected based more on their prestige than their knowledge of running an educational institution. The British colonial government did not provide funding for Chinese schools. When it came to economic opportunities, the colonial government also preferred rewarding English-educated graduates, thereby causing dissatisfaction among the Chinese-educated segments of society.

Before the establishment of Nanyang University in 1955, the highest level of Chinese language education in Singapore was offered by the Chinese middle schools (the equivalent of secondary schools and junior colleges today). These schools were strongly influenced by political developments in China. When China became a communist country, communism exerted a strong influence on the Chinese-educated community

http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1202_2006-07-28.html

SOURCE N.O 3

Retired lawyer agrees to share his view on 1950s Chinese students’ movement

Retired lawyer Lim Chin Joo talked about his turbulent student days to mark the anniversary of Singapore's May 13, 1954 incident. That day, Chinese middle school students clashed with riot police for the first time. The group was making its way to Government House, now the Istana, to hand a petition to the governor seeking exemption from conscription.

http://ifonlysingaporeans.blogspot.sg/2012/05/may-13-1954-breaking-his-silence-on-day.html#sthash.s2ayoqu3.dpuf

SOURCE N.O 4

Thousands of students coming from Chinese secondary schools were very unwilling to defend the colonial government and hence were not present on the first day of the registration. These students, many of whom were aged 20 and above were influenced by communist ideals and on 13 May 1954, 500 students gathered in front of the government house (our Istana as of 2013) to present their petition to the governor.

http://www.thesmartlocal.com/read/5-riots-that-rocked-singapore

SOURCE N.O 5

By July the Singapore Chinese Middle Schools Students' Union had begun planning a campaign of agitation against the government. The Lim Yew Hock government moved first, however, dissolving seven communist-front organizations, including the student union, and closing two Chinese middle schools. This touched off a protest sit- in at Chinese high schools organized by Lim Chin Siong that ended in five days of rioting in which thirteen people were killed. Troops were brought in from Johore to end the disturbance, and more than 900 people were arrested, including Lim Chin Siong, Fong Swee Suan, and Devan Nair. The British approved of the Singapore government's tough action toward the agitators, and when Lim Yew Hock led a delegation to London for a second round of constitutional talks in March 1957, the Colonial Office proposed a compromise on the internal security issue.

http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-11798.html

SOURCE N.O 6