Little India riot: Police ‘will investigate complaints of abuse thoroughly’

SINGAPORE — The Deputy Police Commissioner yesterday said every complaint of abuse while in police custody will be investigated “thoroughly” and warned of action against those who make false allegations, as a civil society group called for independent investigations into claims of police assault made by some alleged rioters.

The allegations were made in court on Tuesday by some foreign workers remanded following the Little India riot on Dec 8. Calling the allegations of assault extremely grave, labour rights group Workfair Singapore said it is imperative that they be investigated “thoroughly and openly so as to avoid any suspicion of impropriety”. It added that an independent investigator should be appointed.

At a press conference yesterday evening, Deputy Police Commissioner T Raja Kumar said the police take a serious view of all complaints made by accused persons against officers. Should criminal charges be disclosed, action will be taken against the officer concerned, he said.

However, “appropriate action” will be taken against those who furnish false information to the police — an offence under the Penal Code, he said.

“As the case involving the accused (is) currently before the courts, I cannot go any further beyond what I have just mentioned,” said Mr Raja Kumar.

Human rights activists also pressed for the 52 Indians and one Bangladeshi due for repatriation to be given the right to appeal or be put through judicial proceedings.

The authorities on Tuesday announced that the 53 individuals would not be charged in court as their involvement in the riot was “less egregious” — failing to disperse despite police orders to do so, for instance.

Such “arbitrary deportation” raises “grave concerns about the rule of law”, said Workfair, which added that the Controller of Work Passes should not have arbitrary powers to revoke work passes without the right of appeal, or the Police Commissioner to determine culpability.

In an AFP report, Human Rights Watch Deputy Asia Director Phil Robertson questioned why “so many” migrant workers were being deported without a judicial proceeding, while Amnesty International Deputy Asia-Pacific Director Isabelle Arradon said the authorities were “moving too quickly” in dealing with the alleged rioters.

Mr Raja Kumar said laws here provide for the repatriation of those assessed to have posed a threat to Singapore’s safety and security, and that the 53 individuals “satisfy the conditions”.

Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam had said in a visit to a foreign workers’ dormitory on Tuesday that Singapore’s repatriation laws are unlike those in some countries, where repatriation decisions are made in court.

In this case, the authorities had interviewed about 4,000 people, investigated over 400 and settled on 53 to repatriate, “so I don’t think you can say they chose them on an irrational basis”, Mr Shanmugam had said.

Singapore’s current system works “quite well” and society has to decide if the alternate approach — where repatriation decisions are judicial, which would entail different costs and processes — is workable here, he had said.