SINGAPORE — Foreign workers living in dormitories called for more amenities to be built near their quarters and demarcated public areas in Little India where they can congregate, during dialogues held yesterday with Second Home Affairs Minister S Iswaran and Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam following the Dec 8 riot.

At the dialogue with about 200 workers at the Jurong Penjuru 2 dormitory with Mr Iswaran, at least six workers rose to offer their views, ranging from requests for more facilities to fears of post-riot repercussions.

Two workers asked for more remittance outlets near their dormitories in order to alleviate the crowds that gather at Little India every weekend. Workers prefer Little India remittance shops as they offer cheaper rates, they said. One worker also asked for the resumption of bus services from dormitories to Little India.

At the dialogue at Terusan Lodge I — where Sakthivel Kumaravelu, the Indian national killed in the accident on Dec 8 that preceded the riot, had lived — workers rose to ask Mr Shanmugam if street lamps could be brighter, as well as for cable television in the dormitory and for a suggestion box. With alcohol banned in the dormitory, one worker asked if there could be a proper place for them to sit and have a drink.

One worker at Jurong Penjuru 2, Indian national Pichaikaran Raman, said he hoped that Singaporeans would not stereotype foreign workers as a result of the riot, while another worker at Terusan Lodge I, who was keen to seek an S Pass after he upgraded his skills, was worried about his chances in the wake of the riot.

Addressing the workers’ concerns, Mr Iswaran assured them that Singapore appreciates their contributions to the economy and that the law-abiding have nothing to be worried about. He added that the Government has appointed a committee to address workers’ needs and will review their requests.

Mr Shanmugam, who spoke to a crowd of about 450 foreign workers at Terusan Lodge I, said the Government has been tightening the S Pass framework, but this was not related to the riot and did not target any particular nationality.

Mr Iswaran also urged the workers not to listen to speculation and said the Government will release all information to the public after completing full investigations into the riot and the accident that killed Sakthivel.

Construction worker Gnana Prakash, 33, told TODAY that most workers living at Terusan Lodge I were “good” people and that fewer of them had headed to the Tekka Market area on weekends to send money home after the riot, with more heading to Boon Lay or Jurong East instead.