SINGAPORE — He has been working as a construction worker here for the past decade, and days off for Mr Perumal are spent shopping and eating with his uncle and cousin, who are also migrant workers in Singapore.

But in the aftermath of the Little India riot last Sunday, the 33-year-old, like many other migrant workers interviewed yesterday, fears Singaporeans will now view the entire community as troublemakers.

“Most (migrant workers) come here to earn money, and it should be this way,” he told TODAY in Tamil, while waiting for the regular free dinners that migrant workers’ rights group Transient Workers Count Too serves on Rowell Road in Little India.

“Many people are now afraid of what effect the riot has.”

From concerns over how their employment opportunities will be affected, to anger and frustration over the possibility that the authorities will clamp down on their recreational spaces, migrant workers TODAY spoke to condemned the actions of the 400 involved in the riot.

“I’m a bit angry at the bad impression this has caused. Such a thing has never happened in the six years I have been here,” said Mr Ramesh, as he arrived at Isthana restaurant on Rowell Road for dinner.

Indian electrical worker Rajagopal Ramesh, 43, said he “feels very badly” about the incident. “I’m afraid the authorities will now look at our applications in a more different way,” he said in Tamil. “My family, who has been watching the news on television back home, is concerned that future opportunities will be more difficult (to secure) for Indians.”

They also support the measures targeting rowdy behaviour by certain pockets in their midst, including the ban on alcohol in Little India this coming weekend and the installation of additional CCTV cameras in the area — and hope these will remove the pall cast on their image.

According to Mr A K M Mohsin, Editor of Begali newspaper Banglar Kantha, even Bangladeshi workers are worried.

“They are afraid of Singapore thinking they are linked to the incident and are more worried especially since, during the last few months, their work permits have been rejected more frequently,” he said.

Mr Mohamed Juwel, 29, a Bangladeshi construction worker who complained that rowdy workers who drink and fight outside his quarters on Serangoon Road often disrupt his sleep, is in favour of a ban on drinking in public areas.

“If we stop this rowdy behaviour, there’s a chance that this negative image will improve,” he said, adding that most avoid calling the police after the fights have started, as taking statements is troublesome for them.

Mr Perumal also supported a total ban on the sale of alcohol in certain areas. “The best we can do is counsel the other workers to stop being rowdy, but maybe it is a good idea to stop the sale of liquor sales.”