1964 Race Riots
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[[Image:Kallangracialriot.gif|thumb|right|350px|The start of the July riot on the Prophet [[Muhammad]]'s birthday that would later injure hundreds and kill 23 people.]]
The '''1964 Race Riots''' were a series of [[riot]]s that took place in [[Singapore]] during two separate periods in July and September between [[Chinese in Singapore|Chinese]] and [[Malay people|Malay]] groups. The first incident occurred on [[21 July]] during a Malay procession that marked [[Muhammad]]'s birthday. In total, the violence killed 36 people and injured another 556. About 3,000 people were arrested. The riots are also known as the '''Prophet Muhammad Birthday Riots''', '''1964 Racial Riots''', and '''1964 Sino-Malay Riots'''. At that time, Singapore was a state in the [[Federation of Malaysia]].
==July riots==
{{History of Singapore}}
On 21 July, 1964, about 25,000 Malays gathered at [[Padang, Singapore]] to celebrate the Prophet [[Muhammad]]'s birthday. After the speeches, the procession went on to Geylang. Along the way, a group that was dispersed was asked to rejoin the procession by a policeman. Instead of obeying the orders, the group attacked the policeman. This incident led to a race riot after the group of Malays attacked Chinese passers-by and spectators. The riots were reported to have started at about 5:00 p.m. between [[Kallang]] and [[Geylang Serai]]. A [[curfew]] was declared at 9.30 p.m. to restore order, but in the first day of riot, four people were killed and 178 injured.<ref>Lai Ah Eng (2004). ''Beyond rituals and riots : ethnic pluralism and social cohesion in Singapore'', Eastern Universities Press, ISBN 981-210-272-8</ref>
After the curfew was lifted at 6 a.m. the next morning, the conflict grew even more tense, and another curfew was imposed - only lifted for short periods for people to buy food. The curfew was completely lifted on [[2 August]], 11 days after the start of the riots. After the riots, goodwill committees were set up made up of community leaders from the various racial groups. The main job of these leaders was to help restore peace and harmony between the Malays and the Chinese by addressing the concerns of the residents. About 23 people lost their lives and 450 people were injured during the July riots. There was significant damage to property and vehicles.
About 3,000 people were arrested, including 600 secret society members and 256 people arrested for possession of dangerous weapons. The rest were arrested for violating the curfew.
===Causes===
Different kinds of reasons have been cited for causing the riots. Malaysia Deputy Prime Minister [[Tun Abdul Razak]] blamed Indonesian and Communist provocateurs.
On the other hand, Singapore Prime Minister [[Lee Kuan Yew]] and several other foreign observers attributed the riots as the result of agitation by [[Syed Jaafar Albar]] and other elements of the ultra-nationalist faction in [[UMNO]]. According to the Australian Deputy High Commissioner, [[W.B. Pritchett]]:
<blockquote>"''...there can be no doubt that UMNO was solely responsible for the riots. Its members ran the communal campaign or allowed it to happen.''"<ref>Lau, Albert (2000). '' A Moment of Anguish: Singapore in Malaysia and the Politics of Disengagement'', Times Academic Press, ISBN 981-210-134-9</ref> </blockquote>
The riots occurred during the period when the [[PAP-UMNO relations]] were severely strained after the [[People's Action Party]] challenged the UMNO in the [[Malaysian general election, 1964|March 1964 Malaysia federal election]] with the campaign slogan of ''[[Malaysian Malaysia]]''.
In addition, the involvement of [[Secret societies in Singapore|Chinese secret societies]] in the riots also increased the level of violence.
==September riots==
A second race riot occurred just a month after the first on 3 September. This time, a Malay [[trishaw]]-rider was found murdered at Geylang Serai and his attackers were believed to be a group of Chinese. The race riot ensued in the neighbourhoods of [[Geylang]], [[Joo Chiat]] and [[Siglap]], and another curfew was imposed. In this incident, 13 people lost their lives and 106 people were injured. Under the presence of troops and the imposing of curfews, these tensions eventually eased after a few days. 480 people were arrested.
Both Malaysia and Singapore have attributed the September riots to Indonesian provocateurs. It was the [[Konfrontasi]] period and 30 Indonesian paratroopers had landed in [[Labis]], Johor on 2 September.
==Aftermath==
Leaders in Malaysia and Singapore were surprised by the rapid escalation of racial violence and both sides made frequent appeals for calm. The riots exposed serious racial tension and the fear of further violence contributed to Singapore's secession from the Federation of Malaysia in 1965, when both sides were unable to resolve their disputes.
During the riots, large number of arrests was made under the [[Internal Security Act (Singapore)|Internal Security Act]] (ISA), for those involved in [[Subversion (politics)|subversion]] and rioters who were members of secret societies. This helped to contain the violence, especially during the September riots. ISA remains in force in both countries and is used to counter potential threats of communalism or racial and religious violence.
==References==
{{reflist}}
==See also==
*[[1969 Race Riots of Singapore]]
*[[May 13 Incident]]
*[[Maria Hertogh riots]]
*[[Anti-Malay racism]]
==External links==
*[http://library.thinkquest.org/04oct/00301/project%20thinkquest/pages/p8.html Racial Innovation - A Case Study]
*[http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0205/p07s01-woap.html In placid Singapore, civil disobedience simmers]
[[Category:1964 riots]]
[[Category:Riots in Singapore]]
[[Category:Riots in Malaysia]]
[[Category:Religiously motivated violence in Malaysia]]
[[Category:Singapore in Malaysia]]
[[Category:Race riots]]