Blog Post 3: Sources for Hock Lee Bus Riots

Number	Type of source	Citation
1.	Textual Source	Stephanie Ho (6 August 2014). Hock Lee bus strike and riot. Retrieved 22 August 2014 from http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_4_2005-01-06.html
2.	Pictorial Source	Rally of bus drivers by union leaders, 12/05/1955. (12 May 1955). Taken from https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRbSu_9dToXiRlQI0MzekSQoCL-hsJhe4SGWeWqiT3ioRHbTV0MNw Taken (22 August 2014)
3.	Textual Source	Liu Hong and Wong S.K. (2004). Singapore Chinese Society in Transition: Business, Politics, and Socio-Economic Change, 1945-1965. Peter Lang Publishing Inc, New York
4.	Textual Source	Historian Dr Thum Pingtjin’s exclusive interview with TODC. Retrived 17 August 2014 from http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2014/02/hock-lee-bus-riots-fact-or-fiction-by-cna-part-2/
5.	Textual Source	Lawrence Loo T.H. (2004) A Student’s Experience During The Hock Lee Bus Riots (Selected History Topics for Pimary Social Studies Teaching) Retrived 17 August 2014 from http://www.hsse.nie.edu.sg/staff/blackburn/oralhistorythe_hock_lee_bus_riots.doc
6.	Pictorial Source	Hock Lee Bus Riot, 12 May 1955 (12 May 1955) The Ngee Ann Story. Taken (21 August 2014)
7.	Textual Source	Lawrence Loo T.H (2004) A Student’s Experience During The Hock Lee Bus Riots (Selected History Topics for Pimary Social Studies Teaching) Retrived 17 August 2014 from http://www.hsse.nie.edu.sg/staff/blackburn/oralhistorythe_hock_lee_bus_riots.doc
8.	Textual Source	Lawrence Loo Teck Ho (2004) A Student’s Experience During The Hock Lee Bus Riots (Selected History Topics for Pimary Social Studies Teaching) Retrived 17 August 2014 from http://www.hsse.nie.edu.sg/staff/blackburn/oralhistorythe_hock_lee_bus_riots.doc
9.	Pictorial Source	Riot Police Attending to Injured Victims at Hock Lee Bus Riots (12 May 1955) http://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/photographs/record-details/35a45dd5-1162-11e3-83d5-0050568939ad Taken (22 August 2014)
10.	Pictorial Source	Bus drivers protesting (12 May 1955) https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQwYNbH4q9cZxkpJkvYuv_u_vsDG0fWHIsBoucFspX8FrrWxjhw Taken (22 August 2014)
11.	Pictorial Source	Riot police on standby (12 May 1955) https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSYkrCNmBvUN7dAkEbAEq3Ds-uidsiTPBqiup8JpOJ47gLpc30Tsw Taken (22 August 2014)

Source 1:

"The riot resulted in four people dead and 31 people injured. Corporal Andrew Teo Bok Lan of the Volunteer Special Constabulary was beaten to death and his car overturned and burned. Detective Corporal Yuen Yau Pang died from injuries sustained after the vehicle he was in was similarly attacked. Other victims included American press correspondent Gene Symonds and a 16-year-old Chinese student, Chong Lon Chong, who suffered a gunshot wound. It was believed that the student had been paraded around for several hours before he was sent to the hospital. By then, it was too late for his life to be saved."

Source 2:

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Source 3:

"Third, the Hock Lee Bus Strike can be seen as a demostration of the dissaisfaction the Chinese-educated community had for the doscriminatory of the policies implemented by the British colonial government. The emergence of the Labour Front gave them an opportunity to let out such unhappy sentiments. Under deliberate provocation and encouragement, the anti-colonialism emotions in the Chinese-eductaed community were intense by mid-1955."

Source 4:

"The Hock Lee Bus Strike, like other strikes in this period, occurred because workers were being exploited and tried to protect themselves by forming a union to negotiate for better conditions. At this time, there were few legal protections for workers. Singapore also had massive unemployment. Employers simply could hire and fire at will, knowing they could easily find new workers. Unions were the only option workers had to protect themselves. But the manager of Hock Lee responded to the union by firing all the workers. The workers were thus forced to strike, or become jobless."

Source 5:

"It was terrible; there were casualties in the riot if I remember correctly. And I felt that they were very pitiful, due to poor welfare of long hours of work and low pay that they received from their employers. There were some students in my school volunteered to help the workers, I volunteered myself as well. What we did was to collect money from other students who wanted to help but were unable to do so since their parents forbid them, so the only way they could help was to donate money. We also collected some biscuits and ration for them and gave it to them when we went onsite to the front gate of Hock Lee Bus Company where the riot was."

Source 6:

Source 7:

"The strikers picketed and attempted to stop the buses from leaving the depots by forming human barriers which cause the entire transport system to be paralysed and also went on a hunger strike. To support the strikers, students from the Chinese middle school came in busloads, and joined the strikers. They organised donation drives, brought food and money, and even entertained the workers with songs and dances."

Source 8:

"The workers joined the Singapore Bus Workers’ Union (SBWU) headed by Fong Swee Suan, as they believed that the union will negotiate better welfares and benefits for them. On April 1955, the services of bus transport were severely disrupted paralysed as buses were prevented from leaving as the strikers formed human barriers by sitting on the ground. Madam Ng also mentioned that the workers had been through hunger strike."

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