35 foreign workers arrested for rioting at dormitory

14 workers charged with rioting at dorm
Bangladeshi men and 3 others from India among 35 foreign workers held
By Hoe Pei Shan, The Straits Times, 29 Mar 2014

FOURTEEN men from Bangladesh were charged in court yesterday with rioting at a workers' dormitory in Kaki Bukit.

Three others from India, allegedly involved in the same fracas, each face a single charge of affray.

The two groups were among 35 foreign workers who were arrested after a mass brawl broke out on Tuesday night at the Homestay Residence Dormitory in Kaki Bukit Avenue 3.

The first group of 14 were accused of having been part of "an unlawful assembly whose common object was to cause hurt" to the three Indian workers.

If convicted of affray, the three from India could be imprisoned for up to a year and/or fined, while the 14 others could face a maximum of seven years in prison if they are found guilty of rioting.

In a statement on Thursday night, the police said the fight took place during the screening of a live cricket match, understood to have been between Bangladesh and the West Indies.

The violence apparently erupted after Bangladesh lost the game.

The police were alerted to the incident at 11.22pm on Tuesday.

Officers from Bedok Police Division, as well as troops from the Special Operation Command and Police Dog Unit were called in.

Bedok Police Division commander, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Alvin Moh, commended his officers for their swift response and follow-up actions.

He said the police "will not condone such lawless and violent behaviour in public affecting the sense of security of the community". "We will hunt down the perpetrators of such crimes and ensure they face the full brunt of the law," he added.

The 35 men were rounded up by the police between Tuesday and Thursday.

The case against the 14 Bangladeshis, aged 25 to 38, will be heard in court on April 14, pending the medical reports of their victims, the court heard. The case against the three Indian workers - aged 25 to 33 - will be next mentioned on April 2.

Investigations against the other suspects are ongoing, said the police.