Hock Lee Bus Riots - Black Thursday

Black Thursday

On 12 May 1955, later known as "Black Thursday", a major riot broke out in the streets of Alexandra Road and Tiong Bahru. The police tried to break up the 2,000 students and strikers using water cannon and tear gas, but the crowd retaliated by stoning the policemen and buses. Two police officers died as a result, including Detective Corporal Yuen Yau Phang, who was burned to death when the car he was in was set alight by rioters, and Teo Bock Lan Andrew, a Constable with the Volunteer Special Constabulary, who was severely beaten by the rioters and succumbed to his injuries in hospital. Gene D. Symonds, an American press correspondent, was similarly beaten up, and died from his head injuries despite the best efforts of paramedics.

In total, two police officers, a student and an American press correspondent, Gene Symonds, died and many more were seriously injured. The student, a 16-year old from Chin Kang School, Chong Lon Chong, died from a gunshot wound to his lung, the bullet fired at random from the police in a radio car when rioters descended on them. In a Straits Times report, the student was shot one mile away from a hospital, but was paraded around for two and half-hours by the pro-Communist students to further inflame the crowd's emotion. He died before he could receive medical treatment. 31 others sustained injuries, 8 of them seriously.

The police managed to stop the violence by the next morning. Later, Hock Lee Bus Company and the SBWU signed a ruling issued by the Court of Inquiry. The strikers' jobs and pay were restored and they declared victory for their action. Because of the unexpected violence, public opinion became more critical towards the rioters. The then Chief Minister of Singapore, David Marshall, took advantage of this change of opinion and took action. He expelled student leaders involved in the rioting and closed down two schools where the most students had been involved.

The students were defiant. On 16 May 1955, about two thousand students forced their way into the two schools. Anxious parents, friends and supporters came daily to give students food, clothing and mothe pro-communists for the unrest saying, "The pattern of action of the demonstrators conform to Communist techniques." The British authorities were critical of Marshall for not taking tougher actions towards the rioters and strikers. They later rejected his proposal for independence in 1956, claiming that the local government was not able to manage internal security, and as a result Marshall resigned.