Sunday, July 21, 2024

Singapore 60s Out Of Tune 60 Years Ago. Racial Riot @ Kallang Gas Works 21 July 1964.

This story was featured on 23rd November, 2014 during Brian Richmond's 90.5fm radio show, Sundays With Brian during the 'Reminiscing with Andy' segment.

EXACTLY 60 YEARS AGO TODAY.
21st JULY, 1964:

Mine is not a political blog but I have to address this matter because it shaped my mind for later years and because the Velvetones pop guitar band and I were together that day. We met during this holiday and spent our time till late. 

The Velvetones in 1964 and morphed into The Firebyrds [Philips Records.]

Members of the pop guitar band called The Velvetones were jamming at a bungalow in Lorong 39, Geylang that day; the house was diagonally opposite the former Chief Minister's Lim Yew Hock's bungalow on Sims Avenue. This group consisted of our usual Singaporean mix.  We had been practising for a few weeks and I was enjoying myself as one of their many singers. It was the first time that I had joined a band and it was extremely exciting for a 24 year old. 

While we were practising the leader of another Singapore pop band visited us to watch me sing.  Both of us had thoughts that I could join his group as a singer since I had met him some time ago to discuss it. 
The jam session lasted till late evening when we decided to call it a day. Meanwhile there were goings-on in the streets that we were not aware of. My friend only told me when he was sending me home in his car since he did not want to alarm the others during our practice. Although I was living around the corner I took his offer only after learning what had happened earlier.

Quietly in the car he told me how he had to dash through a barricade at one of the roads in Geylang before coming to the bungalow. He was not sure whether it was a police barricade or otherwise. No one stopped him as he sped to where we were, fearful for his life.

When he left me at my home at about 6.30 pm I experienced a strange quiet and uneasy stillness in the air. There was not a single vehicle or human being anywhere near my home or street. It was an eerie, eerie feeling as I felt my hair behind my head stood on ends. I felt as if an atomic bomb had dropped on Singapore and that the whole island had been devastated.  
"Not a soul on earth..." was the thought in my mind.  The whole stretch of Geylang Road, from the Paya Lebar end on one side, to the other where I could see the distance at Lorong 30, was totally empty and quiet. It was truly frightening. And the memory lives to this day!

My family, who were anxiously waiting for me and huddled behind the door, told me that a racial riot had started at the Kallang Gas Works earlier that day. I realised how serious the situation was when I read about it in the newspapers the next morning. The Gas Works was not too far from my home.

We shouldn't, as Singapore citizens, let this incident happen ever again!

On the music scene, the Beatles were hot those years with so many of their songs on the Top Hits list, "I Want to Hold Your Hand", "She Loves You", "A Hard Day's Night", "Love Me Do" and "Please Please Me". 

But the most ironical song those months was Dean Martin's, "Everybody Loves Somebody Somehow." I wish! Ironical it was!

[I cannot remember the details but the story is reasonably accurate.]

Dean Martin: 'Everybody Loves Somebody Somehow'. 
YouTube Video from Dean Martin.

Were you aware of this 1964 Singapore riot? Comments are welcome.
The roads were empty with 
a few bystanders and the police.

Racial riots affected the country as 
people were in chaos and business disrupted. 


Reference:
'The Singapore Story. Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew' 
Pg: 556-559. (SPH/Times Edition 1998).

Images: 
Google; National Heritage Board, Personal Collection.

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not a political comment but more of an understanding of the awareness of things, that the peace and stability of any country can explode to smithereens within seconds, that the uninitiated bystander can be the next unwilling member of the Violent Club and subscription is free. Be not fooled because the actual fee is death.

ANDY: Pop Music Not Pills. © said...

LKY's book on the significance of this particular riot is worth a read.

CHIT CHAT said...

Terence Lee
Sad incident. We here experienced the race riot of May 13.

Andy Young
Terence Lee thanks for comment. Yes those were dark days indeed. Let's hope they never happen again.

CHIT CHAT said...

Peter Cheong
I remember this day v well. All students were dismissed and told to go home
only. As I cycled home the traffic ere chaotic. I learnt a riot had taken place in Geylang area.

Andy Young
Peter Cheong thanks for sharing. Yes, there were other riots too but if it was 21 July 64, it must be it.

CHIT CHAT said...

Ivor Lesslar
I was given a rosary to wear around my neck.

Andy Young
Ivor Lesslar now that's important. The best protection ever. Thanks for the visit Ivor.

ANDY: Pop Music Not Pills. © said...

Andy Young
Thanks Pat and Belinda for liking the band photograph.
An old old one...

And thank you both Ivor and Peter for the comments.

CHIT CHAT said...

Peter Cheong
Andy Young I lived in the Joo Chiat area. The violence I saw is still on my
mind. Thank God it's not repeated.

Andy Young
Thanks Peter for your comment. Yes, we wouldn't want a repeat.

RONALD HO said...

Thanks Andy. School was abruptly interrupted that day. Classes dismissed and students told to go home. I was in Sec 4, St Patrick's. Had to walk home to Bedok corner. By then, our kampong was sealed off by both Chinese and Malay residents and we were told to stay indoors. Our kampong had harmonious residents, and there was no trouble. Over the next few days, I was told some troublemakers from other parts of the island were told by those guarding the village not to interfere as we are in harmony. Such is the fragility of race relations that after August 9, 1965, the PAP government made it their mandate to integrate Singaporeans and never to have race, religion, language split us apart. We were blessed to have leaders with wisdom and foresight.

ANDY: Pop Music Not Pills. © said...

Andy Young
After a band practice and the riot spreads, the streets becomes so quiet... exactly 60 years ago today.

ANONYMOUS said...

If I was born 20yrs earlier I would b the mediator. As a teenager I was the in-between where anyone had got into any arguments.

So this riot was destined to happen even if there was no misunderstanding. It's not supposed to have happened if the mediator had been born.

Every one is parts of a puzzle in the pyramid of life but where we fit in depends on how u shape yourself to fit. The sad part is there are some shapes no matter how hard u change will forever fit into that certain position; if u see the pyramid u know.

If we happen to know very early just serve the purpose to the best; at least the ONE that created the pyramid will know you had been placed u in the wrong position...

CHIT CHAT said...

THANKS TO THE FOLKS BELOW WHO
APPRECIATE THIS POSTING:

Patrick Teng
Stephen Han
Hiroshi Deguchi
Stephen Francis
Colin Colin
Yip Dick
James Kwok
Rose Khoo
Yen Chow
Belinda Poh
Eric Wong
Ben van der Laan-Hatikustia
Roland Shepherdson
Patrick Chng
Somkid Lakhawat
Tom Tan
Kali Dass S
Peter Cheong
Ser Kiong Tan

RICHARD RAJOO [GUITARIST] said...

Those were the times,
Our Parents lived in FEAR for OUR LIVES...
PRAYED, WE UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER BETTER NOW..
LIVING IN HARMONY

MRS DAISY KOH said...

Koh Daisy
I remember too. It happened right in the midst of our O level preliminary exams. We were dismissed after the paper and told to go home immediately in view of the curfew. Buses were packed to the brim. I lived in Lorong 6 then right next to Lorong 4 where the rioting started but thankfully I didn’t see any atrocities on my way home …only heard lots of rumours. We remained indoors.

Thanks to the riots, my job attachment with RTS was cancelled in the next few weeks and I became a teacher instead
🤣

MRS DAISY KOH said...

Koh Daisy
I wanted to be an announcer like the great Mr Larry Lai then 🤣🤣🤣but God had other plans for me
🙏.
Life -changing event.

ANDY: Pop Music Not Pills. © said...


Andy Young
Koh Daisy And you would've made a good one. Yes, it was life-changing. Those were the years when many of us had no choice for jobs actually. Thanks again, Daisy.

ERICBRONSON WONG [HONGKONG] said...

Eric Wong
Yes I mistily remember those terrible turbulent days of terror n riotings I was then just a mere young teeny bopper but my memory recollects those dark n angry troubled moments,, Those days of racial hatred N political upheaval unrest issues happened under the reign of a totally different government,,,

Thank God it's all over now Today Singapore Is One Of The Top N Best Countries in D Whole World,, Hooray N Hurrah For We R All So Very Fortunate Now Living In Peace N Harmony,,,
😊😃🤩😍💪✌️👌👍🎷🎸🎺
☕☕
CHEERS

ANDY: Pop Music Not Pills. © said...

Eric Wong THANKS SO MUCH. Yes, with the turbulent world we are in now and Singapore experiencing peaceful times, let's hope the riot was a lesson learn.

THANKS TO ALL THE ABOVE READERS AND FRIENDS WHO REPLIED TO THIS POSTING.
APPRECIATE THE POSITIVE LIGHT FROM ALL OF YOU.

FRED CHING [CONCERT GOER] said...

Fred Ching
In 1964, when this violence broke out in Singapore, I was only a young boy. When curfew was imposed everyone was ordered to stay home. The one song that lingers in my mind with this tense moment is “House of the Rising Sun”.

Amazing how music takes ya back!
👍❤️🥰..

https://youtu.be/N4bFqW_eu2I?si=ZZPjkaUqPIf3U5_F

Anonymous said...

Andy Young
Fred Ching hi, interesting that you associated a particularly serious incident with this song by the Animals. It must have been playing in the background? But it is a powerful but painful song indeed...

Thanks Fred.

EDDY ENG [AUTHOR, ENTREPRENEUR] said...

Racial Riots

Last week, I saw an elderly man at Mei Ling Food Court doing pushups, stretched atop 2 empty chairs. He was in his late eighties.
When he was done, I approached him and exclaimed, "Wow! that was amazing!"
He lighted up and replied," I'm lucky to live till such an old age. He showed me the reason. Diagonally across his abdomen, was an eight -inch" old scar. He was stabbed 3 times by a mob during the last racial riots. He was saved in time by the warning shot of a policeman. He lives to tell an unsavoury part of our past.

Today, our young school children celebrate Racial Harmony Day. They speak Singlish with a Singaporean accent. Inter- religious harmony and tolerance has been enacted into law. We made it as part of our national pledge...."regardless of race, language or religion." We are no longer shackled by racial politics.

In one generation, we have transformed a mud-land into a thriving cosmopolitan city - a very short time in the history of a nation.

ANDY: Pop Music Not Pills. © said...

Wow Eddy.

You always have your way with words.
A well written account for the blog post; and it’s from a total stranger who told his tale with enough proof of his nasty experience during the riot.

Yes love your second part of the comment too. I wish the younger people could read it too.

Thanks so much...

ANDY: Pop Music Not Pills. © said...


Koh Daisy, surprise! Didn't know you were going to RTS. Would have been different if you had? Thanks for the very detailed and interesting description. Like many of our readers now who never did experience the trauma we went through. You are a treasure trove of memories.

JIMMY CHNG [DRUMMER] said...

Like a couple of earlier commenters, I was in school as well (O-Level/School Certificate year) at the time. We were told briefly about a riot happening and were released early and instructed to go straight home by our teacher. We were either too young to realize the gravity of the event taking place hence didn't feel worried at all. Being far from ground zero was probably another reason.

STEPHEN HAN said...

Singapore racial riot happened when I was 24 years old.
My parent kept me at home.

GEORGE CHEW [LEAD GUITARIST] said...

At 15yrs old I was cycling home 😁
Then haha shouted by the police to go 🏡 home.
I was at Jalan Bahagia off Kim Keat Rd

Anonymous said...

Sec. 3 A at Saint Patrick's School.
😉All of us "kampong folks" young & old of the Kampong Eunos neighbourhood, during curfew hours went about carrying sticks. Some even with knives / parangs to "protect" our kampong.🤪