If Singapore wasn’t a free port, would it have become a safer but unpopular port? (it might still be a popular port because the location beat other ports. Singapore was right in the middle of the East and West)

1 Why did crime rates increase in early Singapore?

• Increased population

• Free immigration policy- anyone could enter SG, some might have criminal background

• Secret societies

• Weak police force

• Poverty

2. Identify THREE common crimes in early Singapore.

• Armed robbery

• Rioting/fights

• Murders

3. Why was it difficult to recruit men to the police force in the past?

• Salary too low

• Dangerous job

• Long working hours

• No prestige

4. Describe THREE measures Thomas Dunman carried out to improve the police force.

• Increased the salary

• Offered better working conditions

• Instilled discipline

• Drew up patrol boundaries

• Uniforms so that police looked smart and commanded respect/fear

• Pension scheme (retired policemen received sum of $)

• Set up specialised units for different crimes

• Which other organisation did the police force work

  closely with in the 19th century?

  
  

  5. Identify THREE common crimes in current Singapore.

• Outrage of modesty/voyeurism

• Theft

• Scams

6. Is the current police force better than the past? Why or why not?

• Yes, better.

• Larger police force (up to 15 000) that is well-trained, carefully selected, competent men and women

• Community engagement- the police force works closely with the community to keep neighbourhoods and public areas safe and secure

• Specialised units to handle threats like terrorism, bombs and explosives, cybersecurity issues

• Adoption of technology to solve cases, obtain information on criminals/criminal activities

1. What trends do you observe in the total trade of Singapore from 1824 to 1938?

• Trade increased steadily from 1824 to 1923. In 1933, trade declined by nearly 50%. However, after 1933, the volume of trade increased.

  
  

  2. Explain the trends in Singapore's imports and exports from 1824 to 1938.

From 1823-1923:

• increased because early years of founding, SG was a free port that allowed free trade.

• Another reason was the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, this saved time and money and encouraged more trading.

• The advent of steamships was also around this period of time and would have contributed to the amount of trading in Singapore.

• The decline in 1933 was due to the Great Depression that started in USA and affected Europe and Asia. This explains why exports declined because countries were not able to purchase as much goods as before.

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  3. Is the table or graph a better way to represent the data on Singapore's trade? Why do you think so?

• Graph: can see the trend at a glance. Lines tell us if numbers are increasing, decreasing or stagnant. Able to compare the growth of imports and exports easily. Able to obtain figures for each year. Minor inaccuracy- won't be able to get exact figures, estimate from the graph

• Table: can see the 'exact' figures. More accurate. However, the table doesn't show the numbers for every year so we are not able to get info for certain years.

• The EIC did give SG a head start. By making SG a free port, it made SG attractive to traders. Immigration and free trade were encouraged. People could trade without restrictions and diverse migrants contributed to the development and growth of SG.

• EIC also built essential infrastructure like roads, ports

• EIC did town planning to make SG livable for migrants

• The Legislative and Executive Councils ensured that there was law and order in SG

• Bonds, camaraderie, trust and loyalty to one another, sworn allegiance. Helping and supporting one another.

• Important because: secret societies' activities were clandestine/illegal/violent. Members needed to cooperate, be trustworthy to carry out activities successfully.

• Secondly, many secret societies were created based on dialects or Chinese provinces- the sense of kinship, helping 'own' people.

• Thirdly, brotherhood ensured the appeal and survival of the secret societies. If members were disloyal, the secret societies could be destroyed.

2. What strengths or traits did William Pickering, the British protector of the Chinese possess?

• Proficient in Chinese language/Chinese dialects. Communicating with the Chinese in SG, he was able to obtain information about the challenges Chinese faced, secret societies activities etc. Able to help them

• Understood Chinese culture and history. This allowed him to empathise and build rapport/trust with Chinese.

3. What is/are the difference(s) between the secret societies in the past and present?

• Size/numbers: Secret societies in the past were larger, had more members up to tens of thousands. More secret societies as compared to current SG. Today's secret societies have small membership.

• Organisation: Secret societies in the past had strict hierarchy. Rituals were emphasised to ensure loyalty and obedience. Mostly Chinese members. The current ones tend to be loosely organised and can be multi-ethnic; open to other ethnic groups.

• Activities: In the past more violent/illegal activities. Eg. rioting, fights, robberies, running opium and gambling dens, running brothels, control of 'territories' enabled secret societies to collect protection money from businesses. However, secret societies in the past also promoted economic activities because the heads of the societies were businessmen and community leaders. Current secret societies: crimes are 'petty' in nature, fights, drugs-dealing, possibly less violent although fights can result in deaths.

• Popularity/demand: In early SG, Chinese males joined secret societies out of need/support/loneliness or to receive protection. Hence, secret societies played an important role in helping new migrants settle in SG. Today's secret societies are less popular, members tend to be youths.

• With the opening of SG as a free port after 1819- more trade; more ships, valuable cargo/money on ships which were lucrative for pirates to loot and sell.

• Abundant ambush locations like mangrove swamps, narrow waterways, jungles for pirate boats to hide and launch attack on unsuspecting trading ships/boats.

• The local people like the Orang Laut depended on piracy for their livelihood. Local chiefs or rulers did not stop piracy as they benefitted from the loot or money the pirates brought back.

• The Straits of Melaka narrows near SG (only 1.7km wide), was a chokepoint; ships slowed down and it was easy for pirates to attack.

• Monsoon winds or 'pirate winds' brought pirate ships to the Straits of Melaka.

  
  

  2. Why was it challenging for the British authorities to suppress piracy?

• Between 1824-1867, SG was administered by the East India Company (trading company) and India Office/Government in India.

• Funds were limited. Little tax collected as SG was a free port and British authorities wanted to increase immigrants, trade and businesses.

• Police force was small, no patrol boats to deal with pirates.

• Secondly, pirates were 'supported' by local rulers/chiefs whose source of income depended on piracy. It was difficult for the British authorities to suppress piracy if local rulers/chiefs in Malaya 'encouraged' this activity.

• There was lack of legal process/system in place to punish pirates.

• Situation did improve when SG was transferred to the London Colonial Office. More funding, larger police force and patrol boats. The British authorities used steamships that were equipped with guns to strike the pirates. Number of pirate attacks reduced after 1850s.

  
  

  3. What are the impacts of piracy on early Singapore?

• Less trade: more fearful to travel to SG. Loss of properties and lives.

• British authorities had to pressurise local rulers/chiefs to stop their people from piracy otherwise action would be taken against the local rulers/chiefs

• British authorities had to spend resources on steamships, police etc to deal with piracy.

• Situation was dire to the point that traders pressurised the British authorities to reduce piracy.

4. Is piracy a concern for Singapore today? Why or why not?

• Not really. In 2023, there were 59 cases reported.

• Piracy along the Straits of Melaka has reduced thanks to stronger law enforcement, strong governments (Malaysia and SG). From SG, the MPA (Maritime and Port of Authority of SG) and Singapore Police Coast Guard ensure safe sea around SG.

• Piracy isn't a lucrative activity like in the past. It is more difficult to attack ships as they are bigger and well-equipped.

• Attacks tend to be on smaller boats that are low and slow.

• Even so, pirates these days attack on the stealth, at night. They are less violent, just want the goods or money. They do not kill if can be helped. People became pirates out of economic hardship.

  
  

I have read many responses on this:

• Many of you wrote about how inhumane it was to trick/kidnap/smuggle women and girls to SG to be prostitutes: they were humiliated, they suffered, some died of diseases, others committed suicide

• Some of you discussed the moral implication of patronising brothels: should men pay for such services?

• Others wrote about the spread of sexually transmitted diseases

• Some of you argued that prostitution/brothels should not be restricted but can be legalised and registered so that the British authorities knew better about the brothels and could regulate them to reduce abuse

• Some of you argued that prostitution reduced crimes against women

• Some of you argued that prostitution and brothels were a source of tax for British authorities

Coolies were male labourer immigrants who were forced to leave China due to famine and unrest in order to seek a better life in foreign lands. This sojourn was usually temporary as many harboured the intention of returning to China with money in their pockets.

Coolies could be distinguished by two types – “free coolies” and “credit coolies”. The former paid for their passage and decided where they went or what they would do upon reaching their destination. Credit coolies, on the other hand, were practically penniless. On arrival at their destination, credit coolies were required to sign binding contracts with their employers.

Coolies had been flooding Singapore’s shores since the arrival of the British. In 1830, Singapore received nearly 7,000 Chinese labourers during the junk season, which was almost the size of the entire Chinese population of the island at the time.

As the coolies were usually unskilled, they were employed as manual labour in almost every sector from construction to plantation work. They were also hired to take on back-breaking jobs such as rickshaw pullers and stevedores. During periods when labour supply was tight, coolies were highly sought after by plantation owners, merchants and port operators. However, during lull times, coolies were summarily regarded as “destitute and worthless”.

The condescending attitude towards the coolies would persist until Singapore’s entrepot economy took off from the 1870s onwards when plantations and mining industries in Malaya began to flourish. With the tap of Indian convict labour turned off in 1873, Chinese coolies provided a source of cheap labour for these British-run enterprises in the Straits Settlements and Malaya. This led to a surge in demand and resulted in a huge inflow of coolies into Singapore from the southern provinces of Fujian, Guangdong and Hainan in China, reaching around 50,000 annually in the 1870s before hitting 200,000 by the turn of the 19th century.

The rising demand, however, did not improve the plight of the coolies. Whether they were travelling as free coolies or under the credit ticket system, the coolies had to endure a harrowing voyage by sea to Singapore. They were piled into small vessels and herded like cattle across the often stormy South China Sea in cramped and unsanitary conditions.

Their suffering continued upon arrival in Singapore. Some credit coolies were held in the hull of the ships until a contractor or broker for the mines or plantations agreed to take on their debt. Others were confined in dark and stuffy coolie-holding stations.

Free coolies fared better than credit coolies, provided they were not duped by secret societies and ended up in their debt. Regardless, both free and credit coolies led a difficult life of hard labour and grinding poverty. The average salary of a coolie was so meagre it was hardly enough to cover his basic expenses. For example, in 1924, a rickshaw puller made about 20 to 24 Straits dollars a month. As the monthly cost of living at the time was roughly 12 to 14 Straits dollars, this meant the coolie only had eight to 10 Straits dollars each month to remit back to China, leaving him with almost nothing.

1. Do you think this space was occupied by one person or a family? Use details from the photo to support your answer.

• Infer: A family.

• Evidence (details): bed looked big enough for two people. Many items lying around: food, utensils, boxes, sewing machine, clothes. The object in the middle, hung from the ceiling with a spring and cloth? That was a 'cradle' for a baby.

• Explain: The occupants were likely a family (couple and child) since there was a cradle. Many items suggest that more than one person lived in this space.

  
  

  2. What does Source 2 tell you about the living conditions of the Chinese immigrants?

• Infer: Poor, cramped, uncomfortable, possibly unsanitary, unhygienic

• Evidence (details): small window, poor ventilation, little light, walls look mouldy, bed is small, made of wood, bare, no mattress or pillow. No separate areas- eg. food and utensils, near the bed. Baby sleeps with the adults. Sewing machine for livelihood, near the bed.

• Explain: Living conditions not ideal, small space where various activities were carried out. Small windows- poor ventilation which made spread of diseases easier.

Members might have tattoos- identify from arms, backs

Using informants

Secret societies had to be registered with the authorities so the British would know who the members were