CHINESE KILLED IN RIOTS OVER MALAY ESTATE

Grey River Argus, 3 June 1948, Page 6

CHINESE KILLED IN RIOTS OVER MALAY ESTATE

SINGAPORE, June 1. Seven Chinese labourers were killed and 10 injured to-day when tne police with batons charged 200 Chinese in Chan Kang Swee estate in Jementa, North Johore. The police stated the clash began when a menacing mob of Chinese, armed with sticks, stones, bottles and spears, surrounded a large police force when it entered the estate. Malay police, led by two European officers, charged when the mob refused to disperse. There were no shots fired. Only batons were used. The police suffered no casualties, and arrested 11 other Chinese. Europeans recently purchased the estate from Chinese, and had difficulty in managing the labourers, onethird of whom left the esttae. The other two-thirds said they would run it themselves, and threatened all who tried to persuade them to leave. The police sent a large force to investigate the situation. After the clash the police occupied the estate and buildings. TRADE UNIONS BLAMED During a debate on labour unrest, in the Advisory Council at Kuala Lumpur yesterday, the Police Commissioner of Malaya attacked “subversive political bodies”, who were exhorting trade union workers to violence. Last month there were six murders on the rubber estates. To-day dismissed employees set fire to a rubber factory at Senai, 15 miles north of Johore. Two Sikh policemen were killed and nine injured when a truck, which was rushing to the scene of labour trouble at Slim River, overturned in Singapore to-day.