I saw blood in their eyes, Abdul saved me
by Yong Shu Hoong
Aftermath : Two overturned cars at Paya Lebar Road, near the Geylang Fire Station.
Today, 34 years ago, 23 people were killed and 454 wounded when Chinese and Malays fought in the streets. Insurance man Ng Cheng Peng (left) recalls Singapore's worst riots
GOING home after a game of badminton, he walked smack into one of the worst days Singapore has known.
Mr Ng Cheng Peng was among those who came face to face with death when Chinese and Malays clashed on July 21, 1964.
What started as a scuffle between some Chinese and Malays during a Muslim procession to celebrate Prophet Muhammad's birthday led to bloody violence and burnt cars.
Mr Ng, 53, then an accounts clerk with Prudential, was on his way home after a game of badminton with friends in Tanjong Pagar.
"My bus was suddenly diverted so I got off and started walking back to my home in Geylang. No one knew what was going on."
In front of Singapore Badminton Hall, Mr Ng came face to face with a group of Malays carrying sticks and parangs. They all wore traditional costumes.
"Suddenly, one of them came charging towards me. He grabbed me in a head lock and forced me to walk with him. I was in a state of shock.
"But the man then said: 'Jangan takut!' (Don't be afraid). It was only then I realised he was Abdul, an office colleague. I'd never seen him without his office uniform."
Abdul faked the capture so other Malays would not attack Mr Ng.
The two parted company at the junction of Aljunied Road and Sims Avenue.
"As I walked on, I saw a group of Chinese men, armed with choppers and wooden sticks. If Abdul had not turned back, he would have been bashed up by them."
Mr Ng learnt only later from the radio that a racial riot had broken out.
"I could have been killed, if not for Abdul.
"We became very close friends. I kept telling him: 'You saved my life!'.
Unfortunately, he died after a car accident 10 years ago," said Mr Ng, now an agency services supervisor with Prudential.
By the time an island-wide curfew was lifted on Aug 2, 23 people had been .killed and 454 wounded. Police arrested 3,568 people.
Another spate of racial violence broke out in early September. This time, 12 people were left dead and 109 wounded.
Prudential Time Line
THIS was home to Prudential's first office in Singapore - in three rooms of the Mercantile Bank Building facing Raffles Square. The year : 1931.
In 1999, the company will be moving into the 30-storey Prudential Tower at Cecil Street.
-- The New Paper, July 21, 1998
Copyright © 1998 Singapore Press Holdings. All Rights Reserved.
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