For this aspect, we will be looking at Law and Order under the British.
Read pages 91-103 of your history textbook for the background information.
Refer to the sources provided and select 3 sources each. Note that the sources you select must ALL be different from those that your group members select.
Source A1: An extract from a paper on the Chinese Protectorate in 19th century Singapore
Up to the year 1870 there was no government supervision; "Sinkehs"* were thus left at the mercy of unscrupulous** "coolie-brokers," as they were called. They were treated like cattle, and were called "Chui Tsai" or "piglets". Other abuses, including kidnapping, were also practised. This state of affairs was first brought to the Governor's attention in a petition signed by leading Chinese citizens in 1871. In 1873 another petition for better protection of Chinese immigrants was signed by 250 leading Chinese firms engaged in the gambir, pepper and general trade of the Settlement. Consequently a Bill for the protection of Chinese immigrants was passed in 1873; but it was never enforced because of strong opposition from powerful European merchants.
*sinkeh: term used to describe newly arrived coolies
**unscrupulous: not honest or fair; having no moral principles
Source A2: Adapted from a historian’s view on William Pickering’s term as Protector of Chinese in Singapore.
William Pickering, the first Protector of Chinese appointed by the British, could speak and read Chinese. He was given power to board incoming ships and did much to protect the newly arrived immigrants. Because of his sympathetic approach and administrative ability, the Protector soon spread his influence and protection over the whole Chinese community, and helped settle quarrels over labour, financial and domestic disagreements. This undermined some of the powers of the secret societies.
LePoer, B. L. (1989). Historical Setting. In B. L. LePoer (Ed.), Singapore: A Country Study (pp. 1-64). United States: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, p. 26
Source A3: Adapted from a historian’s view of the role the Chinese Protectorate played to address labour abuse of coolies in colonial Singapore, 2019.
All migrant recruiters and depots of recruiting agencies were licensed. As soon as a sinkeh* arrives in Singapore, he was interviewed by the Protector who would witness the signing of a contract between the indebted coolie and his new employer. The labour contract was then registered with the Protectorate. In 1882 alone, a total of 13,523 such contracts were signed before the Protector. In 1914, the coolie trade was legally banned.
*A sinkeh is a newly arrived immigrant from China
Source B1: An extract from an article about prostitution in colonial Singapore.
Prostitution ruined the lives of countless of women and young girls. Many were either lured under false pretence or sold by their impoverished families. Prostitution was a lucrative business managed by wealthy merchants and the secret societies.
The Chinese Protectorate* sought out victims of forced prostitution and rescued them from the brothels. The rescued females were sent to a safe refuge managed by the Office for the Preservation of Virtue (Po Leung Kuk in Cantonese) where they were taught English and Chinese as well as domestic skills. The refuge home started as a single room in Lock Hospital in Kandang Kerbau before it was expanded to accommodate up to 120 girls. In 1928, the home moved to larger premises at York Hill in the Chinatown area so that it could accommodate more women.
*The Chinese Protectorate was established by the British government to address matters concerning the Chinese Community.
https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/vol-11/issue-3/oct-dec-2015/bodies
Source B2: Adapted from an online article on life in the Poh Leung Kuk in colonial Singapore, 2010.
Life at Poh Leung Kuk* was disciplined, with a strict regime of training and duties. Older girls were taught English and Chinese as well as domestic skills, needlework and childcare. Many were either placed on the marriage list or had to find work to support themselves. The girls were highly sought after as wives, perhaps due to the acute shortage of Chinese women in Singapore at the time. Chinese men seeking prospective brides from Poh Leung Kuk would be vetted by a sub-committee, which would conduct a background check on their character and employment status. Each successful candidate had to also post a bond as a form of protection for the girl he had chosen to be his wife.
*Poh Leung Kuk is also known as the Office for the Preservation of Virtue was established by the Chinese protectorate.
https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1175_2010-03-31.html
Source B3: An extract from an article in The Straits Times on the passing of the Contagious Disease Bill in 1870.
The objective of the bill* is to better the condition of the unfortunate women. The truth is that the Chinese women brought here from Hong Kong and from China are slaves. They are carefully watched in case they become aware of their freedom and privileges. Most, if not all, the Chinese brothers are under the protection and control of the Secret Societies.
However, it cannot be expected that the bill will at once remedy all these problems, but it will have the effect of raising the women from slavery and dare to assert their rights. To liberate them all by force is not practical, it would have caused a riot where all the Secret Societies might unite against the Government.
*bill: a proposed law
https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes18701029-1.2.5
Source B4: An extract from an article about prostitution in colonial Southeast Asia.
In colonies such as Singapore, the issue then was how to legalise and manage prostitution: colonial officials were less concerned about the rights of the women themselves or morality*, and more concerned with preventing diseases migrating from Asian men to European men, with the women regarded as the cause for the spread of diseases. Among the few groups that were concerned about the plight** of the prostitutes were the missionary*** movements and charity organisations that sought to rescue these women.
*morality: distinguishing between right and wrong, or good and bad behaviour
**plight: a dangerous, difficult, or unfortunate situation
***missionary: a person sent on a religious mission, particularly to promote Christianity in a foreign country
https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/vol-11/issue-3/oct-dec-2015/bodies
Source C1: An extract from an encyclopedia page on secret societies
Recognising the positive role of secret societies, British colonial administrators sought to get the help of secret societies’ leaders as middlemen through which they could rule the immigrant Chinese. However, intense rivalries within and between secret societies contributed to a state of disorder with public clashes between 1845 and 1885.
Yet the authorities avoided suppressing the secret societies as they were concerned that this would simply force the societies underground and affect government relations with the Chinese population, until 1887.
https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/history/events/236e6276-e5c1-43ce-b988-bf3a89cf4328
Source C2: An extract from a paper on Chinese secret societies in 19th century Singapore
The intention of registration was to keep the headmen in check and to prevent quarrels from being realised to the full. Increasing governmental control of the Secret Societies stopped the Secret Societies’ illegal activities but loosened the headmens’ control over their followers, so that registration was not entirely successful (to prevent quarrels from happening). By 1887, Pickering thought that the time had come to bring about a gradual abolition of the societies. In 1890, a new ordinance came into force which banned the secret societies altogether. From then on, the secret societies began to decline.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/177895 (pg 32-33)
Source C3: An extract from a History Textbook on the suppression of Secret Societies in Colonial Singapore
Apart from establishing the Chinese Protectorate*, the government also pushed through a law to suppress dangerous societies and make them automatically unlawful. The 1890 Dangerous Societies Ordinance** gave the Governor the power to banish Chinese migrants and abolish any society deemed too dangerous. The threat of banishment was particularly effective as the Qing government often arrested and executed such individuals once they returned to China. Thus, although disturbances continue to take place after the passing of this law, the days of large-scale secret society fights that paralysed Singapore were over.
*The Chinese Protectorate was established by the British government to address matters concerning the Chinese Community.
**Ordinance: a law; an authoritative order
Source C4: An extract from “Safeguarding Every Day - 200 Years of the Singapore Police Force” which was published in 2020
Under the Police Act of 1857, gambling would not be illegal if it took place offshore*, so many boats on the rivers and in the harbours became gambling dens, while on land the gaming houses were often “like little fortresses, with three, four, and sometimes even seven, strong thick doors to break through and concealed holes in the walls for the gamblers to escape.”
In the late 1800s, the police force further clamped down on gambling. The Gaming Ordinance** of 1870 was passed in strict terms. However, by 1886, gambling had spread so quickly that an even stricter ordinance was passed in 1888. The Police Annual reports, however, continued to acknowledge that getting rid of gambling completely was practically impossible.
*offshore: At sea away from the shore.
*ordinance: a law; an authoritative order
Source C5: A collection of various Secret Society chops from the William Stirling Collection.
These seals were used to validate the membership certificates of the Chinese secret societies. Members had to carry around the certificates at all times for identification purposes. The seals were engraved on wooden blocks, then dipped into red or black ink and printed on cloth or paper.
William George Stirling was the Assistant Protector of Chinese in Singapore from 1921 to 1931, and his seal of office can be seen in the bottom right-hand corner.
