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Independent Singapore
5 hours ago
- General
- Independent Singapore
Beyond heroism: Sinkhole rescue prompts questions about how migrant workers are treated
SINGAPORE: As the silence of dawn on a typical Saturday dominates Singapore, the morning stillness was crushed when a gaping 3-metre-deep sinkhole swallowed a black Mazda on the road. While speechless bystanders jumbled for help, a group of migrant workers at an adjacent construction site did not falter and immediately lent a hand. According to the latest BBC story, in just a few minutes, they had pitched a rope into the pit and dragged out the traumatised woman to safety. Video footage of the daring act spread like wildfire across social media. Praises were fast — 'heroes,' 'lifesavers,' 'brave souls.' But behind the viral minutes was a more profound, more painful reality about the people behind the heroics. A lifesaving act, a spotlight on inequality Subbiah Pitchai Udaiyappan, the site honcho who led the rescue, told reporters, 'I was scared, but every feeling was that this woman must be rescued first.' Udaiyappan has been working in Singapore for over two decades, and just like the other six men who assisted that day, he's part of the 'unseen' labour force that fuels one of Asia's wealthiest countries. They are the migrant workers who've reached over a million and mostly come from nations such as India, Myanmar, and Bangladesh, to take on the roughest, least wanted jobs in shipping, manufacturing, and construction. See also Pritam Singh updates: Another $700K paid to lawyers for AHTC trial While the city-state's luminous horizon and economic strength have been built on their backs, their existence remains a world apart. They reside in jam-packed dorms far from the city's suburban areas, are paid as little as S$300 per month, and are habitually conveyed in the back of open-air trucks — a mode of transport that has been associated with numerous losses of lives in recent years. As the image of the valiant rescue disappears into the next news series, the country found itself wrestling again with an ancient question – 'Why is it that the people Singapore relies on in its most defenceless moments are treated as 'throwaways' the rest of the time?' Gratitude or tokenism? In the days ensuing the tragic episode, Singaporean bureaucrats presented the seven men with commemorative coins as awards to acknowledge their valour and daring. Some commended the gesture. Others saw it as a bare minimum. 'No amount of 'thanking' them for their heroism should excuse the exploitative economic model that oppresses them every day to sustain the lives we live in Singapore,' wrote activist Suraendher Kumarr. Such sentiment reverberated online. While a few Singaporeans called for monetary compensation or even perpetual residency for the workers, others pushed back, contending that Singapore provides several prospects and better opportunities compared to their home countries, which should be enough. A Redditor bluntly snapped: 'I spoke to one slave recently and he was full of praise for his master… This is what you would sound like in the American South circa 1860.' Another netizen defended local treatment of workers, saying, 'Their pay is equivalent (or more) than a university grad back in their country… Our treatment towards them needs the change, not the pay.' It's a discussion that's long festered in the city-state: 'Is offering economic opportunity sufficient when the structure still downgrades the very people society hinges on?' Beyond the headlines Some Singaporeans attempted to go beyond giving applause. The non-profit 'It's Raining Raincoats' raised more than S$72,000 to recompense the seven men in the sinkhole rescue. Advocacy groups have introduced writing workshops, art expositions, and cultural interactions and conversations to bridge the social divide. Thus far, total change remains vague. Work permit holders — unlike overseas professionals — have no route to permanent residency, irrespective of how long they've been staying in the country. They can't even tie the knot with Singaporeans without government consent. The rulebooks mirror a vital rift — they are here to work, not to belong. For a brief moment, these workers were heroes. But if Singapore is to truly honour them, it will take more than celebratory coins and social media thumbs up. It will take a change in policy making, challenging prejudices, and building a society where every individual — notwithstanding where they come from or how they got to Singapore — is treated with respect. Because occasionally, the marginalised people are the very ones who hold the centre together.
BBC News
13 hours ago
- BBC News
How a sinkhole revived a debate about migrant workers' rights in Singapore
When a 3m (10ft) deep sinkhole on a busy Singapore road swallowed a black Mazda on Saturday, a group of workers at a nearby construction site sprung into a rope from their work site, they tossed it into the sinkhole to the female driver, who had by this time made her way out of the under five minutes, they managed to pull her to safety."I was scared, but every feeling [sic] was that this woman must be rescued first," construction site foreman Suppiah Pitchai Udaiyappan later told of the incident quickly went viral on social media, with many hailing the workers as heroes. Mr Udaiyappan is a "migrant worker" - a term used in Singapore to describe the 1.17 million labourers who come to the wealthy city state from lower-income countries like Bangladesh, India and Myanmar.A vast majority of them work low-paying and labour intensive jobs that Singaporeans is not the first time migrant workers have served as first responders to save lives in Singapore. In April, four of them helped rescue children trapped in a shophouse after a fire broke recent actions have revived a debate on the rights – or lack thereof – of low-wage labourers in Singapore. Singapore's fast-growing economy is built on the backs of these workers who make up nearly three quarters of the country's foreign workforce. Many of them work in sectors like construction, marine shipyards and manufacturingWhile Singapore has no minimum wage, the workers earn as little as S$300 ($233; £175) a month according to advocacy groups, and they live in crowded dormitories that are often situated away from residential areas. Yet they are often subject to abuses by recruitment agencies and their employers, including overwork, unpaid labour and poor living conditions. These issues are well-documented, but activists say little has changed over the years."Today, you celebrate them. Tomorrow, you will go back to generalising them as cheats, liars and dirty," social worker Suraendher Kumarr wrote on Instagram, in response to the sinkhole the Covid pandemic in 2020, their living conditions were laid bare after worker dormitories emerged as a virus hotbed, with hundreds of workers testing positive daily. It sparked a public discussion about their conditions - which advocates had for decades warned about – and authorities later took action to improve dormitory persistent issue, on which the sinkhole incident has again cast a spotlight, is the use of flat-bed trucks to ferry these workers."There is something poignantly poetic about the fact that migrant workers, likely transported on the backs of lorries, went out of their way to save a Singaporean in her car," said Mr Kumarr, who is a member of rights group Workers Make laws prohibit people from travelling on the cargo decks of such trucks – except in medical emergencies. But it is allowed if they are employed by the owners of the as many as 12 workers get packed into the back of a flat-bed truck with no seatbelts on. This is an economical option for many employers who also use the trucks to transport goods. But this has led to multiple accidents, some involving deaths. In April 2021, two foreign workers died and more than a dozen were wounded after the lorry they were in crashed into a stationary flat-bed truck. In 2024, at least four workers were killed and more than 400 injured in similar accidents. Activists have long lobbied to ban this mode of transportation – the issue has also been debated time and again in parliament – but little has Singapore government repeatedly says that while it has been encouraging companies to transport workers on buses, an outright ban on such trucks is not feasible for small businesses."Many of them could be forced to shut down, causing workers, both local and foreign, to lose their jobs," a senior minister of state told parliament in February."It will also lead to delays for critical projects like [public housing], schools, hospitals and [train] lines, and result in higher costs for Singaporeans."Activists criticise authorities for reducing the workers' rights to mere economic considerations, noting that other countries that rely heavily on migrant workers, including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, have outlawed transporting people on levies collected from foreign workers could be used to subsidise other modes of transport without passing costs on to businesses and consumers, Mr Kumarr government's rhetoric "preserves the status quo [and] places disproportionate power in the hands of employers, over the lives and livelihoods of migrant workers," said Jaya Anil Kumar, senior researcher with the Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics, another organisation that advocates for migrants' rights.A ban on lorry rides is just one in a list of changes advocates have been calling for, which include a living wage, stronger whistleblower protections, and subsidised dedicating decades of their lives to Singapore, these workers also have no way of putting down roots because of the type of work permit they hold, which are different from that of foreign professionals and cannot qualify for permanent residency, no matter how long they've worked in the country. Mr Udaiyappan, who directed last weekend's sinkhole rescue effort, for example, has been working here for 22 permit holders also need government approval to marry Singaporeans - another issue activists have highlighted for years. "Legislative change has been slow as there has been insufficient political will to enact impactful change," Ms Anil Kumar said. Recognition or tokenism? Earlier this week, authorities presented the seven workers involved in the sinkhole rescue with commemorative coins, with a minister of state describing their actions as "a very good example of how migrant workers help society in general". But many have criticised the move as tokenism. "No amount of 'thanking' them for their heroism should excuse the exploitative economic model that oppresses them every day to sustain the lives we live in Singapore," said Mr echoed these thoughts on social, saying the men deserved more acknowledgement. Some called for them to be granted monetary rewards and even permanent manpower ministry said in a statement to the BBC that it is "encouraged to receive feedback calling for more forms of appreciation" for migrant workers but did not address the specific suggestions raised."Their everyday acts of care and bravery deserve to be acknowledged and celebrated as part of who we are as a community," the ministry's spokesman said in response to rights group Its Raining Raincoats has raised S$72,000 ($55,840; £41,790) from its own fundraiser, which will be divided equally among the seven men."So many times, we have seen how these migrant workers risk their own lives to rescue many citizens, including children, from dangerous situations," said AKM Mohsin, who runs an activity centre for Bangladeshi workers in central Singapore."They make the news and are held up as excellent examples of humanitarian work, but their own humanity and human rights are constantly being violated at their workplaces, in how they are transported, and how they live," Mr Mohsin there has been an increased awareness around migrant workers issues over the years. Advocacy groups and the government have organised activities that bring workers and the broader community together. Mr Mohsin, for instance, runs a space for migrant workers to write, dance, and play music – Singaporeans have helped translate and publish their works, and often provide an audience for their some activists say most in the country still see migrant workers as a class that is separate and inferior to the local community. Many live and work in industrial areas that are often further away from the city's residential regions. In 2008, some 1,400 residents in Serangoon Gardens, an upper middle-class neighbourhood, petitioned against the construction of a migrant worker dormitory near their placate them, authorities reduced the size of the dormitory and built a separate road for workers to access the dormitory."We basically see them as a different class of people. We expect to be served by them and believe that is the reason they are here," said Alex Au, vice president of advocacy group Transient Workers Count Too."Servants are supposed to leap to the aid of their masters."
Malay Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Migrant workers who rescued driver from Singapore's Tanjong Katong sinkhole invited to Istana open house
SINGAPORE, July 31 — The seven migrant workers who helped rescue a woman from a sinkhole along Tanjong Katong Road South have been invited to meet President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the Istana. According to CNA, the President's Office said it had invited the workers, along with other guests, to the Istana open house this Sunday. The workers are site foreman Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah, 47, his colleagues Velmurugan Muthusamy, 27; Poomalai Saravanan, 28; Ganesan Veerasekar, 32; Bose Ajithkumar, 26; Narayanasamy Mayakrishnan, 25; and Sathapillai Rajendran, 56. 'There will be opportunities for interaction between the guests — including the migrant workers — and the president during the Istana open house,' the President's Office said. The incident occurred last Saturday when a sinkhole opened up near an active PUB construction site, where workers were building a 16-metre-deep shaft to connect three sewer lines. According to the national water agency, a concrete component in the shaft failed around 5.50pm, causing a nearby section of road to collapse and a car to fall in. Subbiah and his team quickly jumped into action, using a rope to pull the woman to safety within minutes. Their swift response has drawn widespread praise, including from President Tharman. 'Bravo! Thanks to the migrant workers led by foreman Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah. They moved quickly and with courage,' he said in a Facebook post. On the same evening, all seven men were awarded a Friends of ACE appreciation coin by Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash. The token — named after the Ministry of Manpower's Assurance, Care and Engagement (ACE) Group — is given to migrant workers who show public-spiritedness, courage or initiative during emergencies. While some on social media questioned whether the coin alone was sufficient recognition, the ministry said it welcomed public feedback and was encouraged by calls for more ways to honour the workers. Meanwhile, migrant worker charity ItsRainingRaincoats said on Wednesday it had reached its donation campaign target of S$70,000 (RM230,000) for the seven men. The campaign raised S$72,241 from 1,639 donors. The funds will be divided among the workers and transferred to their bank accounts.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Foreign workers who rescued woman from sinkhole given tokens of appreciation
SINGAPORE – Seven foreign workers who rescued a woman from a sinkhole along Tanjong Katong Road South on July 26 were given tokens of appreciation on the night of July 27. Mr Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah, Mr Velmurugan, Mr Saravanan, Mr Veerasekar, Mr Ajithkumar, Mr Chandirasekaran and Mr Rajendran each received a coin from the Ministry of Manpower's Assurance, Care and Engagement (ACE) Group. Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash gave the Friends of ACE coins to the workers personally when he visited them at their dormitory on July 27, he said in a Facebook video on July 28. The coins, which are presented in red boxes, are similar to certificates of commendation. In April, four construction workers involved in saving children from a River Valley shophouse fire also received these coins for their efforts. A section of Tanjong Katong Road South collapsed at around 5.50pm on July 26. It caused two lanes of the road to cave in, just adjacent to a PUB worksite. A woman and the black car she was driving fell into the sinkhole when the ground suddenly gave way under the vehicle. The workers, who were at the worksite, pulled the female driver to safety using a nylon rope. Mr Dinesh said in the Facebook video: 'All of them have, in their own ways, leaned forward to support the lady who was in need, and that made a big difference to a situation that would have otherwise been very different.' He added that the coins were a small token of appreciation for the workers, who have travelled very far from home to 'not only build Singapore, but also to make sure that when they are required, they step forward and they can help others as well'. Mr Dinesh commended the seven workers for reacting quickly, moving forward to help the driver and stopping traffic to prevent further incidents from taking place. 'Not only do (these migrant workers) work in the worksites and build Singapore – especially in the construction sector, but they also step forward and make themselves counted when it's important for them to do so,' he added. Mr Subbiah, a 46-year-old construction site foreman at Ohin Construction, had told the media that he and his colleagues saw the female driver fall into the sinkhole and wanted to help her as quickly as possible. He noted that one of his colleagues wanted to go down to help her, but Mr Subbiah advised him against doing so as he was worried they would not be able to climb out. He then instructed a group of workers to toss the woman a nylon rope so that they could pull her out. The entire rescue effort lasted three to five minutes. The woman was taken conscious to hospital. On the evening of July 26, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said on Facebook that the driver was rescued by workers before SCDF arrived at the scene. 'We will be reaching out to the workers to commend them for their bravery and prompt action in saving a life,' it added. The Straits Times has contacted SCDF for more information. Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction Discover how to enjoy other premium articles here
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Singapore migrant workers hailed as heroes for saving woman from sinkhole
Four migrant workers in Singapore are being hailed as heroes for saving a woman after her car fell into a sinkhole over the weekend. The black Mazda toppled and became trapped after a sinkhole suddenly appeared on the Tanjong Katong Road in eastern Singapore on Saturday afternoon. Construction foreman Pitchai Udaiyappan Subbiah and three crew members were working nearby when they heard a loud noise and rushed to the spot. 'There was one car, and one woman was inside the car. I was thinking, somebody fell inside, I want to help,' Mr Subbiah, who spoke in Tamil, told reporters. Mr Subbiah and his crew used a nylon rope to pull the woman out of the car in under five minutes before the hole filled with water. 'One of my workers wanted to go down and help her, but I said they (wouldn't be able to) climb out. So, I told them to throw (her) the rope first,' he was quoted as saying by Malay Mail. "Someone had fallen in. We were determined to save her as fast as possible. That was the goal. We saved a life … whatever happens, that is all that matters.' The woman was taken to hospital by local authorities. Mountbatten MP Gho Sze Kee said the woman was 'ok sans some shoulder pain, which the medical professionals have assessed to be muscular". The Mazda was lifted out of the sinkhole with the help of a crane on Sunday. Singapore's national water agency, PUB, initially stated that the Civil Defence Force had carried out the rescue and rushed the woman to hospital. But netizens quickly pointed out that a video from the scene showed the migrant workers were the first responders. "Let's give credit where it's due. Migrant workers are generally invisible but in moments of bravery and selfless action they should be acknowledged," one of the top comments on PUB's Facebook post on the sinkhole read. 'Salute to the brave and fast-acting workers,' read another. Following the backlash, the water agency, in an updated statement on Sunday, acknowledged and showed appreciation for the "quick actions by the workers on-site who pulled the driver of the vehicle out of the sinkhole". Goh Pei Ming, MP for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, acknowledged the woman was rescued by the workers. The Civil Defence Force said the authorities would reach out to the workers "to commend them for their bravery and prompt action in saving a life". The water agency said recovery works at the site were ongoing and updates would be provided when ready. "The sinkhole has been filled with liquefied stabilised soil to further stabilise the area, after which road reinstatement works will commence,' it said on Monday. "As a precautionary measure, PUB will be calling a safety time-out to review and ensure the safety of similar sewer construction works across Singapore.' Last year, an Indian tourist vanished into a sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vijaya Lakshmi Gali, 48, fell into the 8m-deep sinkhole on 23 August while walking to a temple in the Masjid India district. The search for her was called off in September.
