The Hock Lee bus strike began peacefully on 23 April 1955 but escalated into a violent riot on 12 May in which four people were killed and 31 injured. During the strike, large numbers of dismissed bus workers locked themselves in the Hock Lee garages at Alexandra Road and picketed at the gates. On 10 May, the pickets rioted when they were forcibly removed by the police. On 12 May, they were joined by several lorry loads of Chinese school students and the violence that followed led to the death of two police officers, a journalist and a student. On 13 May, the government closed three Chinese schools for a week and ordered the expulsion of some of the ringleaders. On 14 May, the Hock Lee bus strike was settled by government arbitration on terms generally favourable to the strikers.

Read Full Article