53 foreign workers to be repatriated

[SINGAPORE] A total of 53 foreign workers will be sent back home for their involvement in the Dec 8 Little India riot, said the Ministry of Home Affairs yesterday.

One Bangladeshi and 52 Indians will be repatriated and prohibited from returning to Singapore; this is in addition to the 28 charged in court for their active participation in the unrest.

The Business Times understands that repatriation costs will be borne by the workers' employers. The 53 were employed by 48 different companies in Singapore and half of them worked in the building and construction sector. The majority have been here for less than five years and were on Work Permits; only one was on an employment pass.