Hot overcrowded rooms shared among 12 men, unhygienic living conditions and rubbish strewn corridors stank with urine. The uncontrollable outbreak at foreign worker dormitories in have brought the world’s attention on the human rights abuse in the “first world” country.
For decades, foreigners from poor villages in countries like India, China, Sri Lank and Bangladesh are being exploited like colonial slaves to work as cheap labour in Singapore. Earning as low as S$3 an hour, the Singapore government took advantage of their poverty and worked them to the bones. The government’s negligence resulted in the coronavirus spreading like wildfire among the foreign workers community.
The human rights abuse worsened after massive infection were found at the dormitories. Foreign workers are now jailed in their hellhole of a dormitory, and prohibited from leaving the premises for essential purchases and exercises like the rest of the country is entitled to.
20 were illegally confined with no access to toilet and shower for a day, and the Singapore manpower ministry turned a blind eye giving only a “stern warning” to the dormitory operators.
Singapore today have one of the world’s highest infection, at 12,693, and the largest daily increase in Asia. Over 90% of the new cases are foreign workers living in dormitories, and the increase has not come down yet despite government promises to address the issue.
While the coronavirus is nobody’s fault, in Singapore’s case, serve them right. The Singapore government deserves every mockery because even today, the abuse is still continuing. PAP ministers like Josephine Teo should be trialed at the Hague court for human rights abuse and the country should be sanctioned.
Alex Tan
STR Editor