1954 National Service Riots or Anti-National Service Riots was a riot in Singapore that occurred in 1954 due to the communist influence. The persons involved were limited to the Chinese students in some Chinese Middle Schools. Most of the rioting students were above 20 years old as their education had been disrupted by war.
On 13 May 1954, students at a number of Chinese schools demonstrated against the British government's decision to make young men, age 18-20, do part-time military service. The students were unwilling to defend a foreign government which in their time of need, deserted them. They wanted to drive the British out of Singapore and with the communist influence the demonstration led to rioting when the police arrived to disperse and put down the riot
The appeal hearing opened on 11 December. Maria stayed at the convent and did not attend. Since early morning, crowds carrying banners and flags with star and crescent symbols began to gather around the Supreme Court. By noon, when the hearing eventually began, the restive crowd had grown from 2,000 to 3,000 in number.
Unbelievably, the court threw out the appeal within five minutes. The brevity of the hearing convinced the gathering that the colonial legal system was biased against Muslims. The riots erupted.
The mob largely consisted of Malay or Indonesian Muslims but local Chinese gangs were also reported to have joined in to attack any Europeans and even Eurasians in sight.
They overturned cars and burnt them. The police force, its lower ranks largely consisted of Malays who sympathized with the rioters' cause, were ineffective in quelling the riots. By nightfall the riots had spread to even the more remote parts of the island.
Help from the British military was enlisted only at around 6:45 PM. Major-General Dunlop promptly deployed two Internal SecurityBattalions while calling in further reinforcements from Malaya. Meanwhile, various Muslim leaders appealed over the radio for the riots to cease.
Reinforcements arrived early on 12 December, but riotous incidents continued on that day. The troops and police only managed to regain control of the situation by noon on 13 December.
In total, 18 people were killed, among whom were seven Europeans or Eurasians, two police officers, and nine rioters shot by the police or military, 173 were injured, many of them seriously, 119 vehicles were damaged, and at least two buildings were set on fire. Subsequently, two weeks of 24-hour curfew were imposed, and it was a long time before complete law and order was re-established.
Summarized Version:
The Maria Hertogh Riots began on December 11, 1950 in Singapore. A court decided that a child who was raised by Muslims should be returned to her biological Catholic parents. When images were pubished showing 13-year old Maria Hertogh kneeling before a statue of the Virgin Mary, a protest by aggravated Muslims intensified into a rampageous riot. In detail, 18 people were killed and 173 injured. Apparently, a lot of properties were destroyed. Eventually on December 13, 1950, the riot ended gruesomely.
After the Riot:
On 20 April 1956, Maria married Johan Gerardus Wolkefeld[, a 21-year-old Dutch Catholic. On 15 February 1957, she gave birth to a son, the first of ten children. However, Maria did not seem to be contented. As she told De Telegraaf, she often had rows with her mother, who lived nearby. She also said she still longed for her Malayan homeland.
Johan and Mansoor began corresponding. In letters both expressed wish for Maria to travel to Malaya to visit the aged Aminah, but such trip was never made due primarily to financial difficulties. Aminah died in 1976.
The life story of Maria took another dramatic turn on 16 August of the same year, when Maria found herself on trial in a Dutch court charged with plotting to murder her husband. She admitted in court that she had been thinking about leaving her husband but was afraid to start divorce proceedings in case she lost custody of her children.
She came into contact with two regular customers at her husband's cafe bar. The trio bought a revolver and recruited a fourth accomplice to carry out the actual murder. However, the last member got cold feet and gossiped about the murder plan. The police quickly learnt of it and arrested all four conspirators.
In her defence, Maria's lawyers brought up her background, which the court acknowledged. With this in mind, and because the plot was never executed and there was no proof that she offered any inducement to the other three, the three-man bench acquitted Maria. Meanwhile, Maria had also filed for divorce on the grounds of the irreparable breakdown of her marriage.
