Singaporean politician calls foreign workers 'walking time-bombs', incites furore

SINGAPORE — A local politician’s remarks have caused uproar after she referred to foreign workers in the Little India neighbourhood as “walking time-bombs.”

Denise Phua, a member of parliament, made those comments during a Parliament Budget debate on Thursday, according to local reports.

Many foreign workers here who reside in the neighbourhood come from parts of South Asia like Southern India and Bangladesh. 

During her speech, Phua referred to the Little India riot of Dec. 8, 2013, during which 18 people were injured. After the riots, authorities had put in more stringent crowd control measures, including cordoning off certain areas to direct the flow of human traffic. Read more…