More than two months after a riot erupted in Singapore’s Little India district, the authorities are still refusing to take chances.

Migrant workers queuing for shuttle buses to their dormitories are under surveillance by police officers, as well as auxiliary and riot police. Three riot vans are parked along the side of the road.

Tempers flared on the night of Dec 8 when a bus accident caused the death of migrant worker Sakthivel Kumaravelu. The situation quickly escalated to a point where vehicles were torched and first responders were pelted with stones and glass.

By the end of the night, 25 emergency vehicles had been damaged, and 39 police, civil defence and auxiliary officers injured. Official estimates say about 400 people, most of them migrant workers, were involved in the riot.

The riot - the country's first in over four decades - was quickly quelled, and offenders punished. Some 25 people face rioting charges, while 57 have been deported to their countries of origin. But the after-effects can still be felt.

Little India, a hub for South Asian migrant workers in living in Singapore, has now been designated a ‘special zone’. The workers’ shuttle bus service has been cut short by two hours, requiring many to head home early.

Restrictions on the sale and consumption of alcohol have also been put in place. Alcohol can no longer be consumed in public on weekends or the night before or on a public holiday. On those days, licensed retailers are banned from selling alcohol from eight in the evening until six the next morning.

The measures have had a big impact on the area.

“It’s very quiet,” said shopkeeper Raja Subbayan. “The crowd is coming back, but now they don’t take so much alcohol. We used to earn up to S$5,000 to S$6,000 (US$3,950 to US$4,740) every weekend, but now we only get S$800 to S$2,000. Sometimes we cannot cover the rent.

Other licensed premises, such as restaurants, are unaffected by the ban. But even establishments that don’t sell alcohol have noticed changes.

“It’s very bad now,” said restaurant owner Ali Khan.

“Many of the workers are scared to come to Little India. But what can we do, what can we say?”

Yan Naung Oak, who lives and works in Little India, says that “the atmosphere was largely the same” at the weekends following the riot. He worries, however, about the new policing measures introduced by the authorities.

“If we are going to see a situation in which all ‘hotspots’ where migrant workers... gather on the weekends become these clusters of control and policing, Singapore is going to become a much less welcoming place for everyone,” he said.

New public order bill

The government now wants to pass a new public order bill which would grant additional powers to authorities for the period of one year.

Under the proposed bill, authorised officers will be allowed to strip-search anyone for alcohol if they deem it necessary. They will also be able to ban individuals from the area for periods extending from 24 hours to 30 days.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Teo Chee Hean said in parliament that the bill would provide the police with the ability to “continue to take calibrated measures to maintain public order and calm in Little India post-riot”.

The bill has sparked concerns among observers. A group of activists has published a paper highlighting their concerns over the powers given to the police.

Speaking at a panel discussion organised by human rights group Maruah, law professor Dr Kevin Tan pointed out that committee investigating the cause of the riot will not be presenting its findings until around May 2014.

“Why do we need to rush to put out such a draconian piece of legislation when we have not yet established the causal links?” he asked.

The bill is likely to pass as the governing People’s Action Party - which is backing it - has the overwhelming majority in parliament.

Regardless of the legal status, policing and spot checks in Little India have already increased. “There are cameras and lights set up,” said Subbayan. “There used to be one or two police officers, now there are more like 40.”

- dpa