Immigration debate hots up after curry row
Source: Agencies |
August 22, 2011, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
IT takes a lot to start a mass campaign with political overtones in Singapore, but there is no better catalyst than food.
Tens of thousands of people in the southeast Asian city-state said they would cook or eat curry yesterday in a protest highlighting growing anger over increased immigration.
The campaign began after an immigrant family from China complained about the smell of curry from a Singaporean Indian neighbor's home and local officials stepped in arbitrate.
A Facebook page devoted to the dispute has drawn more than 57,600 members, many of whom said they were cooking curry yesterday in a show of solidarity with the Indian family.
Stanley Wong, a 37-year old accountant who helped organise the Facebook page, said: "Singapore is such a cramped place, and neighbors should understand each others' culture."
He and a dozen friends and family were gathering in a small government-built flat for a curry dinner.
Most of the diners were ethnic Chinese, like the overwhelming majority of Singapore's 5.1 million people. But residents say curry is a Singaporean dish and that immigrants, including those from China, should accept it is part of the local culture.
Florence Leow, a freelance writer and one of the organisers of the protest, said: "Through this event we hope to cook and share a pot of curry and get to appreciate and embrace our culture."
Immigration is a sensitive subject in Singapore, where only two-thirds of the people are citizens. Many say the relatively easy immigration policies are attracting too many foreigners, making it more difficult to find jobs and pushing up home prices.
Tens of thousands of people in the southeast Asian city-state said they would cook or eat curry yesterday in a protest highlighting growing anger over increased immigration.
The campaign began after an immigrant family from China complained about the smell of curry from a Singaporean Indian neighbor's home and local officials stepped in arbitrate.
A Facebook page devoted to the dispute has drawn more than 57,600 members, many of whom said they were cooking curry yesterday in a show of solidarity with the Indian family.
Stanley Wong, a 37-year old accountant who helped organise the Facebook page, said: "Singapore is such a cramped place, and neighbors should understand each others' culture."
He and a dozen friends and family were gathering in a small government-built flat for a curry dinner.
Most of the diners were ethnic Chinese, like the overwhelming majority of Singapore's 5.1 million people. But residents say curry is a Singaporean dish and that immigrants, including those from China, should accept it is part of the local culture.
Florence Leow, a freelance writer and one of the organisers of the protest, said: "Through this event we hope to cook and share a pot of curry and get to appreciate and embrace our culture."
Immigration is a sensitive subject in Singapore, where only two-thirds of the people are citizens. Many say the relatively easy immigration policies are attracting too many foreigners, making it more difficult to find jobs and pushing up home prices.
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