The Hock Lee Bus Riot occurred on May 12, 1955, in Singapore. 4 people were killed and 31 injured in the impetuous and bloody riot, out of which, 8 of the 31 injured were serious cases. The bus workers belonged to two unions. Singapore Bus Workers Union and Hock Lee Employee's Union. On April 23, 1955, workers from the Hock Lee Amalgamated Bus Company and some Chinese students began to go on strike. They were members of the Singapore Bus Drivers' Union(SBWU) and were protesting against poor working conditions, long work hours and low pay.
On 12 May 1955, later known as "Black Thursday", a major riot broke out in the streets of Alexandra Road and Tiong Bahru. The police tried to break up the 2,000 students and strikers using water cannon and tear gas, leading to many arrests and casualties. In total, two police officers, a student and an American press correspondent, Gene Symonds, died and many more were seriously injured.
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