More trickling back to Little India

Small pockets of people, including foreign workers, started trickling back to Little India on Saturday evening, two weeks after a violent riot broke out in the area.

It was a slight improvement from the earlier part of the day and last weekend when the authorities enforced a blanket ban on the sale and public consumption of alcohol in the area after the Dec 8 incident.

Police presence in the Indian enclave remained strong when The Sunday Times visited on Saturday in the late afternoon.

There were a few foreign workers but more started appearing in the area after 7pm.

Most of them were buying groceries or having their dinner at coffee shops and restaurants.

Despite the easing of limits on weekend alcohol sales in Little India, businesses believe fewer workers will come by on their day off.

The Banana Leaf Apolo restaurant in Race Course Road was about three-quarters filled at about 7pm. Several people were also seen drinking and watching TV at a coffee shop at the junction of Kerbau Road and Chander Road.

Some convenience and liquor shops, however, said business was just as bad as last weekend.

Several pulled down their shutters at 8pm, as they cannot sell alcohol beyond that time.

New Arasi Trading owner Sadhasivam Kailasam said: "This is the time most people finish work and come to Little India. The fact that they cannot drink in a public place means my business is severely affected."

The Land Transport Authority has designated a carpark at Halifax Road as a holding area for private bus services that usually ferry workers to Little India. It will be closed to other vehicles on Sundays from 3pm to 9pm.

The private bus services, which were suspended last Sunday, resumes today but at half the scheduled number.

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