Why Did Singapore's First Prison Island Experiment Fail? | Riot Island - Part 2/2 | Full Episode

In Singapore’s trial of the century, 59 men stand accused of rioting and murder at the open-air prison of Pulau Senang. After opening in 1960, this idyllic prison is lauded as a progressive beacon of hope for the rehabilitation of society’s most feared gangsters. Three years later, these detained secret society mobsters burn the prison to the ground and slaughter four servicemen. The death sentence now hangs over these accused men. But is all that it seems?
The slain Superintendent Daniel Dutton oversaw Pulau Senang and was hailed as a visionary, but questions grow around his tough rehabilitation methods. With rumours that Dutton was a sadistic taskmaster, does this penal paradise hold shocking secrets?
WATCH MORE of Riot Island
Part 1: • Secrets Behind Singapo...
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About the show: A near-deserted island is transformed into a prison without bars, holding Singapore’s most hardened gangsters. Three years later, a violent riot leaves the island in flames and prison guards murdered.
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[@captainbroady]

Great documentary by CNA! A really interesting story that sadly doesn't garner much media attention these days, and is also quite neglected in Singapore's history

[@devatheshmirra8176]

Can’t agree more

[@jasminechia85]

As much as I feel sorry for how brutal Dutton was killed, I also believe there's reason why those detainees had retort to murderous act. The ang mohs, British that's in sg during 50's and 60's aren't really saint, often because they thought they rule sg and had the power to control or been a big bully towards chinese and malay.

[@Cyan_Nightingale]

As a mixed malay-indian person.. we say the same to these cina of organized crime/secret society membership. They were not all saintly and justified. They were beyond salvation. Gave chinese bad names and gave Singaporean society an unsafe environment to live in. These triad members should've been executed all. No need of rehabilitation. You were all lucky not put into Alcatraz-like prison and being only in open prison without barbed-wire fence.. with agricultural tools in hands too.

[@iwanderoften9114]

Colonialism on riot island died with those people, truly tragic indeed. I'm very sure the prisoners were mistreated in such horrible ways that had lead to the murderous act from those detainees. I like how he (Mr. James) indicated those detainees were scums and can't be rehabilitated, also being treated like second rate slave-dogs. Such an unfortunate event. May they all rest in peace. Fascinating historical documentary, CNA Insider. 10/10

[@iwanderoften9114]

@Waka Waka That's really unfortunate since we're living in the 21st century. Even to this day...there are modern slavery going on. You're absolutely right @waka waka

[@mikelawre6190]

Dutton was trained in a military setup hence he thought that by doing the same to those hardened gang members will change them but it was a blunder on his part in believing so.

[@ibra241047]

Singapore then was a small place. It still is. Nothing happens without the political leadership having a say in it. What happened on Pulau Senang is just a part of the story. We will never know the full story as many of the actors have departed this world.

[@user-ex3mm9jb3q]

In my opinion, this event was all done by how Dutton refuses to acknowledge that the detainees are also human. Imagine getting tortured every day, slowly killing you mentally and didn’t even show any respect to what little rights that the detainees had. In response to what Michael said, the time to “talk” is when he summoned those 13 carpenters. Imagine the scene for a moment, you are already tired from weeks of overwork, abuse and torture and now being forced to over-overwork. As the documentary suggests, these detainees remain silent despite all that, does it not come to Dutton that this form of silent is also a form of respect for him? Yet he decided to apply the punishment that all detainees deemed to be the harshest for them. All of this for what? A day earlier to see a goddamn jetty?! It’s awful that this tragedy happened, but it’s even more insane when you think that the root cause of such event is sourced from a man’s lack of empathy.

[@Cyan_Nightingale]

The jetty could only be build at Saturday afternoon. The only time tide was low.

[@Cyan_Nightingale]

Also silence could mean that these criminals of the secret society membership only obeyed their leaders at the secret society.. not Dutton or any government he represented.

[@BarrySManifold]

the root cause is the incorrect sentence given to these members of secret society. they should have been executed right away

[@Sizdothyx]

I bet my butt if you found out half of them were rapists, you'd be okay with their deaths, tbh. Everyone's a defender of human rights and preaching the good fight until they see what's right in front of them isn't what a secondary source makes it to be. They could have just beaten up Dutton and broken his legs for the "disrespect" and "mistreatment", which I have no doubt in regards to, but the way he was butchered--and he was butchered, let's give no qualms in regards to that reality either--tells me that these men really were, regardless of their final moments, the animals Dutton had always pegged them by.

[@gawd_jihyo]

I never thought i would cry so much for a few killers' deaths..... The thing is they were mistreated and tortured, and they couldnt think of a way to get out of it. And they even showed redemption and remorse at the end. They are not bad people, they were forced. RIP everyone who died

[@Battle-n9c]

They are not bad people but they were criminals. Are you stupid or something?

[@wamof]

Not giving them water while making them worked under the hot sun, and long working hours, even worked at night, beating them up brutally....even slaves will revolt, and these were secret societies members( though not yet fully ordained ) indoctrinated with the psychology that killing your enemies is normal behaviour. The idea was right, but the implementation was wrong, cruel even. So sad that a good intentioned project was mishandled so badly, leading to the tragedy. Many prisoners will eventually be released back into society, it makes sense to try to re-educate them so that they can fit back into society comfortably, this will include helping them getting employment, and not be forced to revert back to their old ways and commit crimes again.

[@user-zk9vv2qh4n]

Great documentary. I find it shocking how it is my first time hearing of this riot. Why isn't this brought up in schools?

[@zhihao81]

Because the government is afraid we will model ourselves after them.

[@andrewtan5237]

If LKY is still present PM of Singapore, he definitely won't allow this documentary to be made, let alone broadcast by CNA.

[@elzaaltmann]

Asia has never been very important to the west.

[@Ezwan-dg2oo]

Great documentary CNA!!! 👍🏻Heartbreaking to see how it all ends. Alfatihah and RIP to all. God bless your souls.❤‍🩹

[@tkyap2524]

There is always a cause-and-effect situation. The right concept and wrong approach can spell trouble.

[@BarrySManifold]

LOL. but criminals, especially triad members, lived in their own world. They didn't think like the normal people do. Even independence fighters would not want to live side by side with them. The only approach work for them is death sentence.

[@boyan619]

Over the next three years, the number of detainees rose to 320 from 50 before the detainees rioted and burned down most of the buildings. Pulau Senang was declared out of bounds for the next 5 years and was later used by the Singapore Armed Forces for military exercises. Today Pulau Senang is one of three islands used for military 'live-firing' exercises.

[@dilsmnsh]

There’s always 2 sides of the story. Sgt Dutton was not innocent in this story and his death was the result of his own inhumane brutality towards the detainees. You keep pushing people to their core, you’ll face a wrath in the end. Doesn’t excuse the detainees actions but Sgt Dutton was no innocent soul.

[@GorillaWithACellphone]

Even if dutton was abusive, that doesn’t give them the right to brutally Murder 3 other Officers and injure others

[@WJHallyuLover8365]

The following is the name list of the people accused of the riots and their sentences Acquittal: Kwek Kok Wah - Accused No. 28 Tay Teck Bok - Accused No. 35 Leow Ah Chai - Accused No. 41 Lim Kim Sian - Accused No. 42 Soh Ah Kang - Accused No. 44 Tan Eng How - Accused No. 45 (acquitted halfway throughout the trial) Koh Ah Tiaw - Accused No. 48 Tan Tian Lay - Accused No. 50 Gan Kim Siong - Accused No. 52 Ng Pang Leng - Accused No. 54 Chia Tiong Guan - Accused No. 55 Low Chai Kiat - Accused No. 59 Rioting - two years' imprisonment: Heng Lian Choon - Accused No. 20 Sim Cheng Tee - Accused No. 23 Tok Kok Peng - Accused No. 29 Ang Teck Kee - Accused No. 34 Cheong Kim Seng - Accused No. 39 Yong Ah Chew - Accused No. 43 Choy Peng Kwong - Accused No. 46 Teng Ah Kow - Accused No. 49 Lim Heng Soon - Accused No. 53 Koh Teck Thow - Accused No. 56 Lim Thiam Huat - Accused No. 57 Rioting with deadly weapons - Three years' imprisonment: Chin Kiong - Accused No. 10 Peh Guan Hock - Accused No. 13 Chia Geok Choo - Accused No. 14 Yeow Yew Boon - Accused No. 16 Teng Eng Tay - Accused No. 17 Ong Aik Kwong - Accused No. 18 Lim Teck San - Accused No. 21 Ng Chuan Puay - Accused No. 22 Chua Hai Imm - Accused No. 24 Teo Han Teck - Accused No. 30 Sia Ah Kow - Accused No. 32 Tan Tian Soo - Accused No. 33 Aziz bin Salim - Accused No. 36 Chew Yam Mang - Accused No. 37 Teo Lian Choon - Accused No. 38 Tan Chin - Accused No. 40 Heng Boon Leng - Accused No. 47 Neo Kim Leong - Accused No. 51 Murder - death penalty: Tan Kheng Ann - Accused No. 1 Chia Yeow Fatt - Accused No. 2 Cheong Wai Sang - Accused No. 3 Somasundram s/o Subramaniam - Accused No. 4 Lim Tee Kang - Accused No. 5 Somasundarajoo s/o Vengdasalam - Accused No. 6 Lim Kim Chuan - Accused No. 7 Khoo Geok San - Accused No. 8 Chan Wah - Accused No. 9 Hoe Hock Hai - Accused No. 11 Ponapalam s/o Govindasamy - Accused No. 12 Chew Seng Hoe - Accused No. 15 Chew Thiam Huat - Accused No. 19 Sim Hoe Seng - Accused No. 25 Ng Cheng Liong - Accused No. 26 Tan Yin Chwee - Accused No. 27 Sim Teck Beng - Accused No. 31 Cheng Poh Kheng - Accused No. 58

[@christabeltan902]

Yes, there are two sides to every story. This is a sad ending to something that started out beautiful, but i believed that it failed because something was wrong with the system. It was something that was pioneered and there weren't any other examples to fall back to . Dutton being the main protagonist in the story, there will be blind spots that would be missed. You would tell that he had a really good heart. He truly believed in and tried to pioneer change, it was a huge challenge and not many will take it. His beliefs of having no weapons and working along the other prisoners, that spoke of what kind of person he was, a kind and charismatic leader. His other beliefs however, that were mentioned, such as of the carrot and stick system and his harshness or firmness, were what I felt was necessary to be a military leader. Do not forget that these are society members, young, impulsive and ready to prove themselves without consideration of repercussions. He believed that he could win people over by his nature alone (therefore the guards did not have weapons) and it was probably successful with 50 detainees. Were he pushing the prisoners too hard? Perhaps so, maybe he wasn't in touch with what happened on the ground and took the incident lightly. Other officers could have also incited the wrath of the prisoners which they could have attributed it to Dutton. Perhaps his only mistake was his overconfidence in his own abilities, that led to his demise. That being said, I was wondering as well why there were so many detainees but so little officers? 320 prisoners, how many officers? Not really sure what the ratio was , but if they didn't have weapons, or other forms of protection, this was a tragedy waiting to occur. Do not forget this was an island and backup would take a while to arrive. Was there insufficient manpower or was it kept low due to Dutton's overconfidence? Finally. it was only 2 years since the launch of the program so obviously systems could not have been properly set in place yet. The proper path route for prisoners to return back to civilization was not communicated properly , or perhaps it was not even set in place. If so, this was a great lack of foresight for a group of people who advocated for a return to society rehabilitation program.

[@Awaken22]

@christabel your comments are really refreshing! Yes there are too many gaps in this narrative presented to us. Dutton's work, in my opinion, ought to be commended more and further examined. A sentimental view towards what happened alone is not sufficient.

[@scaleartsg]

Al Fatihah to Mr Dutton Brilliant documentary indeed.

[@mattabiko76]

he converted to muslim?

[@ibra241047]

@@mattabiko76 It appears he was already a Muslim before his death. There are pictures of his burial at a Muslim cemetery available on the internet.

[@RH-vd3yu]

@@ibra241047 couldnt find it anywhere?

[@TechTagged]

Should make this historical event as a movie

[@Hijratpak]

Very informatic video

[@ryujinmikhail]

I read Alex Josey 's Pulau senang , Experiment that failed . I think it was told in diffrent angle here from what was narrated in the book .

[@ejsaab4484]

Ending was sad, knowing your blood brother died on the other side of the world.

[@stargazeronesixseven]

Deepest condolences to the Families & Friends of Superintendent Daniel Dutton ... In hindsight , if only Superintendent Daniel Dutton & other Security Officers on the Pulau Senang Experimental Open Jail in Singapore back in 1963 , practiced more Universal Loving Kindness & Compassion using Knowledge to do Good to benefit all parties , this tragic & horrible riot might be avoided! Leverage on Rewards to encourage Good Behaviour & making a target to see that , both Reformed Prisoners & Security Personnel to leave this Pulau Senang Experimental Open Jail together in the shortest period of time if they Help Each Other to achieve this Early Release Reward by Practicing Good Behaviour! Stern inhuman rules & Cruelty can only end in tragedy for the Warden Officers & Prisoners in any situation in any prisons! We should learnt from our mistakes for both the prisoners & Officers! ...

[@MMerbird13]

Nice documentary but the lady with the flower headband also looks crazy enough to be one of the rioters. Hehe 😂

[@kiattat4409]

Consumed by his own ego and vision? Thinking you can change or fix people is delusional behavior. No matter whom you are managing, the fastest way to lose them or frustrate them is to try to change them. Perhaps, finding what drives them and position them in a way to win at the highest level could be a better approach.

[@daniellim8964]

You must understand that Dutton had no regard for all of their welfare, and denied them normal treatment that should be their rights.

[@WJHallyuLover8365]

My condolences to Superintendent Daniel Dutton Arumugam Veerasingam, Tan Kok Hian and Chok Kok Hong The four murdered victims of the riot

[@pokerfactorytv2607]

Disagree with the grand daughter's views

[@raceva1982]

Dutton was dreaming into thinking of changing these detainees into soldiers, to follow all commands at his will; he thought wrong.

[@ibra241047]

We really don’t know the full story. The politics of the time. What societal changes the government wanted? Dutton could well have been a mere pawn in the scheme of things.

[@timoothy]

i guess there's an irony here in that, even though Dutton may have mistreated them, even though they revolted against him and even though they killed him in the end, if he truly believed that anyone can be rehabilitated, he would not have wanted them to be hanged it's a shame honestly because look at how successful Norway's rehabilitative system is. maybe in another universe Singapore could have had the same

[@Cyan_Nightingale]

Except Norwegian prisons didn't have similar Chinese organized crime/secret society/triad problem. Duh

[@polarspirit]

I won't be surprised if dutton had a "slave" concept in his mind. At that time, slavery was close to being a norm

[@mtv565]

OMG Major Peter James looks like Andrew Lloyd Webber! lol

[@rayne5368]

Everything happens for a reason. Try not to be part of that reason.

[@cherriemay528]

The prisoner being treated like slaves was one thing that probably pushed them to revert to their hostile state 😒

[@yeoedwin1619]

Imagine the following come to picture during this riot : Predator, Jason Voorhees, Leatherface

[@sukirmanbairiswan]

If not for what had happened. No one would know what had happened to prisoners or slave in Pulau Senang. They were miss treated and in the end miss treated again. Not being given second chance in life. Who could the prisoners turn to for help or someone to do something but after sent to prison in Pulau Senang and again sentenced to death. Are they supposed to just keep quiet and die as prisoner under the power crazy Superintendent. RIP all

[@andrewtan5237]

12/7/1963 = Singapore on way joining Sarawak & North Borneo to form Federation of Malaysia with neighbour Peninsular Malaya on 16/9/1963.

[@limeddie3864]

Mr Dutton was a big strong angmoh who probably thought he was invincible, but he nvr knew they would splash kerosene on him first and they even dug out his eyes cos he didn't know in gangsters world staring is very very rude!

[@kenkee3691]

Why some of crew and actors are Thai?

[@00825344]

Every human should learn from his flawed character

[@ibra241047]

If you are marooned on an island with a bunch of hardened criminals, some of whom were murderers, and you have to be their leader, what sort of character you think will work?

[@MrKambingdotcom]

Al-Fatihah for Encik Stanley Dutton.

[@gohcheekiong9844]

No comment God knows we don't

[@nurhishammursidi387]

Tryin to make like alcatraz-ish... It went alkaputzzz...

[@vinwarrior]

Law: You kill someone who killed someone, to teach others not to kill someone. Ironic isn’t it?

[@yongwaikeat9126]

Pulau Senang riot portray a lesson to all, be respectful but stern, don’t be overly pushy, abusive, and look down on the so called detainee or in modern present day don’t be bossy, look down on employee and the above mentioned ☝️

[@robingroenbech3876]

No one should care about the trash of society

[@devatheshmirra8176]

Dutton kena mutton chop siol

[@garalddorasamy490]

I was a kid then,5-6 yrs.old, I did read the news as I was learning to read..however as I grew up hanging around with the neighbour hood thugs,I heard that they (vardens)were cruel to the detainees ; they were forced to work early in the mornings, no breakfast brutally beaten. Finally they all got what they deserved. Good for them! 😏

[@yip2454]

Lol flower girl maybe if you grandad wasnt a slaver he wouldbt have met that end.

[@Cyan_Nightingale]

And LOL.. no my old man. You too can't just justify the organized crime/triad/secret society members. They were indeed nasty. The standard of Pulau Senang was lax, compared to what Italian-Americans members of secret society received: sentence in Alcatraz during 1950-1960s. Walled prison, highly guarded, in a rocky island, no "reformation" goal. These men were indeed beyond redemption. Should have been executed right away.

[@dannychan1432]

it been scripted i belive this not the real story

[@cecacecaratssteal1395]

Hope such happens again since we have CECA and FTs

[@zizizf]

you watch this documentary and that came to your mind? tf is wrong with you?

[@mtv565]

So much for innovation and thinking out-of-the-box! Stick to the conventional prison of locked cells and chains!

[@zizizf]

i mean it maybe could’ve worked if things were maybe more humane, and the in charge wasnt a greedy, heartless colonizer. If the intention was to rehabilitate them instead of using them as slaves, maybe it wouldve had a different outcome, but who knows right 🤷

[@Cyan_Nightingale]

@@zizizf No it would still not work for extremists such as religious terr*rists or organized crime members. As it shown, putting criminals who *SHARE THE SAME IDEA/OATH* with fanatical tendency in open area, without fence, with their hands holding agricultural/working tools, with freedom to interact with each others and to conspire.. is dangerous.

[@Cyan_Nightingale]

@@zizizf Yes Dutton can simply be dismissed as being a "colonizer". Yet these organized crime/secret society/triad members were also not a saint and also an invader and a menace to Singaporean (especially Malay/natives) society.

[@lastChang]

Why is the rest of ASEAN doing well, except Singapore 🇸🇬? - A close relationship with China may hurt Singaporean reputation.

[@jweeping]

How and in what way is Singapore not doing well?

[@shenjiejason8350]

Send this dude to Malaysia 😂

[@shenjiejason8350]

@BlackBannerz sure why not, better than other places in ASEAN

[@lastChang.]

For those who don't know me, I'm Kumar from Malaysia btw

[@LALALA-tw8vt]

Oh Malaysian again lol, putting down Singapore out of jealousy lolllll