Stories from Deli

The Times, February 18, 1890

An incident which has recently occurred at Singapore shows the practices by which Chinese coolies are, in effect, still kidnapped. A German steamer from Hong Kong arrived outside Singapore harbour and signalled for the police. On the arrival of a force, the captain explained that he had over 200 coolies on board bound for Medan, in Sumatra, and that he was afraid of an outbreak when he passed Singapore. · The coolies’ story was that they had been engaged to work at Medan, which was -described to them as a British possession, and as “in Singapore”; whereas it was a Dutch possession, and in Sumatra, and they protested against being taken beyond Singapore. One of the officers of the Chinese Protectorate in Singapore went on board, and found that the men had been wilfully deceived in Hong Kong by statements that Medan was in the Straits Settlements. He advised the coolies to go on quietly to Medan, as their passage tickets and agreements were made out for that place, and to complain to the Dutch officials there.

At the same time, a boat from Her Majesty’s ship Pigmy kept cruising around the vessel, and a guard of about 40 Kling boatmen was sent on board to suppress disturbance and prevent escape. The same evening the vessel weighed anchor for Medan, and just as she was leaving one of the coolies jumped onboard and was rescued by the Pigmy boat. There is no question as to the good faith of the captain and agents of the steamer; the guilty parties are the Chinese agents employed to collect the coolies, and known as “coolie catchers,” who made fraudulent representations to these ignorant men. There is a prejudice amongst them against the Spanish and Dutch colonies, and, moreover, one of the strongest .inducements to going to Singapore probably was that they had friends and relatives there. It is not believed that their complaints would receive much attention at Medan, and they are now doubtless distributed over the plantations of that part of Sumatra.