S2L77: "Caught Smuggling"

Singapore is commonly described as a "fine city" -- you are fined for dozens of small offenses: jaywalking, chewing gum, carrying durian on public transport (that fine is well deserved), driving in forbidden zones without a permit.

Singapore is where I first encountered the idea of relieving traffic congestion by requiring drivers to purchase permits to drive in the central business district. What struck me in 1977 as novel and a little draconian, I now view as a sensible way to keep automobiles from clogging our cities. Maybe it's not surprising that it was the people of the "fine city" of Singapore who gave such a practical policy a chance to demonstrate its effectiveness.

From 1977 01 29 Singapore

"The Good-For-Nothing Rich Man's Son Caught Smuggling"

After the jump, a place that reveals the puritanism behind the "fine city."

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It's hard to explain Tiger Balm Garden (aka Haw Par Villa). Wikipedia calls it a mythological theme park, but I thought of it as a collection of concrete dioramas made by an artist on acid. Which is ironic, because nowhere is Singapore's reputation for strictness better highlighted. Scattered among the concrete statues of gods and gorillas and many other head-scratchers of the Tiger Balm Garden are tableaus with a moral -- e.g., one titled "The Evils of Gambling" or another titled "The Good-For-Nothing Rich Man's Son Caught Smuggling." I don't think nuance was an artistic objective here.

From 1977 01 29 Singapore

From 1977 01 29 Singapore

From 1977 01 29 Singapore

From 1977 01 29 Singapore

From 1977 01 29 Singapore

"The Evils of Gambling"
That body in the background with the bloody head was supposedly run over by a car. One of the men in the foreground is the victim's father, supposedly distracted by gambling instead of keeping an eye out for his son's safety.

From 1977 01 29 Singapore

Title unknown
I don't have a clue what this represents. Feel free to suggest your own story.

One of a continuing series.
Start: Around the World in 800 Days
Previous: Jurong Bird Park
Next: Malacca