slavery Sir Stamford Raffles called for the abolition of slavery in Singapore in 1823. His ‘Regulation for the Prevention of the Slave Trade at Singapore’ decreed that all individuals enslaved since 26 February 1819 ‘are entitled to claim their freedom’.

The regulation also extended to the indenture of Chinese immigrants who were forced to offer their labour in lieu of payment of passage. Under the regulation, the maximum amount that creditor- employers could demand of such labourers was set at $20— and this amount had to be paid in the form of labour within two years. However, the regulation was not strictly enforced for several decades. While blatant human trafficking was eradicated, less obvious forms of slavery continued. In the case of Chinese contract labour, the regulation was not enforced effectively until the creation of the Chinese Protectorate in 1877.