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Chinese ProtectorateThe Chinese Protectorate was an administrative body responsible for the well-being of ethnic Chinese residents of the Straits Settlements during that territory's British colonial period. Protectorates were established in each area of the Settlements, namely Singapore, Penang, and Malacca. Each was headeded by a Protector. The institution was established in 1877 to handle all matters related to the Straits Settlements' Chinese residents. In particular it sought to mitigate the human rights violations of the coolie trade, which had expanded to notorious levels by the 1850s in the region. The Coolie Trade Perhaps the most significant goal of the British colonial administration in founding the entity was to regulate and humanize the coolie trade and lessen the misery of the coolies who were subject to merciless exploitation. First, Coolie agents were required to register with Protectorate. Policing by the Chinese Protectorate freed up the labour market, and firms (mainly British-run) seeking to hire Chinese workers no longer had to go through coolie brokers and secret societies. As a result of this improvement in conditions, the number of Chinese arrivals increased dramatically from the 1880s onwards. Goals of the Protectorate Likewise, agents of the Chinese Protectorate often visited domestic servants. Those found to be subjected to especially inhumane conditions were sent to Singapore's Home for Girls. The Protectorate sought to have all Chinese social societies (including the kongsi)--many of which were secret societies or bodies of organized crime--register with the government. The institution also encouraged the Chinese to seek the governments help instead of going to the secret societies, thus weakening their influence among the Chinese. The Protectorate and the CDO The Contagious Disease Ordinance References - http://library.thinkquest.org/12405/maintain.htm
- http://www.knowledgenet.com.sg/singapore/shf/e_journal/articles/EJV1ART007.htm
* http://www.hsse.nie.edu.sg/staff/ kahack/singapore%20specimen.doc
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