1948 Nauru riots

August 2026 August 2026 1948 Nauru riots 1948 6 7 yes Trust Territory of Nauru Exploitation of Chinese labourers Chinese labourers on Nauru Australia civil Administration of Nauru Australia civil Mark Ridgway (Administrator) Australia civil Eddie Ward (Minister for External Territories) 200–300 labourers 44 Nauruan constables 16 European volunteers 4 dead 16 wounded 49 arrested State of emergency declared effective on 7 June; rescinded 18 July. The 1948 Nauru riots occurred when Chinese labourers employed on the phosphate mines refused to leave the island. At the time, Nauru was dominated by Australia as a United Nations trust territory, with New Zealand and the UK as co-trustees. Background Phosphate mining in Banaba and Nauru Chinese labourers were first brought to Nauru in 1907 by the Pacific Phosphate Company, at which time the island was a German protectorate.Viviani 1970 33 They became the preferred source of labour for the phosphate mines, as they were regarded as better workers than the Nauruans, were willing to sign three-year contracts, and, unlike Pacific Islanders, were willing to live on the island for the duration of their employment.Viviani 1970 36 The Nauruan and Chinese communities had little contact, and their separation was encouraged by the company and the German administration. The Chinese were blamed for a series of disease epidemics which saw the Nauruan population reduced from 1,550 in 1905 to 1,250 in 1910.Viviani 1970 37 By 1914, there were 1,000 immigrant workers on Nauru, half of which were Chinese and the other half Caroline Islanders.Viviani 1970 56 During World War I, Nauru was occupied by Australian forces and subsequently became a League of Nations mandate. Phosphate mining was taken over by the British Phosphate Commission (BPC), a joint venture of Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. The BPC discontinued the recruitment of Caroline Islanders, as the islands had come under Japanese control, and attempted to replace them with workers from Australia's other mandate, the Territory of New Guinea. However, the experiment proved unsuccessful and by 1924 the Chinese were the only remaining foreign labourers.Viviani 1970 56 By this time, the Australian administration's Movements of Natives Ordinance 1921 had introduced formal racial segregation.Viviani 1970 54 Subsequently, "the three communities, European, Nauruan, and Chinese, lived isolated and self-contained existences reinforced by the ordinances of the Administrator".Viviani 1970 55 Chinese workers signed contracts directly with the BPC, which were translated by a Chinese liaison officer appointed by the British administration in Hong Kong. The contracts included free travel, accommodation, food, clothing and medical care.Viviani 1970 57 The labourers were not permitted to bring their families, and the majority of their wages were sent back to China. They were not allowed to become permanent residents of Nauru, but an estimated 20 percent chose to renew their contracts each year.Viviani 1970 58 Few Nauruans sought work with the BPC, but those that did received a higher minimum wage.Viviani 1970 62 Most Chinese labourers were evacuated prior to the Japanese occupation of Nauru in 1942, but the 180 that remained were treated harshly and given reduced rations compared to the Nauruans.Viviani 1970 78–79 After 1944 many Chinese died of starvation. Australian administration was restored in September 1945 following the end of World War II.Viviani 1970 82 The BPC immediately sought to resume mining, and by June 1948 the Chinese population stood at 1,400.Viviani 1970 88 Riots On 7 June 1948, several hundred Chinese workers refused to board a ship waiting to return them to China. They alleged that the Chinese interpreters would not pay out their share of contributions to the community funds. One of the labourers threatened an interpreter and assaulted a messenger from the administration, at which point the police were called and attempted to arrest him.Viviani 1970 100 The other labourers then barricaded themselves in their compound and armed themselves with spears, clubs and axes. The island's administrator Mark Ridgway declared a state of emergency and dispatched an armed riot squad comprising 44 Nauruan policemen and 16 European volunteers to the Chinese compound. In the subsequent fight, two of the labourers were shot dead and 16 were wounded. The police arrested 49 of the workers, who were taken to the island's jail. There, two were bayoneted to death by a Nauruan constable, who alleged they had been attempting to escape. Aftermath The August 1948 edition of Pacific Islands Monthly accused the Australian government of "great official secrecy" over the riots. It noted that the state of emergency had been suspended on 18 July.https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-317351269/view?sectionId=nla.obj-329987305 Nauru riots Pacific Islands Monthly 1 August 1948 XIX 1 10 Inquiry May 2021 References Sources https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/114914/2/b11197110.pdf Nauru: Phosphate and Political Progress Nancy Viviani ANU Press 1970 Category:1948 in Nauru Category:1948 riots