Singapore: Two opium smokers, c. 1910.

As a result of the British administration's hands-off attitude and the predominantly male, transient, and uneducated nature of the population, 19th century society in Singapore was rather lawless and chaotic. Prostitution, gambling, and drug abuse (particularly of opium) were widespread. Chinese criminal secret societies (analogous to modern-day triads) were extremely powerful; some had tens of thousands of members, and turf wars between rival societies occasionally led to death tolls numbering in the hundreds. Attempts to suppress these secret societies had limited success, and they continued to be a problem well into the 20th century. After independence, Singapore society underwent a sea-change.