In 1867 riots erupted in Penang between coalitions of secret societies. A Commission of Inquiry was established with Lieutenant-Governor A.E.H. Anson presiding over nine other Commissioners. In the process, the story of what became known as the Penang Riots slowly unfolded.
FORTY-YEAR-OLD Lieutenant-Governor A.E.H. Anson, a veteran of the Crimean War, had just arrived in Penang to take up the appointment in early June, about two months after Sir Harry Ord from the Corps of Royal Engineers became Governor of the Straits Settlements.
