 By 1827 , the Chinese had become the largest ethnic group in Singapore . They consisted of <unk> , who were descendants of early Chinese settlers , and Chinese coolies who flocked to Singapore to escape economic hardship in southern China . Their numbers were swelled by those fleeing the turmoil caused by the First Opium War ( 1839 – 1842 ) and Second Opium War ( 1856 – 1860 ) . Many arrived in Singapore as impoverished indentured laborers . The Malays were the second largest ethnic group until the 1860s and they worked as fishermen , craftsmen , or as wage earners while continued to live mostly in <unk> . By 1860 , the Indians had become the second largest ethnic group . They consisted of unskilled laborers , traders , and convicts who were sent to carry out public works projects such as clearing jungles and laying out roads . There were also Indian Sepoy troops garrisoned at Singapore by the British . 
