19世纪新加坡华人秘密会党的法律身份变化

The Legal Status Changes of the Chinese Secret Society in Singapore in the 19th Century

新加坡华人秘密会党是当地特殊的民间组织,它是英国殖民政府管理华人社会的助手,也产生了诸多社会问题。由此,殖民政府对它的态度是复杂多变的。在一定意义上讲,殖民政府的态度决定了秘密会党的生死存亡,也是秘密会党法律身份变化的关键。立足于相关研究,发现殖民政府对秘密会党的态度经历了承认与镇压两个阶段:前期(1800-1886)政府拉拢与压制秘密会党,但允许它合法存在,后期(1887-1900)政府制定了严厉的法令宣布其非法。从这个层面上讲,可以认为秘密会党的法律身份经历了合法与非法两个阶段。

The Chinese secret society is special local folk organization in Singaporea. They are not only assistant to the British colonial government to manage Chinese society, but also cause a number of social problems. In a sense, the attitude of the colonial government is the key factor that decides the survival of the secret party and the key to the change of the secret party’s legal status. Based on the related research, the author finds that the colonial government’s attitude has undergone two stages. In the early stage(1800-1886), the government cooperated and suppressed the secret society, but allowed it to exist legally. Later,(1887-1900) the government made drastic laws to declare secret parties illegal. From this point of view, it is considered that the legal identity of the secret party has experienced two stages of legality and illegality.