IT started like any other day. I did not have a big story to give my editor at the NST sports desk so I thought I would go and cover a Selangor Division 1 match between Umno Youth and Hong Chin.
This was despite earlier rumours that trouble might be brewing in Kuala Lumpur in the aftermath of the General Election after opposition parties made gains at the expense of the then ruling coalition known as the Alliance Party.
Feeling a little uneasy after hearing the rumours, I called my mother who was at home in Petaling Jaya to warn her not to go out for her usual chiki (card game) session with her friends.
About 5pm on May 13, 1969, I joined a small band of football fanatics at the TPCA stadium near Kampung Baru, in Kuala Lumpur.
Everything was normal when I got to the stadium on my shiny new light blue Vespa scooter.
However, a colleague from The Malay Mail sports desk, Francis Emmanuel, who was also covering the football match, told me that there were a lot of police movements in town.
Determined to get a story for the day, I shrugged off the feeling of unease and settled down to watch the match.
There was also a netball game going on near the clubhouse.
About half an hour later, we heard shouts and loud noises from outside the stadium.
Sensing something was up, the spectators and I scrambled to the upper terraces to see what was happening outside the stadium.
I will never forget what I saw. Cars and motorbikes were set on fire and, in some cases, there were people still trapped in the vehicles! All around the stadium was chaos as flames shot up from various points.
Seeing the pandemonium, most of the spectators rushed down and ran helter-skelter to their bikes and cars. Many even drove and rode onto the football pitch in their desperation to get out!
And all this while the match was still going on. Realising something was wrong, the players abandoned the match and left the stadium.
Francis came looking for me and we decided to leave the stadium and head back to the office but we were stopped by the club's caretaker, who warned us to stay put at the clubhouse.
The caretaker also herded the group of netball players to the clubhouse, where he hid them in a room.
With nowhere to run, Francis and I huddled in the clubhouse, hoping that we would be safe. It was about 6.30pm.
Later about 9pm, we heard the sound of drums and shouts. There were also sounds of gunshots.
From where we were huddled in the clubhouse, we saw a convoy of FRU (Federal Reserve Unit) trucks driving past.
Later in the night, a group of men wearing headbands came banging on the gates of the clubhouse demanding to know if there were Chinese in the premises.
The mob threatened to burn the clubhouse and everyone in it.
By this time, the netball players, who were mostly Chinese girls, were in tears and cowering in fear.
The caretaker, an Indian man, told the mob that there was no Chinese at the clubhouse.
After a few tense moments, the group of men left.
It was the longest night for all of us as we tried to comfort each other.
It was sometime in the early hours of the morning when I decided to call a friend, Major Suppiah, who was with the Defence Ministry (Mindef).
Thank God the public phone was still working as this was before the days of mobile phones.
Major Suppiah told me to stay calm and remain at the clubhouse. He said he would send someone over as soon as possible.
While we waited for Major Suppiah's people to arrive, we watched in horrified silence as flames engulfed parts of the city from Kampung Baru to Chow Kit.
We were relieved when Major Suppiah and several of his men arrived in an army van to "rescue" us.
Francis and I were driven to Mindef. On the way, we could see the burnt wreckage of vehicles strewn along the roads.
By then a curfew had been imposed and the streets were deathly quiet.
We rode in silence and could not believe what had transpired the night before. We couldn't help but wonder how many were killed.
When we reached Mindef, we were served breakfast.
Major Suppiah and his men did a great job calming our frayed nerves before sending us to the NST office.
I later took the office car home and was glad to find everyone safe and sound.
My mother was relieved that I was in one piece. I couldn't call her as the phone lines were down by then.
Days later, I went to look for my Vespa. My heart broke when I found it charred. My beautiful Vespa had been reduced to a blackened mess.
With a heavy heart I headed to the NST office, all the time thinking about having to still pay for my Vespa which was bought on hire purchase from Soh Motors.
Later, I was relieved when NST informed me that they would reimburse me for the burnt Vespa and I could go and get a new motorbike at the company's expense.
I wasted no time picking out a gleaming Honda Sports 90.
While I emerged from the May 13 racial riots relatively unscathed, what I saw that night would remain with me throughout my life and I hope I would never again bear witness to such a tragedy.
Tony Francis spent more than 30 years with the New Straits Times group. He was the Sports editor for both the 'New Straits Times' and afternoon daily 'The Malay Mail'. He was later appointed chief news editor of the NST.