<human>:  Why was Singapore a British colony?
<bot>: Singapore was a British colony because the British needed to control the opium trade. The British were worried that the Chinese would stop trading with the British if they didn't control the opium trade. The British wanted to control the opium trade so they could stop the opium trade. The British had many other reasons for wanting to control the opium trade, including the fact that the Chinese had started to grow opium themselves. The British also wanted to stop the Chinese from growing opium because the Chinese were growing opium in their own country.