The bombing of MacDonald House took place on 10 March 1965, when Indonesian saboteurs Harun Said and Osman Hj Mohd Ali planted a bomb near the building’s lift (The Straits Times, 11 Mar 1965, p. 1).
A national registration system was introduced in Singapore for the first time in 1948 (Singapore, 1953, p. 20).1 In the context of increasing post-war political dissidence and communism, the use of identity cards in Singapore as introduced by the
In the midst of the First World War, on 15 February 1915, the Right Wing (Rajput) of the 5th Light Infantry (Indian Army) revolted, killing more than 40 British officers, British residents and local civilians. The mutiny came to be known as the "Singapore Mutiny", ...
Racial riot is seen to be “the most serious threat to Singapore’s survival” in the context of Singapore’s multi-racial society (Quah & Quah, 1989, p. 106). The danger of uncontrolled communal tension was evident from the past four riots in Singapore.
The Rendel commission's report on the Singapore colony's constitution was published on 22 February 1954. Seen as “Singapore’s next step towards self-government”, it laid out a number of key recommendations for the new constitution.1 At that time,
On 9 August 1966, Singapore celebrated its first National Day with a week of festivities featuring a mammoth parade at the Padang with the theme "National Pride and Confidence in the Future". Highlights included a Pesta Sukan (beginning 7 August), a
In the early 1980s, the murders of two young children, Agnes Ng Siew Heok and Ghazali bin Marzuki, led to investigations that resulted in the capture of Singapore's most notorious muderers to date: Adrian Lim, his wife Catherine Tan Mui Choo, and his mistress ...
An Advance Medical Directive (AMD) is a legal document signed by a person in advance to indicate that he does not wish to have any extraordinary life-sustaining treatment to prolong his life in the event if he becomes terminally ill and unconscious. In Singapore, ...
Agnes Joaquim (b. 7 April 1854, Singapore - d. 2 July 1899, Singapore) a. k. a. Ashkhen Hovakimian, an Armenian, is best known for breeding the hybrid orchid Vanda Miss Joaquim, in 1893. The flower was selected as Singapore's national flower in 1981.
Alexandra Hospital, its precursor was the Alexandra Military Hospital a.k.a. British Military Hospital. Located at the junction of Alexandra Road and Queensway, it is the only non-restructured hospital in Singapore. Marked as a historical site by the National Heritage ...
Since Singapore’s independence, the management of Malay-Muslim issues has been identified by the government as both critical and sensitive. The Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA) was thus formed as part of the government’s efforts to “make
From 1959 up till the early 1960s, Singapore’s then Ministry of Culture – now known as the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts – organised a series of free, open-air cultural concerts with a strong multi-racial theme. Known as Aneka Ragam Ra’ayat, ...
Ang Mo Kio Community Hospital, a restructured hospital, was established in June 1993 by the government. Providing mainly rehabilitation and geriatric care, the hospital is home to Singapore's first acupuncture clinic set in a hospital. It is also one of a few step-down ...
The Anti-Catholic Riots were the culmination of a series of disputes between members of the Chinese immigrant community who had converted to Roman Catholicism, and those who had not. The disturbance began on 15 February 1851, when members of various Chinese secret ...
The Asian financial crisis started in Thailand with the collapse of the Thai baht in July 1997 and quickly spread to the rest of the region. What began as a currency crisis soon affected the wider economy and led to economic downturns in several countries. Singapore ...
Barisan Sosialis, a now defunct political party, was formed in 1961 by left-wing members of the People's Action Party (PAP), who were expelled from the Party. It became the main opposition party in self-governing Singapore. However, following Singapore's independence ...
The Bedok planning area as delineated by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) in 1994 is bounded by Siglap Canal, Marine Parade Road, Still Road, Jalan Eunos, Eunos Link and Airport Road to the west, the Paya Lebar Airport boundary to the north and the Bedok ...
Benjamin Henry Sheares was the second President of the Republic of Singapore. He was elected by Parliament on 30 December 1970 and sworn into office on 2 January 1971, about two months after the death of the first President, Yusof bin Ishak, on 23
The Bionix Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) is a 5.9 m long amphibious armoured vehicle that can ferry troops to key battlefield positions. It was developed by the Defence Material Organisation, the SAF Armour and Singapore Technologies Automotive, now known as ...
An emergency blood collection service started in Singapore in 1939, due to the threat of war in the Pacific. By 1941, thousands of blood donors were registered. However, the Singapore Blood Transfusion Service (SBTS) was not formed until June 1946, after the end ...
The Born to Read, Read to Bond programme aims to promote lifelong learning and deepen family ties by increasing parent-child bonding. The programme, introduced by the National Library Board in 2002, is designed for children from new borns up to three years of ...
On 18 July 1967, the British announced its plans to withdraw its troops from Singapore by the mid-1970s. Six months later, the deadline was brought forward to 1971 due to economic problems arising from the devaluation of pound sterling. The news came as a shock ...
The Cabinet 2001 (as of 23 November 2001) was announced by Goh Chok Tong, the Prime Minister of Singapore, on Saturday, 17 November 2001. The swearing-in ceremony was held in the presence of S.R. Nathan, the President of Singapore, on 23 November 2001 at the State ...
The Casino Control Act was enacted in 2006 to regulate the operations and gaming in casinos, in preparation for the opening of the Integrated Resorts (IRs). It establishes and makes provision for the new statutory board the Casino Regulatory Authority of Singapore ...
The Censorship Review Committee (CRC) is a government-appointed committee that reviews and makes recommendations regarding Singapore’s censorship policies. Its mandate is to update censorship objectives and principles as society evolves while preserving Singapore’s ...
The Central Provident Fund (CPF) is a key component of Singapore’s social security structure. Introduced on 1 July 1955, the CPF is a mandatory savings system in which individuals receive post-retirement benefits based on their own contributions. Over the years, ...
Changi General Hospital, a.k.a. New Changi Hospital, located at 2 Simei Street 3, serves the east and northeast segments of Singapore. It was pitched as the first purpose-built regional hospital and was formed through an amalgamation of the Changi Hospital and ...
Chia Keng Prison was a medium security prison located at Yio Chu Kang Road. It was used to house prisoners who were serving their second stage of detention under the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act. In 1993, the prison was demolished to make way for the ...
The Chief Justice of Singapore presides over the Court of Appeal and is the most senior judicial officer in the republic. He is responsible for the overall functioning of the Singaporean judiciary, plays a role in numerous appointments and has other duties outside ...
The Chinese Post Office Riots of 15 December 1876 refer to a violent protest by the local Chinese community to demolish a new post office established by the colonial government to handle letters and remittances sent to China. The perpetrators of the riots were ...
The Clean Air Act was passed by Parliament on 2 December 1971 (Government Gazette, Acts Supplement, 31 December 1971, Act 29 of 1971, pp. 287-300). The Act conferred the government the power to control air pollution caused by industrial and trade
Singapore went through racial or communal riots between Malays and Chinese over two five-day periods beginning on 21 July and 2 September 1964 respectively. These riots, the worst and most prolonged in Singapore's post-war history, erupted after Singapore merged ...
The Communicable Diseases Centre (CDC) is one of Singapore's oldest hospitals. In 1907, it began as an isolation camp, adjoining the Pauper Hospital and the Leper Asylum in Serangoon Road, for patients with infectious diseases. Between 1907 and 1931, hospital buildings ...
Corrective Work Order (CWO) is an amendment to the anti-littering law which came into effect on 1 November 1992. The CWO was a new punitive measure that, instead of requiring a hefty fine, set the offender to work in cleaning up the community. The first CWO was ...
The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) measures the levels of perceived corruption in a country's government and public administrations. A "10" indicates a perfectly clean country whereas a "0" refers to a country where business transactions are entirely penetrated ...
The dental health campaign led by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education was launched in all primary one to three classes in 1969 as part of the effort to raise dental health standards in Singapore. The programme comprised compulsory toothbrushing ...
Development guide plans, or DGPs, are detailed land-use plans that were completed between 1993 and 1998 as part of a comprehensive review of the Master Plan 1985. The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), the national land-use planning agency, divided Singapore ...
Singapore’s Mathematics Education gained international recognition with successive good results in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS). Singapore-based Mathematics textbooks are used in countries as diverse as the United States and ...
Education for children (of typical school-going ages) with disabilities is managed by voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs). The National Council for Social Services (NCSS) is the primary overseer with its Programme Evaluation System, while the Ministry of Education ...
Singapore instituted legislation for an elected president to help safeguard the financial reserves. The powers of an elected president in Singapore came into effect on 30 November 1991 and was first exercised by the reigning President Wee Kim Wee. The first elected ...
On 13 August 2001, Parliament passed the Parliamentary Elections Amendments Bill which set new rules to regulate political campaigning of parliamentary elections on the Internet, and the use of posters and banners. This was followed by the Election Advertising ...
E-voting is a method of voting via electronic means. Elections conducted electronically may become a possibility in the future. E-voting is different from online voting, where users vote over the Internet. Under the e-voting system, polling stations would be equipped ...
The Environmental Public Health Act was implemented on 2 January 1969 (Government Gazette. Acts Supplement, 28 December 1968, Act 32 of 1968, p. 315). The objective of the Act was to integrate the functions of the Public Health Division. It also aimed
Faber House, a 12-storey office building along Orchard Road, would be remembered by some as the site of two explosions in the mid-1980s. The first - and largest - occurred on 17 March 1985 and the second on 21 December 1986, both Sundays. No one was injured. The ...
Restricted (Artistic) or R(A) category was introduced by the government on 15 September 1991 to tighten laws on film censorship. Movies under this category are not considered suitable for those under 21 years of age as they depict sex and violence in an explicit ...
Singapore’s national reserves, or net assets, are a vital strategic resource for the country and therefore strictly protected by the Constitution. Specifically, the Constitution safeguards the portion deemed to be “past reserves” - i.e., reserves that were not ...
A team of doctors at the Singapore General Hospital, led by Tong Ming Chuan (Dr), performed the first heart transplant in Singapore on 6 July 1990, creating a milestone in local medical history. The donor heart came from a construction worker, Ong Soon, 41, who ...
The first kidney or renal transplant in Singapore was carried out on 8 July 1970 at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH). Doreen Tan (maiden name Khit Siew Gin), a 30-year-old housewife, received the organ from a 20-year-old national serviceman who had died a few ...
Singapore's first liver transplant was successfully performed on Surinder Kaur, a female production worker, on 29 September 1990, by a team of doctors from the National University Hospital. The team of four surgeons and two anaesthetists was led by Susan Lim (Dr), ...
On 19 November 2000, surgeons at the National Heart Centre performed Singapore's first lung transplant operation on Thanvanthri N. Veerappan, 54, a shipping consultant. The team of lung transplant surgeons included two directors of Singapore's heart-lung programme, ...
First AIDs case to be reported in Singapore was merely two years after the killer disease made headline internationally.
Officially opened on 24 December 1987 by the late President Ong Teng Cheong, then the Second Deputy Prime Minister, Singapore's first satellite self-dialysis centre is located in the Toa Payoh housing estate. Called the Singapore Airlines - NKF Dialysis Centre, ...
The first sex change surgery in Singapore was successfully performed on 30 July 1971 at the Kandang Kerbau Hospital. The operation involved a 24-year-old man and was the first procedure of its kind performed in Singapore and in Asia. There had been previous “sex ...
The first submarine acquired by the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) was the RSS Conqueror, a Swedish Sjoormen Class submarine. It was commissioned on 22 July 2000 by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Tony Tan. The RSS Conqueror was the first of four ...
A group of 10 female police trainees became the first women police officers in Singapore when they signed on as regulars on 1 January 1950.
The Five Power Defence Agreement (FPDA), which groups Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and Britain, was set up in 1971 to reassure Singapore and Malaysia following the withdrawal of British forces East of the Suez. The initial underlying rationale for ...
Flor Contemplacion (b. 1953 - d. 17 March 1995, Singapore) was a Filipino domestic worker convicted of murdering another Filipino domestic worker, 34-year-old Della Maga, and Nicholas Huang, the four-year-old son of Maga’s employer. The murders took place in May ...
In early 1951, a British expert on local government (The Straits Times, 26 Apr 1951, p. 4), Dr L. C. Hill, was invited to Singapore to provide advice. By the time Hill left, he had made recommendations on how hospitals, fire services, transport,
The Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (STPB) was formed on 1 January 1964 to enhance Singapore’s attractiveness to visitors (The Straits Times, 21 May 1964, p. 4). Its main functions were to coordinate the activities of all tourist enterprises,
The former Thong Chai Medical Institution is also known simply as the old Thong Chai Building. Located at 50 Eu Tong Sen Street (formerly 3 Wayang Street), it was gazetted as a national monument on 28 June 1973, among the first eight buildings in Singapore to be ...
Fort Tanjong Katong stood adjacent to Katong Beach from 1879 to 1901 on what is now Fort Road and Meyer Road. This Military Fort was one of the oldest Colonial Forts on the island of Singapore and was built by the former British Colonial Government. Designed by ...
Gan Eng Seng School is one of the oldest schools in Singapore and the first free school to be founded and maintained by a local-born Chinese benefactor in the Straits Settlements. First established as the Anglo-Chinese Free School in 1885 and later renamed Gan ...
The Gas Works, initially formed as the Singapore Gas Company was the predecessor to the Public Utilities Board which primarily supplied utilities to the Singapore public.
George Edwin Bogaars (b. 25 October 1926 Singapore - d. 6 April 1992, Singapore), prominent Dutch-Eurasian, was the first head of independent Singapore's civil service from 1968 to 1975. During his civil service career, he helped set up a new intelligence unit ...
In order to maximise the potential of every child in Singapore, the Gifted Education Programme (GEP) was implemented to provide the intellectually gifted child with an educational experience best suited to his ability and aptitude. The GEP is an enrichment programme. ...
Gleneagles Hospital, opened in 1959, is one of Singapore's largest private hospitals. Owned by Parkway Group Healthcare Pte Ltd, the biggest private healthcare company in Asia, the hospital is a state-of-the-art building on Napier Road, offering services in over ...
Governors of the Straits Settlements, chief administrators of territorial acquisitions of the English East India Company, were initially controlled by the British India headquarters of the fourth Bengal Presidency in Calcutta. In a Royal Charter of 1826, Singapore, ...
The Great Singapore Workout, a fitness routine under the National Healthy Lifestyle Programme, was launched on 3 October 1993 by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong at the National Stadium. The Workout is a specially designed aerobic programme of 15 steps with five basic ...
Gurkhas have their roots in Nepal. Those that have come to Southeast Asia were brought here as special soldiers on the payroll of colonial British masters. They have a reputation for their keen fighting skills and a loyalty to their masters.
The H. M. S. Repulse was a battle cruiser built in 1916 and rehauled between 1936 - 1939. It was sunk off the coast of Kuantan, Malaya on 10 December 1941, soon after arriving in Singapore as part of the British Eastern Fleet with the H. M. S. Prince of Wales as ...
The H. M. S. Prince of Wales was built in April 1941 and sunk off the coast of Kuantan, Malaya on 10 December 1941 by the Japanese. Nicknamed "H. M. S. Unsinkable" because she was dressed with the most advanced protective armour. She was the flagship for the Eastern ...
Hand Foot Mouth Disease (HFMD) is an infectious disease caused by intestinal viruses, the most common being the Coxsackie virus Enterovirus 71. The symptoms of HFMD include fever, sore throat and runny nose, rash on the hands, feet and buttocks, mouth ulcers, lack ...
On 31 January 1974, two Japanese claiming to be members of the Japanese Red Army and two Arabs from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine attacked oil storage tanks at Pulau Bukom. They had united as an act of
On 26 March 1991, Singapore Airlines Flight SQ117 was hijacked at 10:15 pm. The Airbus, carrying 118 passengers and eleven crew members, was a shuttle service from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore. Four passengers, who claimed they were members of the Pakistan People's ...
The history of General Elections in Singapore can be traced as far back as 1948 when an election was held to elect six members to the Legislative Council. From 1948 to the last General Elections held in 2001, Singapore has experienced a total of fourteen General ...
The Hock Lee bus strike began peacefully on 23 April 1955 but escalated into a violent riot on 12 May in which four people were killed and 31 injured. During the strike, large numbers of dismissed bus workers locked themselves in the Hock Lee garages at Alexandra ...
The Hokkien-Teochew Riots, also known as the Great Riots of 1854 or the Five Catties of Rice Riots, began on 5 May 1854. The riots stemmed from conflicts between the Hokkien and Teochew communities in Singapore. Several accounts have suggested that secret societies ...
The Housing and Development Board (HDB) is the national public housing authority of Singapore and it is currently headquartered at HDB Hub in Toa Payoh. It was formed in February 1960, shortly after Singapore attained self-government, to alleviate the severe housing ...
The Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA) provides an opt-out organ donation system that allows for the removal of kidneys, livers, hearts and corneas from Singapore citizens and permanent residents who have died, for the sole purpose of transplantation. Administered ...
Influenza A (H1N1-009), previously referred to as “swine flu”, was reported in 2009 as a new strain of influenza virus that spreads from human to human. The symptoms of H1N1 are similar to those of seasonal influenza and include fever, sore throat, cough, body ...
The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) was established by the Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE) as a post-secondary institution on 1 April 1992. It was to assume the functions previously fulfilled by the former Vocational and Industrial Training Board (VITB). ...
In November 1998, Perak pig farmer Lai Mai became the first victim of the Japanese Encephalitis (JE) virus outbreak in Malaysia. On 19 March 1999, an abattoir worker in Singapore fell victim to what was thought to be the JE virus but was later verified as a yet ...
The Japanese invaded Malaya on 8 December 1941. In a period of two months, they expelled the British from the Malay Peninsula and were now threatening to force them out of Singapore. The British resorted to blowing up the Causeway on 31 January 1942
In October 2001, some Singapore members of a regional Islamic militant group known as Jemaah Islamiyah or JI - meaning “Islamic Community” - began planning a bomb attack on specific targets in Singapore. The bombings were scheduled for execution in December 2001/January ...
Johns Hopkins Medicine is a renowned American medical enterprise that combines research, teaching and patient care. In 1998, Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Singapore National Science and Technology Board established Johns Hopkins Singapore, comprising separate ...
The Johor Battery, built in 1939, was the main artillery battery of the British coastal artillery defence network set up on the northeast coast of Singapore. Other batteries in the area were at Changi, Beting Kusah, Pulau Tekong Besar (and Pengerang in the state ...
The Jurong Town Corporation (JTC) is Singapore's principal developer and manager of industrial estates and their related facilities. It offers a wide range of facilities such as industrial land, business park facilities and factories to meet the diverse industrial ...
The Kallang Body Parts Murder is one of Singapore’s more prominent criminal cases. The crime took place in June 2005 and involved the murder of Liu Hong Mei, a Chinese national who had been working in Singapore. She was killed by her supervisor and lover, Leong ...
Kandang Kerbau Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), a.k.a KK Women's and Children's Hospital, established in 1924, is the largest medical facility in Singapore in the specialised areas of obstetrics and gynaecology, neonatalogy and paediatrics. It is the only ...
Khoo Oon Teik (Dr) (b. 1921, Penang, Malaysia - ) is a retired doctor and the founder of the National Kidney Foundation in Singapore. He has been called the ‘Father of modern medicine’ in Singapore, having established the first Intensive Care, Renal Dialysis and ...
Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) is a public hospital located in Yishun and managed by Alexandra Health. The 3.4ha, 550-bed hospital cost an estimated S$700 million and was opened in phases from March 2010. KTPH is part of a planned healthcare hub that will include ...
The King Edward VII College of Medicine was established in 1905 as the Straits and Federated Malay States Government Medical School. It was renamed the King Edward VII Medical School in 1913, and then the King Edward VII College of Medicine in 1921. In 1982, the ...
On 12 March 1927, a clash in the Kreta Ayer neighbourhood between police and largely Hainanese Kuomingtang supporters revealed the strength of leftist influence on the local Chinese population. A memorial service at Happy Valley to mark Sun Yat-sen's death was ...
The Labour Front (LF), now a defunct political party, was an offshoot of the Singapore Labour Party. It was formed in 1955 to contest the watershed election for the Legislative Assembly that year. Although the party emerged victorious in the election, the Labour ...
On 31 January 1974, four men armed with submachine guns and explosives attacked the Shell Oil Refinery on Pulau Bukom Besar, an island south of mainland Singapore. After their failed attempt to blow up the oil tanks, the group - dubbed the "Bukom bombers" by the ...
Land Transport Authority (LTA), a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport, was established on 1 September 1995. It plans, develops, implements and manages all public and private transport infrastructure and policies. In doing so, it supports a quality environment ...
The Republic Singapore Navy (RSN) launched the first of its new class of Landing Ship Tanks (LSTs) in 1998. Called the Endurance Class, the ships are fully designed and built in Singapore. Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Tony Tan officiated at the launch ...
Lim Chin Siong (b. 28 February 1933, Singapore – d. 5 February 1996, Singapore) was an influential trade union leader and a prominent left-wing political figure in the history of Singapore. As a founder member of the People’s Action Party (PAP), Lim was elected ...
The Lion Head Symbol was launched in 1986 as an alternative national symbol. It is in solid red against a white background - the colours of the national flag. The lion symbolises courage, strength and excellence, while the five partings of the lion's mane represents ...
On 2 April 2004, Chia Teck Leng was sentenced to 42 years in jail, the longest jail term meted out for the largest case in commercial fraud in Singapore to date. Chia was a finance manager at Asia Pacific Breweries when he forged documents to swindle banks out ...
A bomb exploded on 10 March 1965 at 3:07 pm in the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank Building known as MacDonald House. The explosion killed 3 people and injured 33 others.
Madrasah Aljunied al-Islamiah, located at 30 Victoria Lane, is Singapore's premier Islamic institution of learning. Of international repute, the school boasts an illustrious alumni who are key Muslim leaders in Singapore as well as in Southeast Asia.
While the Arabic term madrasah generally refers to any secular or religious educational institution, the madrasahs in Singapore claim to place rigorous emphasis on both secular and religious learning while maintaining a distinct religious identity. There are six ...
Maggie Lim, née Tan (Dr) (b. 5 January 1913 - d. 1995) was the first girl to win the prestigious Queen's Scholarship facilitating higher education in Britain. After qualifying as a doctor, she became a public health officer and campaigned successfully to raise ...
The Act provides for Singapore residents aged 60 years old and above, who are unable to subsist on their own, to claim maintenance from their children who are capable of supporting them but are not doing so. Parents can sue their children for maintenance, in the ...
The Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act was passed by Parliament in November 1990 with the aim of maintaining religious harmony and ensuring that religion is not exploited for any political or subversive purpose in Singapore. The Act also provides for the establishment ...
The Malay Regiment was an all-Malay military force formed at Port Dickson, Malaya, in 1933 under the command of British officers. Also known as the Askar Melayu in Malay, the Regiment is especially renowned for its soldiers’ display of bravery and loyalty in the ...
Man Fut Tong Nursing Home (Day Rehabilitation Centre), located at Woodlands Street 82, is a home for the elderly and aged sick. It was founded by Venerable Shi Chin Yam more than 30 years ago.
The Maria Hertogh Riots between ethnic Malays and the European and Eurasian communities in Singapore occurred on 11 December 1950. The riots took place over a period of three days and saw at least 18 people killed and 173 people injured. It was sparked by the controversial ...
Marina Barrage is a government-commissioned dam built across the mouth of Marina Channel to create Singapore’s 15th reservoir, Marina Reservoir. Officially opened on 31 October 2008, it separates the water in Marina Basin from the seawater. It has been considered ...
Marina Reservoir was officially opened on 31 October 2008. It was created with the completion of Marina Barrage, a low-level dam built across Marina Channel to separate the water in Marina Basin from the seawater. Managed by the Public Utilities Board (PUB), it ...
This is an article on the Marine Fisheries Research Department (MFRD) which was established in 1969. MFRD was located at the Changi Fisheries Complex at Changi Point until it moved to its current premises in the Lim Chu Kang Agri-Bio Park in October 1999. It is ...
In May 1987, the Ministry of Home Affairs arrested 16 people under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for their involvement in what became known as the “Marxist Conspiracy”. They were detained without trial for between one month and three years. Tan Wah Piow, a former ...
The Methodist Girls' School (MGS), located at Blackmore Drive, was founded by Sophia Blackmore on 15 August 1887. It was the first educational institution for girls established in Singapore by the Methodists. Its earlier names were the Tamil Girls' School (1887), ...
Metta Home for the Disabled, at Woodlands Street 31, was officially opened on 21 April 2001. The home is managed by the Metta Welfare Association, a charity organisation which runs other homes for the less fortunate and the elderly.
Michael Peter Fay (b. 30 May 1975, St. Louis, Missouri, United States - ) was an American teenager who stirred up a media storm after he was sentenced to six strokes of the cane in March 1994 for vandalising 18 cars over a ten-day period in September 1993. His ...
Mount Elizabeth Hospital (MEH), established in 1979, is Singapore's largest private hospital. Owned by Parkway Group Healthcare Pte Ltd, it offers more than 35 clinical specialities, including in cancer, minimally invasive surgeries and neuroscience.
Tan Lark Sye, a prominent overseas Chinese, founded the Nanyang Ta-hsueh (Nanyang University). The name is often abbreviated to Nantah. "Nanyang" is the Chinese term meaning "South Seas", a reference to the Southeast Asian region.
The National AIDS Control Programme, an action plan on protecting and preventing the spread of HIV and AIDS infection in the country, was formulated by the Advisory Committee on AIDS formed by the Ministry of Health (MOH) in 1985, soon after the first reported ...
National Archives of Singapore (NAS) was formed in August 1993 with the amalgamation of the National Archives and the Oral History Department. It is responsible for the collection and management of records pertaining to the nation's political, social and economic ...
The National Coat of Arms or State crest together with National Flag was designed by a committee headed by Dr Toh Chin Chye. Both the State Crest and the National Flag were launched on 3 December 1959 at the installation of the Yang di-Pertuan Negara at the City ...
The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) was appointed by the government in August 2005 as part of Singapore's national framework to address the issue of problem gambling. Its functions include raising public awareness of problem gambling. It also has the ...
The National Day Awards (NDA) is a means of recognising various types of merit and service to the nation. At the annual ceremony, the National Day Awards investiture, Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans are honoured for their excellent contribution in the civil or ...
The National Institute of Education (NIE) is Singapore’s only teacher training institution. NIE is engaged in initial teacher preparation, provides continuing education and life-long learning to existing teachers and school administrators, and conducts extensive ...
National Junior College (NJC) is located at 37 Hillcrest Road. Officially opened on 14 May 1970 by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, it was Singapore’s first junior college.
National Loyalty Week was held between 3 - 10 December 1959 to encourage a sense of loyalty to the new state of Singapore amongst its diverse citizens. It saw the inauguration of key national symbols including the state flag, the national anthem, the state crest ...
National Loyalty Week took place between 3 and 10 December 1959. It commenced with the installation of Yusof Ishak as the first Malayan-born Yang di-Pertuan Negara (Head of State) Yusof Ishak was officially appointed to the role by the Queen of England
Awareness of good diet and nutrition has been an ongoing theme in the government's drive to impart a healthy lifestyle among Singaporeans. Various national nutrition programmes have been launched since the 1970s in the wake of increased illnesses that arise from ...
The National Pledge embodies the ideals for building a united Singapore. Written in August 1966 by S. Rajaratnam, who was then Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Pledge underwent several rounds of revisions before becoming the version that exists today.
National registration for pink and blue Singapore identity cards (ICs) began on 9 May 1966. The first identity card to be developed after Singapore’s separation from Malaysia, it was introduced due to improved anti-forgery security technologies and
Singapore's national reserves are essentially the net assets (i.e., assets minus liabilities) of the country. Being a small nation lacking in natural resources and relying heavily on external trade, Singapore needs to have ample reserves as its security net - to ...
Full-time National Service was introduced in Singapore in March 1967. When Singapore attained independence in 1965, it needed urgently to build up its own defence capability. However, it could not afford a large army of professional soldiers. Conscription was seen ...
Singapore's earliest attempt to introduce compulsory conscription in 1952 was vigorously resisted by the Chinese middle school students. On 13 May 1954, violence erupted when hundreds of students clashed with the police. As a result, 26 people were injured and ...
National University Hospital, established in 1985, is Singapore's only university hospital. It serves as a general hospital as well as a clinical training centre and a research centre for the medical and dental faculties of the National University of Singapore ...
The National University of Singapore (NUS) was inaugurated on 8 August 1980 with the merger of the Nanyang University (1956) and the University of Singapore (1962). The University of Singapore had its own volution. It was preceded by the University of Malaya which ...
Singapore’s labour market in the 1950 and early 1960s was characterised by communist-inspired industrial action that led to extremely low productivity (Singapore: Journey into nationhood, 1998, p. 104). Thus, when the People’s Action Party (PAP) came
The New Singapore Shares is a scheme announced by Goh Chok Tong, the then Prime Minister of Singapore, during the National Day Rally 2001 on 19 August 2001. It is part of a new social compact the government is trying to forge with Singaporeans.
NEWater is a term coined by the Public Utilities Board (PUB) for high-grade reclaimed water that has been purified with advanced membrane and ultraviolet technologies. NEWater is ultra-clean; it has passed more than 30,000 scientific tests and surpasses the World ...
The Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Scheme was introduced in 1990 to allow for the appointment of non-elected Members of Parliament (MPs) to provide alternative non-partisan views in the House. NMPs are shortlisted by a Special Select Committee of Parliament ...
The Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Scheme was introduced in 1984 in which the losing Opposition candidates with the highest percentage of votes during a general election can be offered seats in Parliament, if the number of Opposition candidates elected ...
Originally celebrated as Nurses Week from 1965 and changed to Nurses Day in the 1980s, Nurses Day is a day set aside to honour and recognise the contribution of nurses to Singapore. It is usually marked with celebrations for nurses, including graduation ceremonies, ...
The national pledge was penned by then Minister for Foreign Affairs S. Rajaratnam on 9 August 1965 just after Singapore's separation from Malaysia. The pledge embodies the ideals of building a united Singapore, antithetical to the racial tensions of
The site of Old Changi Hospital comprises three buildings at blocks 24, 37 and 161 Halton Road. The buildings were constructed as part of a military base built by British forces in the 1930s with designs based on classical colonial bungalows. The hospital grounds ...
The Open University Degree Programme (OUDP) is run by the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) in a 5-year tie-up with the British Open University. The Singapore Institute of Management launched Singapore's Open University (SOU) in January 1994 with the help ...
Outram Road School, now known as Outram Secondary School, was officially opened on 26 February 1906 by the Governor of Singapore, Sir John Anderson. It was one of the first English schools built by the colonial government. It served as a feeder school for Raffles ...
Pearl’s Hill School, formerly known as the Singapore Chinese Branch School, was established in 1881. It was among the first batch of government English elementary schools established by the British colonial government. The school was renamed Cross Street School ...
In 2007, the government reviewed the Penal Code and introduced Penal Code (Amendment) Bill which proposed significant changes to the law. The topic that caught much attention was section 377 which prohibited oral and anal sex between consenting adults. The Bill ...
The Public Assistance (PA) Scheme is a monthly grant given by the Government to citizens who are unable to work owing to old age, illness or disability and have no means of subsistence and have little or no family support. It first started in 1946 and has since ...
Public housing in Singapore may be said to have begun in the 1930s with the housing schemes undertaken by the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT), the predecessor of the Housing and Development Board (HDB). HDB replaced SIT as the national housing authority in 1960 ...
The Public Service Commission (PSC) is the government agency responsible for the appointment, promotion, transfer, dismissal and exercise of disciplinary control over public officers in Singapore. It also awards scholarships with the aim of attracting
Punggol is situated in the northeast of Singapore, bordered by the Tampines Expressway, Sungei Punggol, Straits of Johor, Serangoon Harbour, and Sungei Serangoon. The Punggol planning area as outlined by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) of Singapore also ...
The Queen’s Scholarships were a government scheme which enabled two promising students each year to enrol at a British university. From 1885 this provided most Singaporeans and Malayans with their only opportunity for tertiary education before Raffles College opened ...
Racial Harmony Day was first launched on 21 July 1997. It is part of the National Education Programme, headed by the Ministry of Education and is celebrated on the anniversary of the communal riots that occurred on 21 July 1964.
Raffles College was set up at 469 Bukit Timah Road in 1928 as a college for higher education in the arts and sciences. The establishment of Raffles College was the result of a scheme to commemorate the centenary of the founding of Singapore by Sir Stamford Raffles. ...
Raffles Hospital, officially opened on 16 March 2002, is the second largest private general hospital in Singapore. Equipped with the latest in medical technology and offering 23 clinical specialities, the hospital has made news for some of its pioneering surgeries ...
Originally known as the Singapore Institution, Raffles Institution was founded by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1823, making it the oldest school in Singapore.
Raffles Medical Group (RMG), established in 1976, is one of Singapore's largest private integrated healthcare providers. The group runs a network of clinics, hospitals, surgical centres, speciality units and medical laboratories throughout the island. It also provides ...
Inaugurated on 1 December 2008 by Ren Ci Hospital and Medicare Centre (RCHMC), Ren Ci Community Hospital (RCCH) provides rehabilitative and recuperative care for patients who require extended hospital stays. The community hospital is situated next to Tan Tock Seng ...
The Rendel Commission was appointed by Governor, Sir John Nicoll, in July 1953 to undertake a comprehensive review of the constitution of the Singapore colony. Initially known as the Constitutional Commission, it later took on the name of its Chairman, Sir George ...
René Henry de Solminihac Onraet (b. 6 April 1887, India – d. 8 May 1952, Burley, Hampshire, England) was a police officer who scored notable successes against gambling and Communism then became Inspector-General of the Straits Settlements Police from 1935 until ...
Said Zahari (b. 1928, Singapore - ) is a writer, journalist and former political detainee. After working as a journalist and editor at Utusan Melayu newspaper in the 1950s, he entered politics in the 1960s. Said was arrested under Operation Cold Store in 1963, ...
Sang Nila Utama Secondary School, formerly located at Upper Aljunied Road, was the first Malay-medium secondary school established in Singapore and the third secondary school built after Singapore achieved self-government in 1959. The school was officially opened ...
Sarah Mary Josephine Winstedt, née O’Flynn (Dr) (b. 4 April 1886, Six Mile Bridge, County Clare, Ireland – d. 9 September 1972, Havant, Hampshire, England), addressed as Lady Winstedt from 1935, was one of the first women doctors in Malaya. She pioneered modern ...
School ranking in Singapore started as early as 1992, when the Ministry of Education started using the mean subject grade (MSG) as an indicator of academic performance. This indicator is the average of the grades of all subjects offered by a pupil.
Sepoys were Indian soldiers employed within the European military garrisons. They provided the much-needed manpower for the defence of European conquests in Asia. The word "sepoy" comes from the Hindi word sipahi which means "soldier". Sepoys played an important ...
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is caused by a novel coronavirus now known as the SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV). It is a highly contagious, potentially fatal, respiratory disease that is spread mainly through the respiratory secretions produced by infected ...
The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Singapore began in February 2003 when a young woman who had been infected while holidaying abroad returned to Singapore. She set off a series of transmission events here that spread the SARS virus to 238 ...
The Singapore Anti-Tuberculosis Association (SATA) was registered as a limited company (under Cap. 50) on 23 August 1947. Its purposes are the detection, treatment and eradication of tuberculosis (TB), the number one killer disease in Singapore, as well as the ...
The Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute (SAFTI) officially opened on 18 June 1961. Its objective was to raise an officer corps for the Singapore Armed Forces. It was originally located at Pasir Laba Road, bounded by Upper Jurong Road and Lim Chu Kang Road. ...
Singapore became the 117th member state of the United Nations (UN) on 21 September 1965. Membership in the United Nations confers international recognition of Singapore as a sovereign and independent state. On the occasion, Minister for Foreign
The Singapore Broadcasting Authority (SBA), was set up on 1 October 1994 as a statutory board under the former Ministry of Information and the Arts (currently Ministry of Information, Communications and The Arts) with the passing of the Singapore Broadcasting ...
Singapore Chinese Girls’ School (SCGS) is an independent full school comprising primary and secondary levels. It was the first girls’ school founded and run by Peranakan Chinese (also known as Straits-born Chinese) and provided bilingual education in English and ...
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) is a uniformed organisation which provides emergency services to the nation both during peacetime and under crisis. It serves not only as a fire-fighting authority but also provides ambulance and rescue services and acts ...
The Singapore Council of Social Services (SCSS) became a statutory body on 16 December 1968 (Government Gazette. Subsidiary Legislation Supplement, 13 December 1968, S 343/1968, p. 636). SCSS is an umbrella body for individuals involved in social
Smoking was a prevalent problem in Singapore in the 1970s. While tobacco consumption decreased in countries such as United States and Europe, Singapore’s annual tobacco consumption increased from 5.9lb in 1964 to 6.3lb in 1973. Further, a quarter of
Singapore's first fire-fighters formed a brigade in 1869 and was officially recognised as the Singapore Fire Brigade in 1888. The current fire-fighting force is known as the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
Singapore General Hospital (SGH), established in 1821, is Singapore’s first general hospital and oldest medical institution. Located at Outram Road, it had humble beginnings as a wooden shed built in the cantonment for troops situated close to the Singapore River, ...
The Singapore Green Plan is Singapore’s environmental blueprint for the future. Its objective is to ensure that Singapore, through sound environmental management, achieves economic development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising ...
The Singapore Indian Education Trust (SIET) is an Indian community trust fund supporting the education of local Indians, particularly those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. It was set up on 31 December 1967 with trade unionist Govindasamy Kandasamy ...
The Singapore International Chamber of Commerce (SICC) was founded in 1837. It was established to defend the interests of Singapore businessmen against an unsupportive East India Company administration. Since then, the SICC has evolved into a multinational organisation ...
On 16 October 1965, Singapore became the 22nd member of the Commonwealth. At the time, the Commonwealth was an association of independent nations consisting of United Kingdom and those that were formerly part of the British Empire. The grouping was
The Legislative Assembly General Election (GE) was held on 2 April 1955. It was the first election under the Rendel Constitution, which replaced the Legislative Council with the Legislative Assembly. This was also a landmark election as it was the
The Singapore Prison Service is a government agency under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Headquartered at 407 Upper Changi Road North, it administers nine prisons and drug rehabilitation centres (DRCs) in Singapore. In addition to ensuring the secure custody of ...
The Singapore Progressive Party (SPP) was a nationalistic party formed on 25 August 1947 to contest in the forthcoming Legislative Council elections. The conservative SPP stood for gradual change and was willing to work with the British to introduce steady constitutional ...
The shared values are five statements by which Singapore is bound together as a nation. It was wrought out of a desire to seek common values shared by the diverse communities of Singapore to help preserve their Asian identities in a period of globalisation.
The Singapore Sports School (SSS) was officially declared opened on 2 April 2004 with a pioneer batch of 141 students. It operates under the auspices of the Ministry of Community Development (MCDS), in response to a call for students' excellence in both academic ...
Recognising the importance of family planning to the national development of Singapore, the government organised the first national family planning campaign in 1960. The campaign aimed to raise awareness of family planning and the disadvantages of having large ...
Singapore and Malaysia have signed four agreements to regulate the supply of water from Malaysia to Singapore. The first - signed in 1927 - is no longer in force. Water imported from Malaysia under the other three agreements - signed in 1961, 1962 and 1990 - meets ...
Family planning services were first introduced to the Singapore population following the establishment of the Singapore Family Planning Association in 1949. A pioneering group of volunteers worked to introduce family planning services at municipal infant welfare ...
The postal code currently being used in Singapore is the 6-digit postal code. It was introduced on 1 September 1995 to replace the 4-digit code system to facilitate further automation of the mail sorting system. The previous 4-digit postal code still required 48% ...
Singlish is an informal, colloquial form of English that is used in Singapore. Linguists refer to it as Singapore Colloquial English or Colloquial Singapore English. The use of Singlish has been the subject of much debate since the 1970s, when it first became an ...
Oehlers, Sir George Edward Noel (b.1 April 1908, Singapore - d.27 October 1968, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), better known as Geno Oehlers, was the first Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Singapore. Oehlers was in several significant civic posts such as Municipal ...
The Slim 10 saga involved a number of people who were diagnosed with adverse health effects after consuming unlicensed weight-loss pills in 2002. Among them were two women who suffered liver failure. They were logistics manager Selvarani Raja, who died from her ...
Sophia Blackmore (b. 18 October 1857, Goulburn, NSW, Australia, d. 3 July 1945, Australia) was the first woman missionary sent by the Methodist Women's Foreign Missionary Society to Singapore. During her stay from 1887-1927, she helped to found two Methodist Girls' ...
The Speak Mandarin Campaign was launched by then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on 7 September 1979. Its objective was to simplify the language environment and improve communication amongst Chinese Singaporeans by creating a Mandarin-speaking environment. Its initial ...
Stanley Toft Stewart (b. 13 June 1910, Penang – d. 9 February 1992, Singapore) was a long-serving public official in Malaya and Singapore who achieved many firsts. At the pinnacle of his career he was the head of Singapore's civil service, and after representing ...
The Straits Settlements Association was founded by a group of ex-Straits Settlements residents in London on 31 January 1868. The association, comprising largely of members from the mercantile community, aimed to safeguard the commercial and political interests ...
Singapore streets were first lit on 1 April 1824 and by 1862, gas from the Kallang Gas Works powered the street lights until the gas-fuelled street lamps were ended in 1956, and electric lights took over.
The Singapore Judiciary System consists of two tiers, the Supreme Court and the Subordinate Courts. Located at 1 Havelock Square, the Subordinate Courts comprise district and magistrate courts and hear both civil and criminal cases that do not fall under the jurisdiction ...
Tan Tock Seng Hospital, established in 1844, is one of the oldest hospitals in Singapore. First set up at Pearl's Hill helped by a generous donation by a wealthy philanthropist, Tan Tock Seng, the hospital moved to Balestier Plain, then to Moulmein Road and finally ...
Television Singapura was Singapore’s first television station and was launched on 15 February 1963. Two months later on 2 April 1963, Television Singapura started regular transmission. On 9 August 1965, the station captured the nation’s greatest event; the announcement ...
The Chinese Protectorate was established in the Straits Settlements in 1877 to administer the needs of the Chinese community. Its main functions include the establishment of a pool of civil servants conversant in the Chinese language, administering newly-arrived ...
The Indonesian-Malaysian Confrontation or Konfrontasi lasted from 1963 to 1966, and posed the only external threat to Singapore since the Japanese Occupation. The conflict was an intermittent war waged by Indonesia to oppose the formation and existence of the Federation ...
The Merlion is a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. Regarded as a Singapore icon, the Merlion was designed in 1964 for the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (STPB) and functioned as its corporate logo from 1966 to 1997. There are ...
The national flag of Singapore was designed by a committee, headed by Toh Chin Chye (Dr). It consists of two equal horizontal sections, red above white, where the red segment has a white crescent moon beside five stars placed in a circle. The national anthem, Majulah ...
The Next Lap is a broad agenda for Singapore's long- term development, which includes ideas and proposals to make Singapore a nation of distinction. To mark this new phase in the country's political history and national development, a 160-page book, Singapore: ...
Singapore's national anthem, Majulah Singapura, was composed in Malay by Zubir Said in 1958. Besides the original Malay lyrics, there are translations of the Singapore national anthem in the other three official languages - English, Chinese and Tamil.
The Total Defence concept entails the mobilisation of Singapore's total resources to defend the country against all forms of attacks: both military and non-military. It is a concept that takes into consideration the small size of the country that has limited manpower, ...
On 23 November 1955, administrative responsibility for the Cocos (Keeling) Islands was transferred from the Colony of Singapore to the Commonwealth of Australia. The transfer was announced in Singapore on 23 July 1951, but finalisation of the handover
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is Singapore’s national land-use planning and conservation authority. It was formed in 1974, though it has its roots in the Urban Renewal Department set up by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) in the 1960s. Its mission ...
The Vanda Miss Joaquim var. Agnes, a climbing orchid, was picked as the Singapore National Flower on 15 April 1981. This inaugurated the first National Flower Week in Singapore. The plant is named after Agnes Joaquim who had grown it in her garden at 2 Narcis Street, ...
The Volunteer Special Constabulary (VSC) was formed in October 1945 to complement the Singapore Police Force. The VSC officers have the same powers and duties as regular police officers in various land divisions or specialised units such as Airport Police, Police ...
William Fitzjames Oldham, Bishop (b. 15 December, 1854, Bangalore, South India – d. 27 March, 1937, Pasedena, California, United States), born of Irish descent, was founder and first Bishop of the Methodist Church in Malaya. He was known for his fine preaching, ...
Woodbridge Hospital is the only state mental hospital in Singapore. It is presently housed in a very modern building complex off Hougang Street 51. The hospital moved into these premises in April 1993, a site very near to the old Woodbridge Hospital off Jalan Woodbridge ...
The Workforce Development Agency (WDA) was founded on 1 September, 2003 as a statutory board under the Ministry of Manpower. Its main function is to support Singapore's labour needs by ensuring that the workforce remains competitive to meet the changing needs ...
When the People’s Action Party won the election and formed the government in May 1959, Yusof Ishak was appointed the Yang di-Pertuan Negara of Singapore and was installed on 3 December 1959 (Government Gazette. Extraordinary, 3 December 1959, G.N.