GREETINGS FROM CHRISTMAS ISLAND, SINGAPORE

Christmas Island Coastline (source: Peter McKiernan, Perth)

Did you know that Christmas Island was once a part of Singapore? According to sources, The 135 square km island (2 hours flight from Singapore) once belonged to the British through the Straits Settlement, and later the Crown Colony of Singapore. The sovereignty of the island was later transferred to Australia in 1957, and Singapore received £2.9 million as a compensation for the so-called “amount of phosphate foregone” during the transfer.

The island was discovered in 1643 on Christmas day by Captain William Mynors of the British East India Company. At that time, the uninhabited island was already on both the British and Dutch navigational charts. It was the discovery of phosphate by naturalist, Dr. John Murray which eventually led to the annexation of the island by the British crown on 6 June 1888. Phosphate mining began in the 1890s using workers from Singapore, Malaya and China.

Till the late 20^th Century, Phosphate mining and export (600,000 tonnes p.a.) remains the main and stable economic activity for Christmas Island. In 1987, the Australian government decided to close the mine, only to reopen it again in 1991. Interestingly, in 1993, with the support of the Australian government, a USD34 million Christmas Island Casino and Resort was opened, only to close 5 years later.

As of 2006, the estimated population of the island stands at 1,493. The ethnic composition of the island is 70% Chinese (mainly Hokkien), 20% Europeans, and 10% Malays. The main religious practices on the island are Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. The official language is English, but Chinese and Malay languages are also spoken.

EXERCISE

How do you think the 135 square km island (Sentosa is 5 square km) could be developed IF Singapore had not “sold” the island to Australia? Take into considerstion the natural resource, as well as the rich flora and fauna on the island.

RELIGION AND RIOTS – THE MARIA HERTOGH CASE



The Straits Times on 12 December, 1950

VIDEO  LINK: The Maria Hertogh Riots (Diary of A Nation)

The Maria Hertogh riots happened on 11 December 1950. It sparked off as a result of the custody battle between Maria Hertogh’s adoptive Malay family and her European parents. Maria Hertogh (a girl of Dutch heritage), was separated from her natural parents during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore in WWII. She was adopted by a Malay family who sheltered and raised her as a Muslim girl. After the war, her natural parents launched a legal battle for the custody of their child after they received news of her whereabouts in Malaya.

 The custody battle soon gained intense media attention worldwide. Maria Hertogh was taken into protective custody by the Social Welfare Department and during that time, the media took photographs and published them on the papers about a Muslim girl in a Catholic convent. It was even reported that she had bowed down to the Virgin Mary! These affected the religious sensitivities and began to stir up strong emotions among the Muslim community in the country.

Maria’s foster mother, Che Aminah appealed to the courts and was given temporary custody of the child. During the period of custody, the Muslim family arranged to have her married to a 22 year old teacher in order to gain control over the situation. As Maria was underage at that time, the marriage was declared null and void. On 11 December 1950, the judge rejected Aminah’s appeal and ordered Maria to be returned to her biological parents. Upon hearing the judgment, huge crowds began to riot outside the court to express their displeasure over the outcome. It soon spread to other parts of the country, as the Muslims are convinced that the laws, courts and legal system were prejudiced against them at that time. In the three days of rioting, 18 people were killed and 173 people were injured. There was also widespread destruction to personal property.

As a result of the Maria Hertogh riots, the Government of Singapore instituted legislation against racial and religious discrimination in 1965. The constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, other laws and policies restricted this right in some circumstances. Publications and public discussions of religious issues are generally considered out of bounds, and negative or inflammatory portrayals of religion are subjected to censorship. The Government does not tolerate speech or actions that it deems could adversely affect racial or religious harmony. It became an offence to incite racial and religious hatred in Singapore. The local media also exercised greater discipline in their coverage of sensitive issues.

REFERENCES CITED:
Maria Hertogh Riots (Wikipedia) -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Hertogh_riots
Religion in Singapore (Wikipedia) -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Singapore

EXERCISE:

Learning from our history, it is therefore very important to learn to respect one another’s religion in order to maintain peace and harmony in a society. This is particularly important in Singapore’s multi-ethnic society.

Research the internet and give another example on "Religion and Riots" around the world (may be historical or present). Comment on the truth of the above statement, and think of a way which we can exercise respect for one another's religion.

Instructions:

1. Use Word to type out your essay first (must have a minimum of 120 words).
2. You may research your answers from the Internet.
3. Do a spell check for grammar and spelling errors.
4. When you are satisfied, “cut and paste” your essay into the comments box below this article (remember to include your Class and Register Number) and submit.

Shingapōru Daikenshō (シンガポール大検証)

Shingapōru Daikenshō (シンガポール大検証) meaning "great inspection of Singapore" took placed from 18 February to 4 March 1942 at various places around Singapore. The locals have another term for this event, it is known as the Sook Ching massacre (肅清大屠殺). The Chinese term "Sook Ching" means "to purge through cleansing". Similar to how the Nazis rounded up the Jews for persecution in Poland during WWII, this was a systematic extermination of anti-Japanese Chinese in Singapore by the Japanese soldiers.

According to history scholars, this purge was believed to have been planned even before the Japanese troops landed in Singapore. Its purpose was to to remove any anti-Japanese elements and to frighten the locals in order to swiftly impose military administration to the country. The Japanese knew that there were many locals such as Eurasians who had strong loyalty to Britain, as well as Chinese who supported the Chinese National Revolution Army from the Republic of China at that time. The Japanese military authorities, led by General Tomoyuki Yamashita decided upon a policy of exterminating those who had strong anti-Japanese sentiments.

"Screening centers" were set up all over Singapore to "screen" all Chinese males between the ages of 18 to 50. Sometimes, even women and children were inspected as well. Those who did not report to the screening centers were hunted down after a door-to-door search of each household. The Kempeitai or Japanese military police's inspection process were often indiscriminate and non-standardised. Many times, they would simply rely on hooded informants to weed out the anti-Japanese suspects. Those who passed the screening process would receive a paper bearing the word "jian" meaning "examined" in Chinese, or have a square ink mark stamped on their arms or shirts. Those who failed the inspection would be packed into trucks and sent to killing sites to exterminated

There were several sites for these killings. The more notorious sites were Changi, Punggol and Sentosa beaches. Many of the victims were shot or bayoneted (jabbed with a long knife attached to their military rifles) by the Kepeitai in cold blood. Not all the victims were male. According to eyewitness accounts at that time, even women and children were among those killed. The figures of death toll varies according to who is reporting it. Official Japanese statistics indicate a figure of less than 5000, while locals claimed as many as 100,000 people were massacred from this event.

References cited:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sook_Ching_massacre
http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/about_us/history/world_war2/v04n02_history.html

EXERCISE:
Describe how you felt (in your role as a Chinese/Indian/Malay/Allied POWs/Japanese) during the re-enactment of the Sook Ching incident. (Write a 3-4 sentence answer in the comment box below. Remember to include your Class and Register Number.)

Suggested Activity:
Take a nice evening stroll along the Civilian War Memorial site near City Hall and reflect on the peace and stability that you are enjoying in Singapore today.

THE IMPACT OF THE JAPANESE OCCUPATION ON THE LOCALS IN SINGAPORE DURING WWII

Picture (top): This money was used during the Japanese Occupation. By the time the war ended, the "banana money" had no value and became useless.

POLITICAL (Military, Law, Government)

• Singapore was renamed Syonan-to.
• propaganda campaigns to influence the locals to support the Japanese.
• Japanese nationalism (spirit) was promoted and western influence was removed.
• controlled mass media (i.e. radio broadcasts, newspapers, etc.).
• used fear to control the locals.
• military government took control of Singapore.
• Malays and Indians were promised freedom from colonial rule (independence) if they supported the Japanese.
• Kempeitai (police) restored and maintained law and order.
• strict laws were enforced.
• resistance to Japanese rule (MPAJA)*

ECONOMIC (Money, Trade, Supplies, Employment)

• Entrepot trade was disrupted.
• rationing was practised (i.e food and basic necessities).
• black market existed.
• food and basic necessities were sold at high prices due to shortage.
• Mass printing of money [banana money] leading to the devaluation of local currency.
• widespread food shortages.
• people grew their own crops and made their own basic necessities.
• alternative ingredients were used to make food.
• "Peace Living Certificates" were issued to every household.
• available resources were used by the Japanese to enhance their war efforts in other parts of the world.

SOCIAL (Health, Education, Housing, Living conditions)

• European soldiers (P.O.Ws - Prisoner of War) and civilians were forced to march 22km to Changi prison.
• Eurasians and anti-Japanese suspects were tortured and killed.
• many Chinese became victims of Japanese atrocities.
• many locals lived in poverty and were suffering from malnutrition (poor health conditions).
• locals boycotted Japanese goods.
• those who opposed the Japanese were drafted into forced labour or the death railway camps in Thailand.
• schools and offices had to begin the day by singing the Japanese national anthem (facing the direction of Japan).
• Mass drills were carried out for students, teachers and workers.
• Japanese language was made compulsory learning in schools.

*The Malayan Peoples' Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) was a resistance movement during Japanese-occupied Malaya during World War II.


QUESTION:
Which aspect do you think has the greatest impact on the locals living in Singapore at that time?

WHAT IF RAFFLES HAD NOT FOUNDED SINGAPORE?

ACTIVITY TIME

We are fully aware that in historical reality, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles founded Singapore in the year 1819. Taking into consideration the historical background at that time, comment on what you think would have happened to Singapore if Raffles had not founded the country.

WHO REALLY FOUNDED SINGAPORE?

We know from our History textbooks and prevailing national knowledge that Singapore was founded in 1819 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles. However, History books always include two other historical persons who also played a part in the early development of Singapore. They are William Farquhar and John Crawfurd. Their involvement with Singapore has remained till this very day as historical facts because after all, they did contributed to the pioneering of the country.

Raffles, Farquhar, Crawfurd or... ? Who do you think should be the founder of Singapore? Read the resources from Wikipedia using the links below, and here is a chance to vote!

Online Resources from Wikipedia:
THOMAS STAMFORD RAFFLES
WILLIAM FARQUHAR
JOHN CRAWFURD

SANG UTAMA
LEE KUAN YEW

EXERCISE:
Vote on who you think should be the founder of Singapore (on the left side of this blog). You may also leave your comments below if you have any.