History Of Singapore (7th-14th Century)

The Vietnamese historical anfe Sach-ma-tich belonging to the 14th century, offer documentary proof of Temasek, the ancient name for Singapore. The ancient settlement is also mentioned in a Javanese court poem.

Temasek or Sea Town was the focal point of the ancient Hindu Empire of Sri Vijayan. By the 13th century it became one of the empire's three kingdoms. Legend recounts that it was named Singa Pura or Lion City when a visiting prince, Sang Nila Utama, saw a lion (probably a native tiger). Meanwhile, the empires of Java and Siam struggled for regional dominance with the Chinese fleet under Admiral "Cheng Ho. Through the next few centuries the Dutch, the Portuguese and the British sailed past with no interest in this area. Later in 1811, Malays from Johore led by the local chief called temenggong, settled at the mouth of the Singapore River.

Coming of the British

The British East India Company by this time felt the need of a south-east Asian trading post. Thus the small fishing village of Singapore with its natural harbour and strategic location was considered an ideal site. When Raffles first arrived, the Sultan recognised by the Dutch, held court at Linga. This, however, did not stop Raffles who made a deal with the temenggong or Sealord and installed the Sultan's elder brother, Hussein, a rival claimant to the throne. Despite the protest of the Dutch, Raffles went ahead and signed an agreement with the temenggong and the newly created Sultan Hussein on 6th February 1819, under which the East India Company was allowed to set-up a trading station in Singapore. The temenggong looked on the arrival of the English as a chance to revive his own empire under their protection. Unhappily for him, his aspirations were not shared by the colonisers. His expenditure was much more than his resources, thus in effect, he signed away to the East India Company all rights to Singapore and islands within ten miles of its shores. Although Raffles spent only nine months in Singapore, he laid the principles for the city's development as a free port, and by 1824, the population had risen to 10,000, with many immigrants, such as the Chinese and Malay from Riau and Malacca, the Balinese, Bugis and the Javanese. Indians were among the first immigrants to the new settlements. They arrived with Raffles and settled here.

Raffles died in 1826, the year Singapore became part of the Straits settlement, together with the older settled area of Penang and Malacca. By 1832, Singapore became the centre of government for the straits settlements. In 1869, the advent of the steamship and opening of the Suez Canal, allowed Singapore to make the most' of its strategic position and natural harbour. Meanwhile, the stream of Chinese immigrants to Singapore continued.

The War & Its Aftermath

Despite its so called impregnability, Singapore fell to the Japanese on 15th of February 1942, the eve of the Chinese New Year. Thus the myth of western colonial power was shattered. The Japanese occupation lasted until September 1945. During this period Singapore faced a reign of terror under the Kempeita or secret police of the Japanese.

With the surrender of the Japanese to the Allied forces on 21st August 1945, once again Britain ruled Singapore. It became a separate Crown Colony on 1st April 1946, under a British Governor. The gradual growth of national identity finally led to self-government in 1959, headed byLeeKuan Yew, a Cambridge educated lawyer. He became the country's first prime minister. In the year 1963, Singapore merged into a new federation of Malaysia with its northern neighbour Malaya and the states of Sabah and Sarawak. But Singapore's involvement was short-lived and in 1965 it became an independent republic.

On Its Own


Singapore started afresh and was on its own on 9th August 1965. It then began to relentlessly pursue the goal of tackling severe unemployment, housing problem and to provide basic education to the whole population. In the years since independance the Republic has undergone rapid growth astonishingly. Today its airport is voted as the best in the world. It is one of the world's major oil refining and distribution centres, a major supplier of electronic components and Asias most important centre for tourism, trade and finance.