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  • 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Pulau Tekong

    10 Things You Didn’t Know About Pulau Tekong

    <Source: Cyberpioneer Magazine Oct 2015>

    1. Pulau Tekong first appeared in the Franklin and Jackson’s 1828 map as Po. Tukang. Tukang means “merchant” – the island used to serve as a trading station for Pulau Ubin and the state of Johor. Tekong means “an obstacle”, and this could have been because the island blocks the mouth of Johor River.

    2. Found off Singapore’s northeastern coast, Pulau Tekong is actually nearer to Johor than to the Singapore main island.

    3. The Pulau Tekong we know today originally comprised two islands. The 24.4 sq km Pulau Tekong, known as Pulau Tekong Besar in Malay, known as Pulau Tekong Besar in Malay, meaning “Big Tekong Island”, and the 0.89 sq km Pulau Tekong Kechil, Malay for “Small Tekong Island”. Th e two were merged in the mid-1990s.

    4. In the 1940s, the 17th Dogra Regiment and the Sphinx Battery were stationed on Pulau Tekong as part of the Changi Fire Command, a series of gun defences covering a possible Japanese approach from the east during World War II. Their legacy lives on with the Dogra and Sphinx bridges on the island.

    5. Historically, Pulau Tekong was occupied by the mainly Malays and a few Teochews and Hakkas, with the population peaking at nearly 8,000 in the 1980s. Most were farmers, fishermen and shop owners selling sundry goods.

    6. Today, Pulau Tekong is used exclusively as a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) training base, and is home to the Basic Military Training Centre (BMTC). BMTC consists of two camps – Ladang and Rocky Hill – and 28 companies to train newly conscripted recruits.

    7. Though Pulau Tekong is no longer inhabited by civilians, the memory of kampong life lives on as training areas such as Permatang, Selabin, and Sanyongkong were named after the villages that used to be on the island.

    8. On 29 May 1990, national servicemen spotted three Asian elephants which had apparantly swum 1.5 km across the Straits of Johor to the island. A joint effort by the Singapore Zoo and Malaysian Wildlife Department eventually recaptured the elephants and they were relocated back to the forests of Johor by 10 Jun.

    9. On 18 Mar 2004, Pulau Tekong was the hiding place for one Malaysiana and Two Indonesian armed robbers who fled there from Johor on a morotised boat. After an intensive three-day manhunt by the SAF and Singapore Police Force, all three were caught and charged with illegal entry and poessession of firearms.

    10. Pulau Tekong is home to one of Singapore’s hot springs. Located in the northern area known as Unum, it features warm water and a boardwalk with a “Pulau Tekong Hot Spring” sign.

    Source: www.allsingaporestuff.com

  • Netizens: If SAF Soldiers Do Crowd Control During Major Tran Disruptions, Who Defend Singapore?

    Netizens: If SAF Soldiers Do Crowd Control During Major Tran Disruptions, Who Defend Singapore?

    Stomper Vincent shares his disapproval over plans to deploy soldiers from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to help manage crowds during massive train breakdowns.

    A report from the Straits Times earlier today (Aug 21) stated that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is beefing up its contingency plans for in the event of large-scale rail disruptions.

    Soldiers will be roped in as marshals to give directions to stricken commuters.

    The Defence Ministry also confirmed the move, saying that the SAF will work with LTA in the event of a major disruption, “while maintaining our primary responsibility to safeguard our security environment”.

    Expressing his opinions about this new move, Stomper Vincent wrote in an email to Stomp:

    “This news has created unhappiness for many Singaporeans and many have shared it to express concern.

    “I hope Mindef can see this and will not approve soldiers to be deployed during major MRT breakdowns.

    “I thought these public transport companies are listed and profit-driven?

    “Military personnel are meant for defending Singapore, not for marshaling during train disruptions!

    “This is a private company’s disaster. Not a natural and national disaster like floods, forest fires etc.

    “How can a private company activate soldiers?”

    The Stomper added that soldiers are funded by tax payers’ money and should not be deployed to manage problems of a private company.

    Vincent is not the only one with such sentiments. Readers of The Straits Times report have also left comments expressing their disapproval of the plan.

    David Lee wrote, “SMRT is a profit-making operation, are they going to pay for the services rendered by the soldiers?”

    颜树芬 added that the only way the plan would work is if it was executed by a non-profit driven organisation.

     

    Source: http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg

  • Female Malay Officer LTA Nur Atiqah Trains Officer Cadets

    Female Malay Officer LTA Nur Atiqah Trains Officer Cadets

    LTA Nur Atiqah currently serves as an Instructor in the Officer Cadet School (OCS) in SAFTI MI.

    Previously, she was a Platoon Commander in 9 SIR, an Infantry Battalion.

    “Being in the SAF has helped me in my character-development as it is a very people-oriented career. Having to manage and work with people has helped develop me to be a better team player and to manage expectations. Being in the force has taught me how to manage my time better, adapt and react to situations on the ground”.

     

    Source: Ng Eng Hen – Defence Minister

  • OCT Ahmad Arif Ibrahim Cemerlang, Raih Pedang Kehormatan Dan Anugerah Bayonet Emas

    OCT Ahmad Arif Ibrahim Cemerlang, Raih Pedang Kehormatan Dan Anugerah Bayonet Emas

    Hasil prestasi cemerlang, seorang pegawai kadet Angkatan Bersenjata Singapura (SAF) Melayu menerima Pedang Kehormatan.

    Ia diberikan kepada pegawai-pegawai kadet yang menunjukkan prestasi terbaik.

    Ahmad Arif Ibrahim, 22 tahun, juga menerima anugerah Bayonet Emas yang berprestij, satu anugerah yang diberikan kepada 10 peratus kadet terbaik dalam satu-satu kohort.

    Beliau juga boleh berbangga kerana dinobatkan sebagai kadet terbaik dalam latihan fizikal.

    Semalam, Ahmad Arif menjadi antara 568 pegawai kadet yang ditauliahkan sebagai pegawai SAF selepas menjalani latihan selama 38 minggu dalam Kursus Pegawai Kadet.

    Selepas tamat latihan, mereka akan menyandang jawatan pegawai komand, pegawai pemberi arahan dan pegawai staf di unit-unit SAF.

    Berucap di majlis tamat kursus SAF, Timbalan Perdana Menteri Teo Chee Hean menggesa para pegawai supaya meneruskan usaha generasi anggota perkhidmatan yang terdahulu.

    Sementara itu, meskipun diiktiraf sebagai antara pegawai kadet terbaik dalam kohortnya, Arif mengakui beliau mulanya sukar menyesuaikan diri semasa beberapa hari pertama menjalani kursus tersebut.

    Ahmad Arif Ibrahim. (Gambar: Channel NewsAsia)

    “Semasa saya sertai BMT, peralihan daripada gaya hidup orang awam kepada gaya hidup seorang askar agak perlahan, dan lebih mudah untuk saya menyesuaikan diri.

    “Tetapi di OCS, mereka mahu kami bukan menjadi orang awam, tetapi menjadi seorang askar, menjadi seorang pemimpin,” ujarnya.

    Untuk mengongsi pengalaman para pegawai kadet, edisi kedua buku ‘One of A Kind’ juga dilancarkan semalam. Edisi pertama diterbitkan pada 2007.

    Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

  • Chief Of Defence Force: 50 Years Of Defending A Nation

    Chief Of Defence Force: 50 Years Of Defending A Nation

    Most Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) servicemen and women who have worked with LG Ng might know him as the three-star general with a trademark smile, who is ready for some friendly banter. But when it comes to work, he is firm and serious.

    “I exact the highest standards of my officers and men when it comes to issues of the SAF,” he said in a stern tone.

    To understand why he adopts such a no-nonsense approach, one has to go back to his younger days as a fighter pilot. On occasions when the SAF was put on high alert in response to possible threats, he flew combat patrols on his F-5 jet, putting himself in possible danger.

    “If you think about it, you’ll understand why I hold this responsibility so seriously,” he said. “What is the ultimate guarantee that Singapore will continue with life as we know it now? Or will we become a satellite of another state?”

    “What we have today is really an exceptional story. For a man of my age, I don’t take any of it for granted,” added the 47-year-old father of two. “I’ve lived through some of the difficulties that Singapore faced, as a child and as a fighter pilot, to Chief of Air Force and now Chief of Defence Force.”

    LG Ng visiting servicemen on New Year’s Eve standby duties last year.

    Unparalleled growth

    For LG Ng, the SAF’s success is a reflection of how far Singapore has come since independence. He spoke about how the SAF had only two infantry battalions and two wooden ships in 1965. But the SAF of today, he said, is well-respected by foreign military powers who count them as their equal.

    The SAF – comprising a largely citizen Army, as well as a Navy and Air Force – has not only secured peace for Singapore, but also contributed globally in peace-keeping missions, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, as well as campaigns against terrorism.

    Describing the rapid transformation of the SAF in the last 50 years as “unparalleled”, he attributed the SAF’s continuous success to the dedication and selflessness of its people.

    “Our pioneers and our people in service have done their job very well,” he said. “They have forged an armed forces that is far-sighted, with the ability to deal with operational issues day to day, but (also) the foresight to plan for the future and for the unknown.”

    He pointed out that, for example, current officers are already looking into how to deal with an impending manpower crunch, even though it will only happen 10 to 20 years down the road. The SAF is expecting a 20 percent drop in the number of conscripts by 2030.

    “The time will come when we have less resources… That’s why we must think in the long term and exploit emerging technologies that will give us the necessary firepower to do our job of maintaining peace and security for Singapore.”

     

    Source: www.mindef.gov.sg