Punggol Beach Massacre

Take a trip to Punggol Beach and experience the quiet life, freedom and nature on the clean beach.

The beach brings back grim memories to older generations because during the World War II in 1942, 400 Chinese civilians were massacred by the Japanese soldiers. Located at Punggol Point, this place is also known as Punggol Beach Massacre. The location has been marked as a national heritage site.

The Sook Ching massacre (Chinese: 肅清大屠殺) was a systematic extermination of perceived hostile elements among the Chinese in Singapore by the Japanese military during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, after the British colony surrendered in the Battle of Singapore on 15 February 1942 during World War II. Sook Ching was later extended to include Chinese Malayans. The massacre took place from 18 February to 4 March 1942 at various places.

The Punggol Beach Massacre cost the lives of 300 to 400 Chinese, who were shot at Punggol Beach on 28 February 1942 by the Hojo Kempei firing squad, the auxiliary Japanese military police responsible for all killings that took place in the massacre. The victims were some of the 1,000 Chinese males detained by the Japanese after a door-to-door search along Upper Serangoon Road. Several of these men had tattoos, a sign that they could be triad members, with the Japanese assuming that such individuals were anti-Japanese.

Resources:
▪ Street Directory - Travel Guide
▪ Wikipedia

Related Posts:
▪ Punggol Point

Punggol Point

Photo source: alner_s from Flickr

Punggol Point is located at the end of Punggol estate, and is one of the last undeveloped places in Singapore. A tranquil and peaceful place, it is also commonly known as Punggol Beach or Punggol End.

Punggol Point relatively isolated from the rest of Singapore. It lies at the end of a long straight road that has lush vegetation flanking on both sides.

The closest LRT station here is the Punggol Point LRT Station which is not currently in operation. SBS Transit Service 82 is available from Serangoon Bus Interchange.

Punggol Point's coastline is rocky to the east and the beach is sandy to the west. The field to the west leads to Seletar Punggol Park and Punggol Point Holiday Camp and the forest to the west leads to the other parts of Punggol. The sea leads to Malaysia. To the east there are two large large islands, Pulau Punggol Timor and Pulau Punggol Barat. Pasir Gudang is visible from Punggol.

There is a small jetty that serves as a pickup point for people going towards the Outward Bound Training Centre in Pulau Ubin. Fishing enthusiasts can be seen here on most evenings and every weekend.

Click here for map.

Resources: Wikipedia

Related Posts:
▪ Punggol Beach Massacre

Application Process for BTO Projects

1. Launch BTO Exercise

HDB announces in the newspapers, HDB InfoWEB and other media, the Sites where flats are to be built. Information on the location, indicative prices, preliminary designs and the number of units of flats offered is also made available.

Check that you are eligible for an HDB loan or a bank loan, the loan quantum that you are eligible for and the flat-type that is within your affordability.

Check that you are able to pay an option fee, downpayment and the other costs related to the purchase such as legal fees, resale levy, renovation cost, home protection insurance, etc.


2. Submit Application

You must submit your flat applications online via HDB InfoWEB at www.hdb.gov.sg.

Those without internet access can also visit HDB Hub or any of HDB’s Branch Offices to submit their application.

A non-refundable administration fee of $10 is payable by cashcard or credit card (Master Card /Visa).


3. Receive Outcome Of Application

At the end of the three-week application period, HDB will ballot all applications for their queue position and inform applicants of the outcome of their application.

If the demand for a particular site is poor, the sale for that site will be aborted.


4. Book Flat

If you are shortlisted, you will be invited to book a flat. If your queue number exceeds the number of flats offered for selection, your chances of selecting a flat will depend on the availability and ethnic quota when your turn is due.

Required payments:

Option fee by cash, NETS or cheque.
Executive - S$2,000
5-room - S$2,000
4-room - S$2,000
3-room - S$1,000
2-room - S$500
Studio - S$250

The fee will be refunded subsequently if you have sufficient money in your CPF Ordinary Account to pay the downpayment.


5. Sign Agreement For Lease

HDB will invite tenders for construction of flats if most of the flats at a particular site have been booked. You will be invited to sign the Agreement for Lease.

You must submit:
(a) A valid HDB Loan Eligibility (HLE) letter if you are obtaining a housing loan from HDB.
(b) A Letter of Offer if you are obtaining a housing loan from banks.

Required payments:
• A downpayment of 10% of the purchase price of the flat. The housing loan ceiling is 90% of the purchase price of the flat.
• Legal and stamp fees of 1-3%. CPF or cash is accepted.

Click here for the fees payable.


6. Collect Flat Keys

You would collect the keys to your flats in about four to six years' time.

Required payments:

Balance of the purchase price of the flat booked, by Cash or CPF or a combination of both.

• If you are eligible for an HDB concessionary rate loan, you may be given a loan up to the housing loan ceiling, subject to full usage of funds from your CPF Ordinary Account and credit assessment.

• If you intend to pay the monthly instalments partially or fully by cash, you will have to submit a completed GIRO application form before we grant you a loan. If your completed GIRO application form is not received by HDB on or before the appointment for keys collection, your letter of offer may be withdrawn and you will have to find alternative financing for the purchase.

• If you are not eligible for an HDB concessionary rate loan, you may approach the banks or financial institution (licenced by MAS) to obtain a mortgage loan.


Online resource: HDB Info Page

Related posts:
▪ What is Build-To-Order (BTO)
▪ Damai Grove (Punggol Anthias)
▪ Punggol Arcadia
▪ Punggol Breeze
▪ Punggol Lodge
▪ Punggol Nautilus
▪ Punggol Regalia
▪ Punggol Sapphire
▪ Punggol Spring
▪ Punggol Vista
▪ Treelodge

HDB Resale Transactions - Feb 09

HDB Resale Transactions - Feb 09

Punggol Reclamation

In 1983, the government announced that it would undertake a reclamation project in which 277 ha of land would be reclaimed over the next three years at a cost of $136 million. The Straits Times reported on 5 March 1983 that the reclaimed land would be used for certain industrial and agricultural activities at first, but would eventually be supplanted by flats supplanted by flats developed by the Housing and Development Board (HDB). The report also stated that the reclaimed soil would come from Tampines, the granite quarry at Pulau Ubin, and dredging the seabed off Punggol.

The Northeastern Coast Reclamation Project
In October 1984, Parliament approved yet another reclamation scheme for Punggol, this time a massive project known as the Northeastern Coast Reclamation Scheme. The scheme would reclaim 875 ha of shallow foreshore and swampland at the northeastern coast of Singapore from Pasir Ris to Jalan Kayu (including Punggol). Costing $874 million, the project was undertaken by the HDB, which served as an agent for the Ministry of National Development (MND) in executing the project. The reclamation was to be implemented in four phases lasting a period of nine years (1985-1993). An HDB study estimated the amount of soil needed for the reclamation to be approximately 76 million cubic metres, half of which was to be obtained from HDB development sites and the other half imported. The bulk of the newly reclaimed land was reserved for the construction of flats while the remaining portion was set aside for refuse tipping, as well as industrial and recreational purposes.

Phases I and II of the project were completed by the end of March 1990. The third phase, scheduled to run from April 1988 till the end of 1990, was part of the development of Punggol New Town. The fourth phase was supposed to commence in 1990, but was deferred as the North-Eastern Sector landuse concept plan was not finalised yet. Part of the Punggol 21 development plan, the last phase involved reclaiming 155 ha of foreshore between Punggol and Coney Island (also known as Pulau Serangoon) at an estimated cost of $320 million. Under the plan, Coney Island was to be enlarged and the land off Punggol extended narrowing the channel (referred to as "river") between them to at least 100 m wide. The 2.5 km long river would have vertical seawalls on both sides.

Environmental effects
A three-year annual study (1998-2000) on the effects of coastal reclamation at Sungei Punggol on macrobenthic community (referring to organisms living on, in, or near the river bed or benthic zone) revealed that the family number and abundance of macrobenthos increased significantly away from the reclaimed areas. Besides the obliteration of the swamps on the mainland, environmentalists were also concerned over the gradual loss of flora and fauna on Coney Island. For instance, in 1998, Dr Ho Hua Chew, who heads the conservation committee of the Nature Society (Singapore), expressed concern over the impact of urbanisation on the 30-odd species of birds that inhabited the island.

By Marsita Omar & Alex Ong
26 Nov 2007

Extract of article published on Singapore Infopedia!
National Library Board 2008.

Click here for full article.

Matilda House

Matilda House is one of the oldest houses in Singapore. Located in Punggol, it is very close to the Soo Teck LRT Station. The house was originally built in 1902 for Mr Joseph Cashin, whose family history in Singapore can be traced back to the early 1840s. It has entrances on two sides of the main building, an open balcony at the front facade, and a long verandah. The house is now uninhabited and is currently in ruins.

Matilda House was given conservation status by Singapore's Urban Redevelopment Authority in February 2000. Despite redevelopments in the surrounding area, it stands as a reminder of the past to the residents of Punggol. It is a frequent haunt for photographers, especially for those who want to take night shots of the place.

Click here for full article from Wikipedia.

Check out SPI (Singapore Paranormal Investigators) exposé of the Matilda House.
Article comes complete with write-up, day & night patrol overview and lots of pictures.

Punggol Nursery

Photo credit: aussiegall on Flickr

Sing See Soon Floral & Landscape
32 Punggol East
#01-01 Singapore 828824
Website: www.singseesoon.com

Features:

• Interactive showroom
• Beautifully decorated walk-in gardens
• Large walk-in cooler for floral selection
• Solemnization venue for rent
• Ample parking space