Year 1977

Singapore Science Centre opens

Saturday, 10th December 1977

Singapores well-known Science Centre was opened by Health Minister Dr Toh Chin Chye, who was the Minister-in-charge of the Science Board. The Centre, now a tourist draw and a top attraction for students, has become a premier scientific institution specialising in the sharing of scientific and technological expertise. The theme for its main opening exhibit was Time, tracing back the history of time before the invention of clocks and watches.


Haze covers entire island of Singapore

Thursday, 27th October 1977

Forest fires raging from Sumatra shrouded the whole of Singapore in smoky haze. Visibility was so poor in some areas that familiar towering skyscrapers could hardly be seen from a short distance. Overnight change in wind direction carried the haze over here and to Peninsular Malaysia. The haze was 366m high according to the Meteorological Department of Singapore.


HP Calculator Factory Opened

Thursday, 29th September 1977

Hewlett-Packard opened its $21 Million Calculator Factory located in Alexandra by HP's Co-Founder & CEO Mr Bill Hewlett. The Singapore factory have 1,500 worker to make a variety of hand-held calculators for science, business and education. All the calculators made are packed and exported to all countries outside USA, namely Europe and Asia.


Operation Ferret

Friday, 1st April 1977

An island wide “Operation Ferret” was launched on 1 April to flush out an estimated 13,000 heroin abusers. Additional DRCs (Drug Rehabilitation Centre) had to be acquired and gazetted to accommodate the drug abusers. By the year end, 6,972 drug abusers were arrested and incarcerated in DRCs.


Upper Pierce Reservoir Opened

Sunday, 27th February 1977

At the opening of the Upper Pierce Reservoir, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew had suggest that keeping the waterways of Singapore clean need to be a priority. There he set the target of a decade for the Ministry of Environment to clean up both the Singapore River and the Kallang River. The rivers' pollution had grown as for decades, the river residents had lived in unsewered premises and disposed their farm wastes into the river. These included families living on bum boats, hawkers, squatters, pig farms and duck farms. At least 26,000 families and 2,800 cottage industries had to be relocated during this massive clean-up.


Ho Kwon Ping was arrested

Tuesday, 4th January 1977

Far Eastern Economic Review local correspondent, Ho Kwon Ping was arrested and charged with disseminating protected information regarding the manufacturing and sale of military goods.