Year 1987

MRT First Station Opened

Saturday, 7th November 1987

Singapore’s first Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) trains commenced operation for the first MRT section, running between five stations from Toa Payoh to Yio Chu Kang.


Black Tuesday

Tuesday, 20th October 1987

The Singapore's Straits Time Index plunged 25 percent in a day. It was triggered by the "Black Monday" in the United States , the popular name for Monday, October 19, 1987, the most spectacular of global stock market crashes to date. The significance of Black Monday, when the Dow Jones fell by 22.6 percent. It triggered a global event, starting in Hong Kong by the end of the month markets had declined by 45 percent in Hong Kong. The most interesting thing about Black Monday, however, is that it was not predicted, and has yet to be explained satisfactorily. Not that there is any shortage of suggested causes. Some attribute the crash to automated programme trading, derivative trades, and portfolio insurance, others to recession fears, others still to overvaluation of stocks.


Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology Opened

Friday, 2nd October 1987

The Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, IMCB, in National University of Singapore was officially opened. IMCB later became an autonomous research institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). Its mission is to develop and foster a vibrant research culture for cutting-edge basic biomedical sciences and for training high quality PhD students for the flourishing biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries in Singapore.


Clean Rivers Education Programme Launched

Thursday, 1st October 1987

The government launched the Clean Rivers Education Programme in order to educate the public on the massive efforts taken to clean up Singapore's waterways. It aimed to increase awareness on the need for clean waterways for environmental protection and a better quality of life. The programme included video shows entitled 'River Reborn' and 'In the Bag' shown to students. The video shows aim to educate the public, especially school students, that littering and dumping of refuse into drains, canals and rivers will pollute the rivers.


New One Dollar Coin Issued

Monday, 28th September 1987

Inscribed "REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE" and the lion symbol on its round edge.  The front Coat of Arms of "Singapore" in 4 official languages and back it shows the value plus image of Lochnera rosea has with an inset of an octagon (shape of the Chinese Ba Gua).  It is made of aluminium bronze and weigh 6.3 grams.  It replaces the original One Dollar Coin that was issued in 12 June 1967.


Marxist Plot More Detained

Monday, 20th July 1987

The three detained today are Chew Kheng Chuan, a 29-year-old 1982 graduate of Harvard University who owns a typesetting business in Singapore; Tang Fong Har, a lawyer, and Chng Suan Tse, president of an experimental drama group. Officals say the arrests are largely pre-emptive. On television, the three were asked to explain how they became involved in what officials describe as a London-based Communist plot to subvert Singaporean organizations engaged in social action. They portrayed themselves as well-meaning people who dabbled in reading and talking about social change and who might, in retrospect, have been used by political hard-liners. While on a junior-year-abroad program at the London School of Economics, Mr. Chew was associated with Tan Wah Piow, an exiled Singaporean whom the Government accuses of being the mastermind of the plot. Mr. Tan denies the subversion charges.


Merdeka Lions On-The-Move

Monday, 15th June 1987

The two stone lions aka Merdeka Lions at Kallang Park their home for the past 21 years was moved to its temporary home in Pasir Laba Camp in Jurong.


Miss Universe Show hosted in Singapore

Wednesday, 27th May 1987

This was the first time Singapore had hosted such an international beauty pageant. Miss Singapore Marion Teo, 19, became only the second Singapore girl to get as far as the semi-finals.  Miss Chile, Cecilia Bolocco, 22, beat 63 other beauties to win the Miss Universe crown which carried with it prizes that is worthed S$477,000.


Marxist Plot Exposed

Thursday, 21st May 1987

Sixteen persons around Singapore were arrested by the Singapore Secuirty Department (a political police) and were immediately imprisoned in the Whitley Road Detention Centre. Among the 16 arrested, 10 belonged directly to militant Catholic movements for social justice and human rights. The arrests of the activists was followed by five days of silence. It was only on the 26th of May that the voluminous communique of the Minister of Home Affairs was published.


Two Primary School Boys Went Missing Forever

Thursday, 14th May 1987

A year earlier two 12-year-old schoolboys, Keh Chin Ann and Toh Hong Huat, had gone missing. Despite a huge police search, a poster campaign, a $100,000 reward from MacDonald’s and a feature on television’s Crime Watch program, nothing had emerged which would explain their disappearance. The two Primary Six students of Owen Primary School were last seen on their way to school. The search for them was extended to Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, but proved to be fruitless.


Older Entries