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The Inaugural Singapore Airshow 2008

Tuesday, 19th February 2008

The inaugural Singapore Airshow 2008 was held from 19 February to 24 February 2008, with the first four days reserved for trade visitors at the purpose-built New Changi Exhibition Centre. Changi Exhibition Centre (CEC) is situated on a plot of land just beyond the northern edge perimeter fencing of Changi Air Base (East), which was itself located due east of the nearby Singapore Changi Airport. Besides the usual aerospace exhibits and static displays, the event saw the return of aerobatic flying displays put up by the Airbus A380, RSAF's Black Knights in their F-16s and the Roulettes of the Royal Australian Air Force.

Mas Selamat extradited to Singapore

Friday, 3rd February 2006

Mas Selamat extradited to Singapore from Indonesia. Mas Selamat was then detained in Singapore's Whitley Road Detention Centre under the Internal Security Act without trial. Mas Selamat was arrested earlier in Indonesia on 20 January 2006 for using a fake identity card in Java, where he was visiting his son who was said to be studying at a religious school there.

Nicoll Highway Collapsed

Saturday, 24th April 2004

At about 3.30 pm, a disaster struck when part of the temporary retaining wall of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Circle Line at Nicoll Highway collapsed. It caused a cave-in and brought the surrounding area and part of Nicoll Highway down into it, forming 30 m deep ravine. As Nicoll Highway sank, gas, water and electricity cables snapped, causing power to go out for about 15,000 people and 700 businesses in the Marina and Suntec City area. Tremors were felt at Golden Mile Complex. Tenants and residents in the building were also evacuated. Police immediately cordoned off the adjoining Merdeka Bridge and sealed all roads leading to Nicoll Highway. The tragedy left four men dead. Nicoll highway was only reopened to traffic 8 months later on 4 December 2004.

SARS Outbreak

Thursday, 13th March 2003

The SARS, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, outbreaks was traced to a 23 year-old female Singaporean traveler returning from Hong Kong on 25 February 2003. In all, SARS has killed 25 Singaporeans and infected 173 more over the next two months. From March to May 2003, SARS raged in Singapore. Schools were closed. The Pasir Panjang wholesale vegetable market was closed off. Visitors stopped coming to Singapore. Changi Airport was deserted. Shopping malls and restaurants emptied out. The economy took a terrible hit as many businesses folded. Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong told Singaporeans the SAR outbreak costed the country about $1 billion. Update: On 6 May 2003, CDC Lowers SARS Travel Warnings for Singapore. On 31 May, the World Health Organization declared Singapore SARS-free.

Members of Jemaah Islamiyah arrested

Sunday, 9th December 2001

Members of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) arrested for bomb plot. JI was formally founded on 1 January 1993 by JI leaders, Abu Bakar Bashir and Abdullah Sungkar while hiding in Malaysia from the persecution of the Suharto Government. After the fall of the Suharto regime in 1998, both men returned to Indonesia. Where it gained a terrorist edge when one of its founders, the late Abdullah Sungkar, established contact with Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

Singapore Airlines SQ006 Crashed

Tuesday, 31st October 2000

At 15:17 UTC, 23:17 Taipei local time, Singapore Airlines Boeing 747 took off from the wrong runway in Taipei during a typhoon, destroying the aircraft and killing 83 of the 179 occupants. Singapore Airlines Flight 006 (SIA SQ6) was a scheduled flight from Singapore Changi Airport to Los Angeles International Airport via Chiang Kai-Shek Airport (now Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport) in Taiwan. SQ006 was the first fatal crash of a Singapore Airlines aircraft. The Boeing 747-400 aircraft, registration 9V-SPK, was delivered to Singapore Airlines on 21 January 1997.

S R Nathan As President

Wednesday, 1st September 1999

Mr S. R. Nathan (Sellapan Ramanathan Nathan) was sworn in as the Republic of Singapore’s sixth President and the second popularly elected President. The President of the Republic of Singapore is the Presidency of popularly-elected office. In the 1991 constitutional amendments gave the President certain reserve powers over government expenditure of financial reserves and appointments to key public offices. The President’s official residence is the Istana.

SilkAir Flight MI185 Crashed

Friday, 19th December 1997

SilkAir Flight MI185, a Boeing 737, was on a scheduled passenger flight from Jakarta, Indonesia to Singapore. MI185 crashed after abruptly plunging into the Musi River from its 35,000 feet cruise altitude, killing all 104 people on board, 97 passengers and 7 crew. The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder stopped recording, at different times and for no apparent reason, minutes before the aircraft departed level flight and entered a steep vertical dive. The Boeing 737 Aircraft operating as Flight MI 185 was the newest in SilkAir's fleet, delivered to the airline ten months prior to the crash. The U.S. NTSB concluded that the crash resulted from an intentional act by a pilot, most likely the captain.

Racial Harmony Day Launched

Monday, 21st July 1997

Racial Harmony Day was first launched on 21 July 1997. It is part of the National Education Programme, headed by the Ministry of Education and is celebrated on the anniversary of the communal riots that occurred on 21 July 1964.

SQ 117 Hijacked

Tuesday, 26th March 1991

The Singapore Airlines flight SQ 117 took off from Subang Airport in Kuala Lumpur with 129 passengers and crew onboard at 1815 hrs. Four passengers who claimed to be Pakistanis took control of the plane when it was enroute to Singapore. The plane landed and parked at Changi Airport's Runway One at 2215 hrs. The hijackers claimed to be members of the Pakistan People's Party. They wanted the release of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's husband. The hijackers issued a five-minute deadline at 27 March 0645 hrs after which they threatened to kill one passenger every ten minutes if their demands were not acceded to. SAF Elite Commandos stormed the plane, killing four Pakistani hijackers and freeing all passengers and crew. The rescue of SQ 117 was over in just 30 seconds and ended at 0650 hrs.

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