Punggol Point Park
| Punggol Point Park | |
|---|---|
| Punggol Point | |
  Location in Singapore | |
| Type | historical park |
| Location | Punggol, Singapore |
| Coordinates | 1°25′16.1″N 103°54′39.0″E / 1.421139°N 103.910833°ECoordinates: 1°25′16.1″N 103°54′39.0″E / 1.421139°N 103.910833°E |
| Opened | 20 November 2011 |
| Status | Open |
Punggol Point Park, formerly known as Punggol Point, is located in Punggol, north-east of Singapore.
History
Japanese Occupation of Singapore
Punggol Beach was one of the sites where 400 Chinese civilians were massacred as part of the Sook Ching Massacre. In 28 February 1942, the killings were done on a large-scale basis, as the Japanese Imperial Army sent many men who were suspected of being anti-Japanese to be shot dead by the Hojo Kempei firing squad. The victims who are killed were either hastily discarded into the sea or left abandoned on the foreshore.
Present
A jetty known as Punggol Point Jetty had been an iconic part of Punggol Point and it has been there for a very long time. Punggol Point was also a home to a cluster of popular seafood restaurants in the 1980s and the 1990s.
The remains of some victims from the Sook Ching massacre would later be discovered by beach goers and fishermen. In 13 March 1977, a human skull and some bones was brought to light when a man dug a hole in the sand around the area.[1] In December 1997, a man digging for earthworms as bait found a skull with two gold teeth as well as parts of an arm and a leg near the shore.
The location had since been declared as a national heritage site. There is a plaque commemorating the Sook Ching Massacre.[2] The inscription on the plaque read:
| “ | On 23 February 1942, some 300–400 Chinese civilians were killed along Punggol foreshore by Hojo Kempei (auxiliary military police) firing squad. They were among tens of thousands who lost their lives during the Japanese Sook Ching operation to purge suspected anti-Japanese civilians among Singapore's Chinese population between 18 February and 4 March 1942. The victims who perished along the foreshore were among 1,000 Chinese males rounded up following a house-to-house search of the Chinese community living along Upper Serangoon Road by Japanese soldiers. — National Heritage Board.[3] |
” |
Redevelopment
The area, including the jetty that is situated there, underwent development[4] and reopened as Punggol Point Park on 20 November 2011.[5]
Getting there
The place can be reached from Punggol Road. After its redevelopment into Punggol Point Park, a new road named Punggol Point Road leads into a public carpark for visitors.
See also
- Changi Beach Park
- Belakang Mati Beach
- Sook Ching
References
- ↑ http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19770314-1.2.5
- ↑ "Punggol Beach Massacre". Archived from the original on 23 October 2015.
- ↑ Modder, "Punggol Beach Massacre", p. 67.
- ↑ "Punggol Point Redevelopment". Retrieved 2011-11-16.
- ↑ "Punggol Promenade Punggol Point Walk". National Parks Board. Retrieved 2016-05-20.
| Art and heritage |
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|---|---|---|
| Coastal | ||
| Community |
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| Marine | ||
| Nature | ||
| Nature reserves | ||
| Offshore islands | ||
| Riverine | ||
| Singapore Botanic Gardens | ||
| Southern Ridges | ||
| Defunct | ||