|
 |
|
Source:
www.stb.gov.sg |
|
Singapore Remembers The End Of WWII
In The Asia Pacific |
|
|
2005 marks the 60th anniversary of the end of
World War Two (WWII) in the Asia Pacific. Between February and September this
year, WWII veterans, visitors and Singaporeans can look forward to a series of
events to commemorate this historic occasion. |
|
Led by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), together
with partners including the British High Commission, the National Heritage
Board, the National Institute of Education and Singapore's WWII attractions,
these events will include heritage tours, WWII commemorative exhibitions, a
WWII Veterans’ Forum, public conferences and talks on the Asia Pacific war as
well as promotions at Singapore’s WWII attractions. |
|
These activities will culminate in September with
memorial services at the Kranji War Memorial, the Changi Chapel Museum and the
Sembawang Wharves. |
|
In addition, exclusively in September, visitors
and locals will have the rare opportunity to visit WWII sites which are
normally restricted to the public. |
|
Through special tours organised by local tour
operators such as Journeys, Faber Tours and Tour East, the public will get the
chance to view the original Changi Murals, beautiful wall paintings created by
Changi prisoner of war Stanley Warren in the former Roberts Barracks, now part
of Changi Air Base. |
|
In addition, exclusively in September, visitors
and locals will have the rare opportunity to visit WWII sites which are
normally restricted to the public. |
|
Through special tours organised by local tour
operators such as Journeys, Faber Tours and Tour East, the public will get the
chance to view the original Changi Murals, beautiful wall paintings created by
Changi prisoner of war Stanley Warren in the former Roberts Barracks, now part
of Changi Air Base. |
|
These tours will also offer the public a chance to
view a stretch of the prison wall of the infamous Changi Prison, where 50,000
prisoners of war and civilians were held in captivity between 1942 and 1945. |
|
These tours also include visits to Singapore’s key
war heritage sites, including Fort Siloso, Changi Chapel Museum, the Battle
Box at Fort Canning, Reflections at Bukit Chandu and Labrador Park. |
|
In addition, for the first time, the tunnels at
Labrador Park will be opened to the public. From March onwards, the public can
explore the park’s preserved war-time tunnels, one of Singapore’s strategic
defensive sites and a key site of resistance during WWII. The opening of the
tunnels will be held in conjunction with a two-day carnival to draw families
and visitors to this historic 16-hectare site. |
|
Visitors can also experience the Pasir Panjang
Heritage Trail, a walking trail offered by Reflections at Bukit Chandu which
takes visitors through Bukit Chandu ("Opium Hill") and Kent Ridge Park - the
scene of Singapore's final heroic battle against Japanese invaders on 14
February 1942. |
|
One of Singapore’s key WWII attractions, the
Changi Museum, will also be refurbished in conjunction with the WWII 60th
Anniversary Commemoration events. New exhibits featuring original artworks by
the prison’s internees will be displayed for the first time in an enhanced
section of the museum. |
|
Original artefacts from Changi Prison, including a
prison cell door, a piece of the prison boundary wall and chapel pews will
also be incorporated into the museum. The new exhibits at the museum will be
launched on the same day as the Changi Chapel Memorial Service on September
10. |
|
Singapore’s WWII 60th Anniversary Commemoration
activities will also honour the courage and sacrifices of those who served in
Southeast Asia during the war. Veterans and former prisoners of war from the
United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand will be invited to visit Singapore
through customized WWII travel packages. |
|
These packages will offer visitors the opportunity
to attend the September memorial services and visit Singapore’s key WWII
sites. In addition to veterans and their families, STB and its trade partners
plan to market these packages to historians, military and history enthusiasts,
students, academics and journalists in these countries. STB expects to attract
some 5,000 visitors with these packages. |
|
STB will also be launching a series of ‘September
WWII specials’ to encourage both locals and visitors to discover and
appreciate Singapore’s historic sites and war-time legacy. These will offer
the public an assortment of one-to-one promotions, special discounts on
admission fees or redemption offers at all WWII museums and sites. |
|
These offers will be compiled in a special WWII
Commemorative booklet which STB will be distributing free of charge at all
Singapore Visitors Centres, as well as through its network of regional
offices. |
|
Mr Chang Chee Pey, STB’s Director for Sightseeing
and Cruise, said this year’s WWII Commemoration events bring together a large
group of partners as diverse as the British High Commission to the National
Institute of Education to Singapore’s heritage museums. |
|
Said Mr Chang: “Singapore has a rich wartime
legacy that may not be well-known, even among Singaporeans. This legacy is
preserved and kept alive for future generations by our many WWII heritage
sites and attractions. This series of commemorative activities will not only
pay tribute to those who fought in the war, but will also raise awareness and
appreciation of Singapore’s war-time history and its lesser-known heritage
offerings among locals and visitors.” |
|
For more information on the 60th Anniversary WWII
Commemoration events, please refer to
visitsingapore.com/WWII.
|
|
More..... (List of confirmed programmes) |
|
Source:
www.stb.gov.sg Press Release 14 Feb 2005 |
60th anniversary of the end of World War II in Asia Pacific
