The following lists events that happened during 1971 in Singapore.
Incumbents President: Yeoh Ghim Seng (Acting) (23 November 1970 to 2 January), Benjamin Henry Sheares (starting 2 January) Prime Minister: Lee Kuan Yew
Events January 1 January – The Monetary Authority of Singapore was established to regulate the financial sector and as Singapore's central bank. 2 January – Dr Benjamin Henry Sheares becomes the second President of Singapore. 3 January – Jurong Bird Park opens to the public. 14–22 January - Singapore hosts the 18th Conference of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. 29 January – The Preservation of Monuments Board was established to identify and safeguard buildings of great historical value and recommend as national monuments.
February 1 February – The National Sports Promotion Board is formed to promote and develop sports in Singapore.
March 15 March – The Staff Training Institute (now the Civil Service College) is established to train civil servants.
April 15–16 April – Singapore, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Australia, and New Zealand sign the Five Power Defence Arrangements. The agreement comes into effect on 1 November the same year. 23 April – The Shangri-La Hotel Singapore is opened. The first Concept Plan is unveiled, which proposes a 'Ring Plan'.
May
11 May – Local newspapers Eastern Sun and the Singapore Herald were accused by then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew of having been involved in "black operations". They later shut down on 18 May and 28 May respectively.
July 14 July – The Jurong Drive-in Cinema is opened as Singapore's first and only open-air drive-in cinema. The cinema operated for 15 years until its closure on 30 September 1985. 30 July – Singapore's first sex reassignment surgery is performed on a 24-year-old who becomes a woman after the surgery, led by Dr S. S. Ratnam. The surgery is declared a success.
October 23 October – The Sentosa Satellite Earth Station is officially launched, making it Singapore's first Satellite Earth Station. 31 October – The last British military forces withdraws from Singapore.
November 2 November – The Central Narcotics Bureau is set up to tackle the problem of drugs in Singapore. 7 November – The first Tree Planting Day is launched by Dr Goh Keng Swee in Mount Faber.
December 1 December – The Singapore Traction Company ceases operations. 2 December – The Clean Air Act is passed to deal with pollution caused by early industrialisation. 29 December – The Gold Bars triple murders saw a gold merchant and his two employees robbed and killed by a group of 10 men. Seven of the 10 men were sentenced to death for the crime; the remaining three were indefinitely detained for lengthy periods before their release.
Date unknown Tower 1 of Mandarin Orchard Singapore is opened.
Births 27 January – Fann Wong, actress. 30 January – Bryan Wong, actor. 23 July – Christopher Lee, Malaysia-born Singaporean actor. 29 July – Selena Tan, producer, director, writer and actress. 13 October – Chia Shi-Lu, medical practitioner and former politician. 1 December – Patrick Tay, politician and lawyer. Daren Shiau, writer, lawyer, and environmental activist.
Deaths 7 February – Chen Yoh Shoo, former Chairman of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (b. 1900). 16 May – Pang Choon Jin, former civil servant and one of the early pioneers of the Buddhist Union in Singapore (b. 1908). 25 June – Goh Chew Chua, former Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and former PAP legislative assemblyman for Punggol–Tampines Constituency and Tampines Constituency (b. 1897). 22 August – Aw Cheng Chye, millionaire, businessman, company director and philanthropist (b. 1924). 21 September – Tan Chor Lam, businessman and 1st Chairman of the Nanyang Branch of the Tongmenghui (b. 1884). 15 October – Syed Mohamed Alkaff, former President of the Arab Association of Singapore and leader of the Alkaff family (b. 1902).
References