1994 in Singapore

The following lists events that happened during 1994 in Singapore.

← 1993 1992 1991 1994 in Singapore → 1995 1996 1997
Decades:	1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
See also:	Other events of 1994 Timeline of Singaporean history

Incumbents

• President: Ong Teng Cheong
• Prime Minister: Goh Chok Tong

Events

January

• 1 January
  • SBC Channel 5 revamp the channel logo for a new look and became the first channel in Singapore to become a full-fledged English language channel.
    • News 5 at Seven; an English-language flagship evening news programme premiered on New Year's Day 1994 at 19:00 SST.
    • News in English was renamed "News 5 Tonight" and became a late news bulletin on Channel 5; aired daily at 22:30 SST.
  • Malay programmes were transferred from Channel 5 to Channel 12.
    • News in Malay was renamed "Berita 12" and premiered on Channel 12 on the same night, now extended from 20 to 30 minutes and aired daily at 19:30 SST.
  • Performance artist Josef Ng performs Brother Cane, leading to an arts funding ban by the government for a decade.[1]
  • Radio Singapore International (RSI) is launched as Singapore's first international shortwave radio station.
• 4 January - The Straits Times Industrials Index hits a record high of 2471.90 points,[2] now-former record has been surpassed in 2000 with a record high of 2582.94.[3]
• 22 January – Junction 8 is officially opened.[4]

February

• 1 February – SBC Channel 12 unveiled its new logo and slogan "Something Special".

March

• 2 March – The extension of the CISCO headquarters starts construction. When completed, it will have cash processing facilities and a computer disaster recovery centre.[5]
• 8 March – The first 2G networks are launched in Singapore.[6]
• 13 March – The National Service Resort and Country Club is officially opened.[7]
• 26 March – Singapore wins the bid to host the 1999 Rotary Convention.[8]

April

• 1 April – The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is first introduced with a tax rate of 3%.[9]

May

• 5 May – United States media reports on the caning incident of American teenager Michael P. Fay who was convicted for vandalism.
• 21 May – A Singapore Police Force officer, Corporal Hoi Kim Heng, 24, dies after being stabbed in the neck during the attempted arrest of drug abuser Soh Loo Ban. His companion, Corporal Tan Huang Yee, recovers from his injuries.[10]
• 23 May – Corporal Tan Huang Yee is given a rare field promotion to the rank of sergeant, while Corporal Hoi Kim Heng is conferred the same award posthumously.[10]
• 26 May – The Night Safari is officially opened.[11]
• 29 May –
  • SBC Channel 8 revamp the channel logo for a new look.
  • The premiere of News Brief in Mandarin (新闻简报), a 10-minute evening news summary in Chinese on MediaCorp TV Channel 8, aired daily at 18:50 SST.
  • News in Chinese was renamed "News in Mandarin (第八新闻)"; the main evening news programme in Chinese on MediaCorp TV Channel aired daily at 22:00 SST.
• 31 May – The Great Singapore Sale is launched.

June

• 6 June – Known as the Oriental Hotel Murder, a Japanese tourist, Madam Fujii Isae, 49, is found murdered in her hotel room at the Oriental Hotel.
• 9 June – The biggest single robbery to strike a private home occurs at a property in Bukit Timah, in which S$6 million worth of valuables were stolen. All five men involved in the armed robbery were subsequently arrested.

July

• 1 July – SingTel launches SingNet, Singapore's first ISP.[12]
• 21 July – The design for the new arts centre is unveiled, with the name of the facility called the Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, which will be finished by 2000. It opened in 2002.[13]

August

• 29 August – "AM Singapore", Singapore's first English language breakfast programme begins on MediaCorp TV Channel 5, aired live on Monday to Friday at 6:00am SST.

September

• 1 September – SingTel launched its fully digitalised telecom network.[14]
• 2 September – Tuas Naval Base is officially opened.[15]
• 16 September – A sergeant with the Republic of Singapore Navy, Chong Peh Choong, 26, kills his three children aged between 3 and 10 before failing in his attempts to kill his wife and himself. He was jailed for life.
• 23 September –
  • Dutchman Johannes van Damme is executed for drug trafficking.[16]
  • FM97.2 starts broadcast.
• 30 September – Singapore Broadcasting Corporation official closing ceremony on 1 October 1994 station closedown on all television channel by MediaCorp TV Channel 8 and MediaCorp TV Channel 12 at 00:30 SST and MediaCorp TV Channel 5 at 03:05 SST.

October

• 1 October –
  • Singapore Broadcasting Corporation was privatised into a new holding company Singapore International Media (SIM Group of Companies) with various mass media groups like the Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS), Radio Corporation of Singapore (RCS), SIM Communications and Singapore Television Twelve (STV12).[17]
  • On the same day, the Singapore Broadcasting Authority is formed.[18]
• 15 October – Madam Mona Koh, 46, a mamasan, survives two gunshot wounds at Katong People's Complex.[19]
• 22 October - The last National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) replacement exercise takes place in Choa Chu Kang Community Club, marking the end of a three-year replacement programme. For those who did not re-register yet, a grace period will be given until 1995. From 1 January 1996, the old laminated NRICs will be invalid.[20]
• 31 October to 3 November – A three-day debate on ministerial salaries ensues.[21][22] Eventually, the white paper is approved on 3 November.[23]
• 31 October – Power98FM is launched by SAFRA.

November

• November – Tiong Bahru Plaza opens to the public.
• 21 November – The Singapore People's Party is formed after several members broke off from the Singapore Democratic Party.[24]
• 30 November – Police officer Senior Staff Sergeant Boo Tiang Huat, 47, dies after sustaining an axe wound to the head while conducting routine vehicular inspection at Newton Road.[25] He was given a field promotion to the rank of Station Inspector posthumously.[26]

December

• 1 December
  • China Entertainment Television Broadcasts Limited was founded in Kowloon by Robert Chua, a Singaporean president, main director, chairman and chief executive officer. The slogan/motto/tagline/crest of arms "No Sex, No Violence, No News" (Chinese: "無色情、無暴力、無新聞") whose shares are 100% full owned by Television Corporation of Singapore and STAR TV with programming similar to that of STAR TV.
  • CETV Family Channel tested transmission starting at 12:00 HKT/SST until 00:00 HKT/SST daily. After 100 days of the test of transmissions from 1 December 1994 until 10 March 1995 including airing music video and STAR TV/Television Corporation of Singapore simulcast entertainment programmes by the securing carriage on SCV in Singapore.

Date unknown

• The Singapore Heart Centre starts operations.[27]
• The first local English language drama, Masters of the Sea, is shown on TCS 5.

Births

• 13 November – Andrew Tang, racing driver.[28]

Deaths

• 11 February – Gog Sing Hooi – Pioneer watercolour painter (b. 1933).[29]
• 24 August – Ee Peng Liang – Businessman and philanthropist (b. 1913).[30]
• 8 November – Kwek Hong Png – Founder of Hong Leong Group (b. 1913).[31]
• 10 December – Jamit Singh – Trade unionist (b. 1929).[32]

References

1. Lee, Jian Xuan (23 December 2015). "Curator Josef Ng, whose 1994 performance led to proscription of performance art, joins Pearl Lam Galleries". Singapore Press Holdings. The Straits Times. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
2. "Shares: 2 records set". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 5 January 1994. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
3. "STI blazes past 2,500 to new high". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 4 January 2000. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
4. "Official Opening of Junction 8" (PDF). NAS. 22 January 1994. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
5. "Ground Breaking Ceremony of the extension to the existing Commercial and Industrial Security Corporation (CISCO) Building" (PDF). NAS. 2 March 1994. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
6. "Digital handphone network launched". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 9 March 1994. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
7. "Official opening of SAFRA Resort at SAFRA Resort and Country Club" (PDF). NAS. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
8. "Singapore wins bid for Rotary convention". UPI. 26 March 1994. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
9. "Introduction of the Goods and Services Tax". NLB. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
10. "Crimes and tragedies that shocked the nation – Two police officers killed". The Straits Times. 31 December 1994.
11. "Official Opening of the Night Safari" (PDF). NAS. 26 May 1994. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
12. "Online project highlights key days of our lives". The New Paper. 24 December 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
13. "Design for world-class arts centre unveiled". The Straits Times. 22 July 1994. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
14. "Ceremony marking total digitalization of Singapore Telecom's network" (PDF). NAS. 1 September 1994. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
15. "Official Opening of Tuas Naval Base" (PDF). NAS. 2 September 1994. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
16. "Singapore Executes a Dutch Engineer Arrested on Drug Charges". The New York Times. 24 September 1994. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
17. "Singapore's first television station". NLB. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
18. "Singapore Broadcasting Authority (SBA)". NLB. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
19. Peter H. L. Lim (2009). Chronicle of Singapore, 1959–2009: Fifty Years of Headline News. Editions Didier Millet. pp. 257–. ISBN 978-981-4217-75-0.
20. "NRIC Re-registration Exercise Closing Ceremony at the Chua Chu Kang Community Club" (PDF). NAS. 22 October 1994. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
21. Chuang Peck Ming (22 October 1994), "Six professions to set pay for ministers and civil servants", Business Times (Singapore). See also Wang Hui Ling; Chung Tsung Mien; Jimmy Yap (28 October 1994), "32 say benchmarks too high, 25 think they are valid", The Straits Times; Warren Fernandez (2 November 1994), "Will S'poreans back SM Lee's judgment on White Paper?", The Straits Times; Chuang Peck Ming (4 November 1994), "MP warns of election backlash in debate on pay rise for ministers", Business Times (Singapore).
22. "In his own words: Higher pay will attract most talented team, so country can prosper". The Straits Times. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
23. Chuang Peck Ming (1 November 1994), "Why it's fitting to peg ministers' pay to top private sector earners", Business Times (Singapore); Chuang Peck Ming (4 November 1994), "White paper on salary benchmarks approved", Business Times (Singapore).
24. "Singapore People's Party is formed". NLB. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
25. "Policeman slashed on head dies instantly". The Straits Times. 1 December 1994.
26. "A tribute to SI Boo Tiang Huat". Police Life. Singapore Police Force. 20 (12): 14. December 1994.
27. "10 facts you should know about Singapore's 200-year healthcare history". 6 January 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
28. "Andrew Tang". Retrieved 17 July 2019.
29. "Gog Sing Hooi". NLB. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
30. "singapores mr charity ee peng liang dies at age 81". ucanews.com.
31. "Kwek Hong Png". NLB. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
32. "Jamit Singh". NLB. Retrieved 29 October 2019.