2006 in Singapore

The following lists events that happened during 2006 in Singapore.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

← 2005 2004 2003 2006 in Singapore → 2007 2008 2009
Decades:	1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2006 Timeline of Singaporean history

Incumbents

• President: S. R. Nathan
• Prime Minister: Lee Hsien Loong

Events

January

Buangkok MRT station

• 3 January - The National Research Foundation is established to set the direction of research and development initiatives.[1]
• 7 January - The new Supreme Court building is officially opened.[2]
• 8 January - Exercise Northstar V is carried out at Mass Rapid Transit stations and at Toa Payoh Bus Interchange.
• 9 January - The Ministry of Education announced that a single intake for junior college and centralised institute admissions will be implemented from January 2009. This is made possible as the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board moves to take greater control of the O Level examinations from this year.[3]
• 12 January - The first $2 polymer notes are released.[4]
• 13 January - 27 students from Raffles Girls' School sold white elephant shirts for a carnival at Buangkok MRT station to raise funds for a youth organisation, sparling a police reaction.[5] On 21 January however, then Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng apologised for the overreaction by the police.[6]
• 15 January - Buangkok MRT station opens on the North East MRT line.[7]
• 16 January - A statement on NS defaulters is delivered in Parliament after the case of Melvyn Tan in 2005. It sparked a controversy due to the fine imposed.[8]
• 17 January - The Workplace Safety and Health Act is passed to ensure better workplace safety and health standards, after several high-profile accidents. The law came into effect on 1 March.[9]
• 19 January - The Somerset Skate Park is officially opened.[10][11]
• 20 January - The City Campus of Singapore Management University officially opened.[12]
• 23 January - Temasek buys over Shin Corporation with Siam Commercial Bank,[13] causing a controversy.[14] Nonetheless, the deal is completed on 24 March.[15]
• 26 January -
  • I Not Stupid Too is released in cinemas as a sequel to I Not Stupid.
  • Zodiac: The Race Begins is released as Singapore's first 3D animated film.

February

• 3 February - In response to the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS)) issued a statement that says "the inciting of hatred against a faith of a people is very unfortunate." Foreign Minister George Yeo and the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim have similarly said that the incident shows the need to respect racial and religious sensitivities, to have a "responsible media", and to cultivate good inter-religious relations and confidence beyond just legislation.
• 8 February - The Monetary Authority of Singapore announced the setting up of Singapore Deposit Insurance Corporation Limited (SDIC) to manage deposit insurance.[16]
• 10 February - The Secretary General of Singapore Democratic Party, Chee Soon Juan, was declared bankrupt by the High Court, after failing to pay S$500,000 in damages awarded to Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew in a defamation lawsuit concerning comments he made during the 2001 election and later, the comments relating to last year's National Kidney Foundation Singapore scandal. Per the bankruptcy order, Chee was barred from participating in the politics (as well as the forthcoming election) for five years.
• 15 February -
  • Tan Chor Jin shot and killed nightclub owner Lim Hock Soon at his apartment. Nicknamed the "One Eyed Dragon", he was sentenced to death and hanged on 9 January 2009.[17][18]
  • The Ford Motor Factory in Upper Bukit Timah Road, the site of the British surrender to the Japanese during World War II, was gazetted as a national monument.
• 16 February -
  • The Memories at Old Ford Factory is officially opened to showcase the times during World War II.
  • MediaCorp launches MOBTV, a video on demand service.[19]

March

• 3 March -
  • The Additional CPF Housing Grant is announced to help lower-income Singaporeans buy Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats. The scheme has since been enhanced in 2007 and 2009.
  • The Elections Department release the report of the updated electoral boundaries for the general election.
• 13 March - The updated Singapore Green Plan 2012 is released, with new targets for clean air, emissions, water consumption, among others.[20]
• 16 March - British monarch Elizabeth II visits Singapore.
• 20 March - The Police Coast Guard's new headquarters on Pulau Brani, called the Brani Regional Base, starts operation, moving from its previous headquarters in Kallang Basin.
• 24 March - ITE College East is officially opened.[21]
• 25 March - The West Coast Highway viaduct is officially opened.[22]
• 26 March -
  • The Budget Terminal in Changi Airport begins operations.[23]
  • The Ministry of Health announced a new general hospital in Woodlands, which will be ready 10 years after the hospital in Yishun is opened.[24]
• 31 March - The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority launches the BioPass, a biometric passport that promises higher security.[25] These passports were rolled out on 15 August.[26]

April

• 1 April -
  • National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University become autonomous universities, thus ceasing to be statutory boards. At the same time, Singapore Management University is given more autonomy. The changes are first announced on 12 April 2005.[27]
  • The Deposit Insurance Scheme is launched to compensate deposits, should a bank or finance company fail.[28]
• 13 April - OCBC Bank proposes to sell its stake in Robinsons & Co. to Auric Pacific, a Lippo Group firm.[29][30]
• 16 April - Former National Kidney Foundation's CEO T.T. Durai was arrested for fraud in the wake of the National Kidney Foundation Singapore scandal. Singapore Democratic Party's secretary-general Chee Soon Juan and his party members went to make public backlash to the ruling People's Action Party, but were sued for defamation by the latter on 22 April, and tasked to pay damages by 26 April.
• 19 April - The Straits Times Index sets a high of 2585.84 points,[31] surpassing the former record of 2582.94 points from 2000.[32] These record highs continued until 2007.
• 22 April - The Heritage Trees Register and the Young Arborist Programme are launched for the public to learn about the histories of Heritage Trees and raise awareness on conservation, and foster appreciation of trees in the younger generation respectively. At the same time, the number of Heritage Trees has increased from 35 to 161.[33][34]

May

• 6 May - Polling day for the 2006 Singaporean general election:
  • The ruling People's Action Party winning 82 out of 84 seats (37 of which were uncontested) with a percentage of 66.6% of the total vote. This was the first election since the 1988 election more than a majority of seats were contested and the party did not control the government after Nomination Day (held on 27 April).
  • The remaining two seats for Hougang SMC and Potong Pasir SMC, were retained by the Workers' Party and Singapore Democratic Alliance, respectively.
  • Workers' Party's leader Low Thia Khiang succeeds Singapore Democratic Alliance's leader Chiam See Tong as the Opposition Leader due to a higher party popular vote.
• 7 May - Workers' Party's candidate James Gomez is detained in Singapore for further questioning, after trying to leave for Sweden to return to work. He was released a week later with a formal warning.
• 15 May - Kallang body parts murder murderer Leong Siew Chor received a death sentence for murdering a 22-year-old Chinese national Liu Hong Mei.[35]
• 21 May – The second season of Singapore Idol premieres on MediaCorp's Channel 5 with over a million viewers.
• 22 May – The new Cabinet of Singapore is announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, with Minister for Transport Yeo Cheow Tong retiring and five new members of parliament entering political office.
• 25 May - The 145 Squadron, which is the Republic of Singapore Air Force's third generation of fighter planes and its first advanced pilot jet, was launched for the first time.
• 26 May - The government selected Las Vegas Sands as its management for the Integrated Resort at Marina Bay among four casino operators. The project will be finished by 2009.[36][37]
• 29 May -
  • The Filipino maid, Guen Aguilar was sentenced to ten years imprisonment for manslaughtering her best friend.
  • Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices was formed to encourage fair employment outcomes in Singapore.

June

• 1 June -
  • my Paper is launched as a free Mandarin newspaper by Singapore Press Holdings.[38]
  • The Community Court is set up as part of the Subordinate Courts, dealing mainly with cases requiring community intervention.[39]
  • The Casino Control Act comes into force.
• 8 June - Emperor of Japan Akihito visits Singapore for three days with Empress Michiko.
• 14 June - STOMP is launched as a citizen journalism service.[40]
• 26 June - The first wheelchair-accessible bus service is launched.[41]

July

• 6 July - The local free newspaper Today suspends the column of mrbrown in a noted case of censorship in Singapore following a letter from a government official to the letters section of the paper.
• 24 July - A*STAR stops its partnership with Johns Hopkins Medicine.[42]

August

• 9 August - Singapore celebrates the last National Day Parade for the last time at the National Stadium before it's closed for redevelopment.
• 10 August - The Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health announced tough measures to curb Subutex abuse, originally allowed in 2000 to help heroin addicts kick the habit.[43]
• 15 August - The JetQuay CIP Terminal began operations.
• 23 August - Singapore announced that their Singapore team were to compete in the upcoming A1 Grand Prix season.

September

• 2 September - The Home Team Academy is officially opened.[44][45]
• 11–20 September - The 61st Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group took place at the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
• 24 September - St James Power Station opens as a nightclub.
• 25 September - The second season of Singapore Idol ends with Hady Mirza winning the honour of being the second Singapore Idol.
• 28 September - The Ministry of Education announced that EM3 and other streams will be abolished, leading to Subject-Based Banding in primary schools. The change takes effect in 2008.[46]

October

• 5 October - The Marina Bay Financial Centre is launched. It will be a mixed-use development with office buildings and a commercial district, making it the largest commercial centre in Singapore. The development will also have environmentally friendly features. Developed by Cheung Kong Holdings, Hongkong Land and Keppel Land, the development officially opened in 2013.[47][48]
• 7 October - Singapore experiences the worst haze since 1997 with the Pollutant Standards Index reaching a high of 150.[49]
• 12 October - REACH is formed to connect with citizens.[50]
• 30 October - Phase 2 of Biopolis is opened, adding two buildings to the existing seven.[51]
• 31 October - The Orchard Turn development (now ION Orchard and The Orchard Residences) starts construction as a mall-cum-residential development, jointly developed by CapitaLand and Sun Hung Kai Properties.[52]

November

• 5 November - The first refurbished C151 train enters service, with the whole project completed by 2008.[53]
• 30 November - IKEA opens a new store in Tampines Retail Park.[54]

December

• 1 December -
  • VivoCity is officially open to the public.
  • Wireless@SG is officially launched at several hotspots, allowing for free WiFi connections in public spaces.
• 6 December - Phase 2A of Fusionopolis starts construction.[55]
• 8 December -
  • The National Museum of Singapore officially reopened.[56]
  • The government selects Genting Group and Star Cruises as its management for the Integrated Resort at Sentosa among three casino operators.[57][58]
• 16 December - Courts opens Courts Megastore in Tampines,[59] followed by Giant Hypermarket opening in Tampines in 2007.

Deaths

• 22 February - Sinnathamby Rajaratnam (formally known as S Rajaratnam), former Deputy Prime Minister and Senior Minister (b. 1915).[60]
• 19 June - Arthur Yap, poet (b. 1943).[61]
• 12 July - Humphrey Morrison Burkill, director of Singapore Botanic Gardens from 1957-1969 (b. 1914).[62]
• 20 July - Lim Kim San, former Cabinet Minister (b. 1916).[63]
• 25 July - Chen Jin Lang, former songwriter (b. 1961).
• 2 September - Anthony Poon, artist (b. 1945).[64]
• 14 September - Elizabeth Choy, educator, war heroine, politician (b. 1910).[65]
• 5 December - Lim Chor Pee, lawyer, playwright (b. 1936).[66]

Notes

1. "NRF Milestones". 2019. Archived from the original on 21 April 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
2. "Official Opening of the new Supreme Court Building". Istana. 7 January 2006. Archived from the original on 11 August 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
3. Wong, Siew Ying (9 January 2006). "Single intake for junior colleges, centralised institutes from 2009". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 11 January 2006. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
4. "MAS Issues $2 Polymer Notes". MAS. Archived from the original on 15 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
5. "Teens' white elephant T-shirt venture gets police attention". Today (Singapore newspaper). 14 January 2006. Archived from the original on 16 January 2006.
6. Ng, Julia (21 January 2006). "Police overreacted to white elephant T-shirt incident: DPM Wong". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
7. "Buangkok NEL Station Commences Revenue Service Amid Great Fanfare". SBS Transit. 15 January 2006. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
8. "Ministerial statement on National Service defaulters". NAS. 16 January 2006. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
9. "Workplace Safety & Health Act". AGC. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
10. "News release: Bigger, better Somerset skate park opens in Orchard" (PDF). National Youth Council. 19 January 2006. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
11. "National Youth Council". NLB. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
12. "Singapore Management University celebrates Official Opening of City Campus". 20 January 2006. Archived from the original on 30 June 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
13. "Temasek-SCB led investor group acquires Shinawatra and Damapong Families' stakes in Shin Corp". Temasek Holdings. 23 January 2006. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
14. "Temasek buys Shin Corp". The Star. 24 January 2006. Archived from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
15. "Shin-bid Consortium Partners Complete Tender Offer for AIS". Temasek Holdings. 24 March 2006. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
16. "Establishment of Singapore Deposit Insurance Corporation Limited". MAS. 8 February 2006. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
17. Teo, Wan Gek (11 January 2009). "Donor 'designated kidney expressly' for Tang". The Straits Times. Singapore. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
18. "The suspected murderer who shocked Singapore". Taipei Times. 22 January 2007. Archived from the original on 7 June 2014. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
19. "MediaCorp Online Broadband TV – Decide when, where and what you want for your TV entertainment". MediaCorp. 16 February 2006. Archived from the original on 4 September 2006. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
20. "MEWR releases Singapore Green Plan 2012 (2006 Edition) after extensive consultation". MEWR. 13 March 2006. Archived from the original on 18 August 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
21. "Official opening of ITE College East". NAS. 24 March 2006. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
22. "Opening Of West Coast Highway Extension And Upgraded Jalan Buroh". MOT. 25 March 2006. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
23. "Singapore's Budget Terminal Opens For Scheduled Flight Operations". MOT. 26 March 2006. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
24. "New hospital in Woodlands". Today (retrieved from NLB). 27 March 2006. Archived from the original on 11 August 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
25. "Unveiling of "BioPass" - The Singapore Biometric Passport". NAS. 31 March 2006. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
26. "Public Introduction of Singapore Biometric Passport". NAS. 25 July 2006. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
27. "NUS, NTU, SMU to become autonomous universities". NAS. 12 April 2005. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
28. "Launch of Deposit Insurance Scheme in Singapore". MAS. 28 March 2006. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
29. "OCBC Group divests 29.9% stake in Robinsons for S$203 million to Red Oasis Pte. Ltd" (PDF). 13 April 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 November 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
30. "Corporate Finance – Lippo Group consortium acquires 29.90% of Robinson and Company, limited for €100m". 27 June 2006. Archived from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
31. "ST Index at all-time high after 26-pt surge". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 20 April 2006. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
32. "STI blazes past 2,500 to new high". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 4 January 2000. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
33. "NParks Announces the New Heritage Trees Register". NParks. 22 April 2006. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
34. "Heritage Tree Scheme". NLB. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
35. "Other gruesome murders that took place in Singapore". Archived from the original on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
36. "Government Awards Marina Bay IR Project to Las Vegas Sands Corporation". STB. 26 May 2006. Archived from the original on 7 August 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
37. "Las Vegas Sands wins bid to build Singapore's first integrated resort". Channel NewsAsia. 26 May 2006. Archived from the original on 28 May 2006. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
38. "Singapore Press Holdings´ Chinese freesheet - my paper - hits the streets". 31 May 2006. Archived from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
39. "Community Court". Retrieved 17 September 2019.
40. "The Straits Times extends its reach with bold new platform STOMP". 14 June 2006. Archived from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
41. "SBS Transit Launches Singapore's First-Ever Wheelchair Accessible Buses, Offers One Month Free Rides". 26 June 2006. Archived from the original on 19 February 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
42. "Key dates". The Straits Times. 25 July 2006. Archived from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
43. "Tougher action against Subutex abuse". NAS. 10 August 2006. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
44. "Official Opening Ceremony of The Home Team Academy". MHA. 2 September 2006. Archived from the original on 17 June 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
45. Cheney, Satish (18 August 2006). "New Home Team Academy to bring all agencies under one roof". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
46. "Refining how we deliver ability-driven education" (PDF). 28 September 2006. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 June 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
47. "Unveiling of the Marina Bay Financial Centre". NAS. 5 October 2006. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
48. "Like S'pore's Canary Wharf (Page 6)". Today (retrieved from NLB). 6 October 2006. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
49. "Haze worsens in Singapore, PSI hits new high for the year". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 23 October 2006. Retrieved 8 October 2006.
50. "Reaching out better (Todayonline)". 13 October 2006. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
51. "Biopolis booster for local biomed scene". Today (retrieved from NLB). 31 October 2006. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
52. "Orchard Turn Groundbreaking Ceremony" (PDF). NAS. 31 October 2006. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 July 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
53. Rajan, T. (5 November 2006). "MRT trains get $145m overhaul". The Straits Times.
54. "Opening Ceremony of IKEA Tampines". NAS. 30 November 2006. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
55. "Groundbreaking Ceremony of Fusionopolis Phase 2A Site". NAS. 6 December 2006. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
56. "Opening Of The National Museum". MICA (now MCI). 8 December 2006. Archived from the original on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
57. "Remarks by DPM Prof S Jayakumar at Press Conference on Award of Integrated Resort at Sentosa, 8 Dec". MinLaw. 8 December 2006. Archived from the original on 7 August 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
58. "Award of the Integrated Resort on Sentosa". MTI. 8 December 2006. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
59. "Opening of Courts Megastore". Courts Singapore (Facebook). 28 July 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
60. "S. Rajaratnam". NLB. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
61. "Arthur Yap". NLB. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
62. "Humphrey Morrison Burkill". NLB. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
63. "Lim Kim San". NLB. Archived from the original on 21 July 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
64. "Anthony Poon". NLB. Archived from the original on 18 July 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
65. "Elizabeth Choy". NLB. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
66. "Lim Chor Pee". NLB. Retrieved 29 October 2019.