2008 in Singapore

The following lists events that happened during 2008 in the Republic of 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.

← 2007 2006 2005 2008 in Singapore → 2009 2010 2011
Decades:	1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2008 Timeline of Singaporean history

Incumbents

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

Events

January

• 1 January - All radio stations in Singapore start broadcasting 24/7.[1][2]
• 2 January - The School of the Arts is opened, making it the first specialised pre-tertiary arts school in Singapore.[3]
• 3 January - The Keppel Bay Bridge is officially opened.[4]
• 8 January -
  • My Paper is relaunched as a full-fledged bilingual newspaper.[5]
  • Asia Netcom and Pacific Internet successfully merged as Pacnet, Singapore's second ISP. This resulted in its delisting from Nasdaq.[6]
  • Reflections at Keppel Bay starts construction works, with completion by 2013.[7]
• 9 January - Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3 starts operations.[8][9]
• 19 January - Marina at Keppel Bay is officially opened as a yacht facility with world-class restaurants.[10]
• 23 January - The National University Health System is formed as Singapore's third health cluster.

February

• 1 February - The Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) is officially launched to help workers find jobs.[11] In addition, a National Continuing Education and Training (CET) Masterplan is launched too.[12]
• 8 February – Sumatran orangutan Ah Meng, known for a tourism icon of Singapore, dies after 97 Orangutan Years, or 47 years.
• 21 February- The President of IOC, Jacques Rogge announces that Singapore will host the inaugural 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, which happened on 14 August 2010.[13]
• 27 February – Mas Selamat bin Kastari, one of Singapore's wanted fugitive, has escaped from detention under the country's Internal Security Act.[14]

March

• 1 March – Opening of Singapore Flyer; at 165 metres (541 ft) in height, it surpasses Star of Nanchang's height of 160 metres (520 ft) as the tallest Ferris Wheel at the time until on 31 March 2014, where High Roller's height of 160 metres (520 ft) surpasses the record.
• 4 March - A new School of Science and Technology, Singapore will be set up by 2010.[15]
• 6 March - A 43-year-old murder suspect is shot dead by police officers at Outram Park MRT station along the North East MRT line. This comes after the suspect attempted to lunge at two officers with a knife as they checked him.[16]
• 7 March - The Underground Ammunition Facility is commissioned for underground storage of ammunition, saving land aboveground.[17]
• 8 March - Playground @ Big Splash opens, replacing the previous Big Splash waterpark.[18]
• 30 March - The Land Transport Master Plan 2008 is launched.[19]

April

• 1 April -
  • The Workplace Safety and Health Council is formed to raise workplace safety and health standards.
  • Alexandra Health is formed as Singapore's fourth healthcare cluster, which moved to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in 2010.[20]
• 2 April - The Casino Regulatory Authority of Singapore is formed to regulate casinos after its legalization in 2005.[21]
• 11 April - Wessex Village Square @ one-north is launched, providing a space for art exhibitions and works to be shown.[22]
• 28 April - During the Workplace Safety and Health Council launch, a target to reduce fatality rate is announced to bring it down to 1.8 per 100,000 workers by 2018.[23]
• 30 April - SMRT launches the SMRT is Green campaign to promote sustainability, with a new Euro 5 bus launched too. Several new eco-friendly vehicles will be put on the road soon.[24]

May

• 10 May - HortPark, Henderson Waves and Alexandra Arch are officially opened as part of a plan to link the Southern Ridges.[25]
• 23 May - The International Court of Justice (ICJ) awards Pedra Branca to Singapore and Middle Rocks to Malaysia, ending a 29-year territorial dispute between the two countries.[26]
• 28 May - The Land Transport Authority has announced that there are no plans to develop the Jurong LRT for now due to the lack of demand.[27]

June

• 27 June - Phase 2B of Fusionopolis (known as Solaris) starts construction.[28]

July

• 11 July -
  • The Land Transport Authority announced that another platform will be built at Jurong East MRT station called the Jurong East Modification Project. It is targeted for completion by 2012, but eventually opened earlier on 27 May 2011. 17 more trains will also be added.[29]
  • The Reform Party is inaugurated.[30]
• 15 July - The locations of the stations along Downtown MRT line Stage 2 are unveiled.[31][32][33]
• 31 July -
  • Money No Enough 2 is released, 10 years after Money No Enough is out in cinemas.
  • Radio Singapore International ceases transmission due to declining listenership.[34]

August

• 8 – 24 August – Team Singapore took part in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The team won only one silver Olympic medal (for the Women's Table Tennis team event) during the run, the first time the nation won a medal after 48 years after its first medal- also a silver—by Tan Howe Liang in the 1960 Summer Olympics, placing 72nd out of 87 NOCs.[35][36][37]
• 20 August - Pro-family policies are enhanced to encourage child-bearing. Several of these measures include tax reliefs, kindergarten education, extended leave, among others.[38]
• 24 August - The MacRitchie Viaduct extension opens to traffic, supposed to open last month.[39]
• 26 August - The Provisional Admission Exercise will be merged into the Joint Admission Exercise after moves to shorten marking of exams, first announced in 2006. The move will take effect in 2009.[40]

September

• 1 September - The Singapore Pharmacy Council is formed, replacing the previous Singapore Pharmacy Board.[41]
• 5 September - The Murai Urban Training Facility is officially opened, making it the SAF's first such facility.[42][43]
• 6 – 17 September – Team Singapore took part in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing.
  • 9 September – Equestrian rider Laurentia Tan wins Singapore's first-ever Paralympic medal, a bronze.[44] She wins another bronze medal on 11 September.[45]
  • 13 September – Swimmer Yip Pin Xiu wins Singapore's first Paralympic silver medal.[46] She wins Singapore's first Paralympic gold medal on 15 September.[47]
• 20 September – The Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway is opened.[48]
• 26 September - Construction starts on a second tower beside OUB Centre, which will be completed by 2011.[49] The building is officially opened in 2012.[50]
• 28 September – Singapore held a leg of the 2008 Formula One World Championship, called the SingTel Singapore Grand Prix; it was the first time the F1 Grand Prix was held in Singapore, and the first F1 race held at night.
• End September - Singapore slips into the Global Financial Crisis.

October

Fusionopolis Phase 1

• 1 October – Bus and train fares are adjusted by 0.7%.
• 10 October - The first issue of tabla! is launched, an English newspaper that caters to the Indian diaspora.[51]
• 13 October - The Jewel Box's new extension in Mount Faber is officially opened.[52]
• 17 October - Phase 1 of Fusionopolis (which have three office towers) is opened.[53]
• 19 October – MediaCorp launches two free-to-air TV channels, okto and Vasantham, to replace Central.[54]
• 30 October - Sing to the Dawn is released.
• 31 October - Marina Barrage is opened, making it Singapore's 15th reservoir. The Barrage will help to prevent flooding in the city centre, and serves as a place of recreation.[55]

November

• 3 November - Keppel Corporation completes building two icebreakers for the Arctic, the first in Asia as well as the first time being done in the tropics.[56]
• 10 November - A second school for those who did not do well in PSLE, the Assumption Pathway School, will start taking in students from 2009.[57]

December

• 23 December – Singapore Flyer stops for six hours due to technical problems.[58]

Date unknown

• The 1st phase of the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System is completed.
• The Singapore Totalisator Board is renamed to Tote Board.
• The Common Services Tunnel is completed.

Deaths

• 4 January - Jimmy Nah, Singaporean comedian and actor (b. 1967).[59]
• 7 January - Robert Chandran, Singaporean businessman (b. 1950).
• 8 February - Chua Ek Kay, Singaporean artist (b. 1947).[60]
• 12 May - Choo Hwee Lim, music pioneer (b. 1931).[61]
• 28 June - Gregory Yong, second archbishop of Singapore from 1977-2000 (b. 1925).[62]
• 14 July - Ong Chit Chung, Singaporean politician and historian, MP for Jurong GRC for Bukit Batok (b. 1949).[63]
• 5 September - Constance Mary Turnbull, author of A History of Singapore (b. 1927).[64]
• 6 September - Nicole Lai, singer (b. 1974).[65]
• 30 September - Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam, Singaporean politician and former Workers' Party secretary-general and Reform Party founder (b. 1926).[66][67]
• 3 October - Teo Soo Chuan, Singaporean businessman, President of Ngee Ann Kongsi (b. 1918).
• 28 November - Lo Hwei Yen, Singaporean journalist, was a casualty in the November 2008 Mumbai attacks (b. 1980).[68]
• 5 December - Ho See Beng, union leader, Member of Parliament (b. 1918).[69]

Notes

1. All MediaCorp Radio stations to run 24/7 from 1 Jan - Channel NewsAsia
2. Toh, Christopher (20 April 2016). "Some radio milestones through the decades". Today. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
3. "School of The Arts is opened". NLB. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
4. "Keppel Bay Bridge rises as new icon at Singapore's southern waterfront". Keppel Corporation. 3 January 2008. Archived from the original on 6 February 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
5. "my paper, Singapore's first full-fledged bilingual newspaper, is out!". SPH. 7 January 2008. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
6. "Asia Netcom and Pacific Internet Launch Merger and Unveil New Corporate Identity". The Straits Times. Singapore. 8 January 2008. Archived from the original on 28 November 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
7. "Reflections at Keppel Bay breaks new ground for iconic waterfront residences". Keppel Corporation. 8 January 2008. Archived from the original on 8 February 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
8. "Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3 Opens For Operations". MOT. 9 January 2008. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
9. "T3 Takes Off". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 10 January 2008. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
10. "Singapore's new luxury waterfront playground premieres". Keppel Corporation. 19 January 2008. Archived from the original on 8 February 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
11. "Launch of Employment and Employability Institute". NTUC. 7 March 2008. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
12. "Opening of Employment and Employability Institute (e2i)". WDA (now WSG). 1 February 2008. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
13. "INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE – NEWS". 2008. Archived from the original on 25 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
14. "JI detainee Mas Selamat Kastari escapes from Singapore detention centre". Channel NewsAsia. 27 February 2008. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 7 March 2008.
15. "FY 2008 Committee of Supply Debate 1st Reply by Minister on Educational Policy" (PDF). NAS. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
16. Chong, Elena; Quek, Carolyn; Joo Lin, Teh (6 March 2008). "Police shot dead murder suspect in Outram MRT". Asiaone. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
17. "Official commissioning of the Underground Ammunition Facility" (PDF). NAS. 7 March 2008. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
18. "Remaking a big splash'". Today (retrieved from NLB). 7 March 2008. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
19. "Launch Of The Land Transport Masterplan And Announcement Of The Community Outreach Programme". MOT. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
20. "Specialist clinics at new Khoo Teck Puat Hospital open" (PDF). Alexandra Health. 24 March 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
21. "Casino Regulatory Authority is Operational". CRA. 1 April 2008. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
22. "JTC launches new space for the arts". The Business Times (retrieved from NLB). 12 April 2008. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
23. "Speech at The Launch of The National Workplace Safety and Health Campaign 2008 and The Workplace Safety and Health Council". MOM. 28 April 2008. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
24. "SMRT Is Green Launch". MOT. 30 April 2008. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
25. "PM Lee Hsien Loong Officially Opens Two Pedestrian Bridges and HortPark - The Gardening Hub at the Southern Ridges". NParks. 10 May 2008. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
26. "Court awards islet to Singapore". BBC News. 23 May 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
27. "No plans to develop Jurong LRT for now". Land Transport Authority. 26 May 2008. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
28. "Fusionopolis Phase 2B Groundbreaking Ceremony". MTI. 27 June 2008. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
29. "Jurong East Modification Project". Archived from the original on 12 February 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
30. "Inauguration of Reform Party". NLB. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
31. "Downtown Line 2 Station Sites Named". LTA. Archived from the original on 27 May 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
32. "LTA unveils locations of DTL stage 2 stations" Archived 13 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Christopher Tan, The Straits Times, 15 July 2008
33. "12 MRT stations for Bukit Timah by 2015". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 16 July 2008. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
34. "Radio Singapore International to stop transmission". MediaCorp. 3 June 2008. Archived from the original on 15 April 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
35. ir. "Olympics: First medal in 48 years for Singapore". Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved 15 August 2008.
36. "Singapore into table tennis final". BBC. 15 August 2008. Archived from the original on 19 August 2008. Retrieved 15 August 2008.
37. "Olympics: Singapore paddlers settle for silver in women's team final". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 28 August 2008. Retrieved 18 August 2008.
38. "Government doubles budget to provide more support for marriage and parenthood" (PDF). NAS. 20 August 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
39. "Braddell Road/Thomson Road/Lornie Road Flyover to open in July". Channel NewsAsia. 20 March 2008. Archived from the original on 23 March 2008. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
40. "Single Intake for Junior Colleges and Millennia Institute from 2009". MOE. 26 August 2008. Archived from the original on 31 August 2008. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
41. "Singapore Pharmacy Council formed". Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
42. "SAF opens its first urban training facility". Channel NewsAsia. 5 September 2008. Archived from the original on 5 September 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
43. "Murai Urban Training Facility to Hone the SAF's Networked Urban Operations Capability" (PDF). NAS. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
44. Ryan Huang (9 September 2008). "Paralympics: Singapore wins first-ever medal through Equestrian". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 9 September 2008. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
45. Tan Yo-Hinn. "Paralympics: Singapore's Laurentia Tan wins second Equestrian bronze". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 12 September 2008. Retrieved 11 September 2008.
46. Lynda Hong (13 September 2008). "Swimmer Yip Pin Xiu clinches Singapore's first silver at Paralympics". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 13 September 2008. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
47. Tan Yo-Hinn (16 September 2008). "Paralympics: Swimmer Pin Xiu is Singapore's golden girl". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 18 September 2008. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
48. "Speech by Mr Raymond Lim, Minister for Transport, at visit to Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway". NAS. 30 January 2008. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
49. "Weblink to Official Website News". Archived from the original on 25 November 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
50. "Opening of One Raffles Place Tower Two". MOF. 18 September 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
51. "Drumming up a new beat - SPH launches a weekly English newspaper for the Indian diaspora". SPH. 3 October 2008. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
52. "Launch of the Jewel Box's New Extension". MTI. 13 October 2008. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
53. "Welcome Remarks at the Official Opening of Fusionopolis @ Genexis Theatre, Fusionopolis". A*STAR. 17 October 2008. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
54. "Two more to savour". Today (retrieved from NLB). 21 October 2008. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
55. "Speech by Mr Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister, at launch of Clean And Green Singapore 2009 and Opening of Marina Barrage". NAS. 31 October 2008. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
56. "Keppel Singmarine completes Asia's first two icebreakers for the Arctic". Keppel Corporation. 3 November 2008. Archived from the original on 22 December 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
57. "New school offers boarding stint". Asiaone. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
58. "Dozens trapped on Singapore wheel". BBC. 23 December 2008. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
59. "Local comedian Jimmy Nah dead at 40". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 5 January 2008. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
60. "Chua Ek Kay". NLB. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
61. "Choo Hwee Lim". NLB. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
62. "Gregory Yong". NLB. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
63. "Jurong GRC MP Ong Chit Chung dies". AsiaOne. 14 July 2008. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
64. "Constance Mary Turnbull". NLB. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
65. "Nicole Lai had died on Sept 6 after a year-long battle with skin cancer". AsiaOne. 25 September 2008. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
66. "J B Jeyaretnam dies of heart failure, aged 82". Archived from the original on 3 October 2008. Retrieved 30 September 2008.
67. "Opposition politician dies". The Straits Times. 30 September 2008. Archived from the original on 30 September 2008. Retrieved 30 September 2008.
68. Lin, Teh Joo; Quek, Carolyn (28 November 2008). "S'porean hostage killed". The Straits Times. Singapore. Archived from the original on 4 February 2009. Retrieved 28 November 2008.
69. "Ho See Beng". NLB. Retrieved 12 August 2019.