Immigrants

Immigrants are people who came from other countries. They consist of women and men. But most of them were men. They consist of Chinese, Malay, Indian and European. They were from :

- China

- Britain, Portugal and Holland

- Arabia

- India and Ceylon

- Melaka and Penang

- Malay Archipelago

Immigrants come to Singapore to work as they hoped to make enough money to send it to their hometown reguarly so that their families will not starve and will eventually return home after earning enough. Instead, some immigrants chose to live in Singapore permanently. They either brought their wives or children to Singapore or married local women or men who were mostly Malays or Chinese born in Penang and Melaka.

The Push Factors that lead the immigrants to come to Singapore was due to unfavourable conditions.

- Unemployment

- War / High Crime Rate

- Poor Living Conditions

- Discrimination

The Pull Factors that attracted the immigrants to Singapore, a new enviroment.

- Employment

- Peace / Low Crime Rate

- Good Healthcare

- Better Living Conditions

The immigrants were settled in different races at the mouth of the Singapore River. In 1822, Lieutenant Philip Jackson was appointed by Raffles as the Assistant Engineer to plan as to improve the haphazard way in which buildings were in built in the settlement. It was to prevent conflicts among different groups and fire.

Raffles has plan to segregate the races. Each race has a specific residential area leading to minimising contacts and conflicts. Kapitan, chief of a designated area, was appointed to be in-charge of the internal affairs of each community.

Raffles left Singapore in 1823, the new Resident, John Crawfurd was in-charge of the town plan.

Here are some development restricted to the southern parts of Singapore.

- Roads were laid out.

- Commercial buildings such as offices and shophouses were put up.

- The roads of the town were widen.

- Street lighting was established, using coconut oil.

- Land along the seafront was reclaimed.

- Many churches, government offices and public buildings were built.

Contributions that the immigrants made

Europeans set up big trading companies and agency houses that had links with Europe in Singapore.

These are some trades going on :

From Britian and Western Europe

- Cotton

- Wollen Cloth

- Iron

- Steel

- Guns

- Gassware

- Clocks

From India

- Opium

- Cotton

- Cloth

From China

- Tea

- Silk

- Foodstuffs

- Medicines

- Porcelain

From Siam, Annam and Cochin China

- Rice

- Sugar

- Salt

From Malay Archipelago

- Rice

- Spices

- Coffee

- Birds' Nests

- Sharks' Fins

- Sea Cucumbers

- Precious wood

The goods were unloaded off the ships into warehouses. Agency houses brought in all the goods. They were all then repackaged in smaller quantities. They are then exported to places like Europe, India, the Malay Archipelago and China. 

There were middlemen known as coolie-agents, they helped trader and merchants to look for workers who came from India and China.

The Chinese, they contributed to the society by :

- Chinese barbers cut hair and provided ear-picking services

- Chinese provision shops supplied daily necessities of the immigrants

- Chinese street hawkers sold food that gave the Chinese a taste of their homeland food

- Chinese rickshaw pullers provided transportation for people around and outside of town areas.

The coolies who worked at the docks and construction are a large number of chinese who were unskilled. The jobs there were given were unskilled labour . They carried cargoes at docks and wood for construction purposes.

The Indians, were in-charge of the areas of banking and transportation, they held the monopoly of transportation in Singapore until the 1860s.

The Malays, they were mostly engaged in providing basic necessities like firewood and foodstuff. They had jobs like gardeners, huntsmen and shipbuilders. They made ships and boats for the malay traders to ferry their goods to neighbouring islands.

Many of there immigrants worked very hard and some succeeded in fulfilling their dreams. However, those who did not succeed lived in poverty and hardship till death.

Even though the immigrants boost Singapore's economy and social states, but they also brought some diseases in Singapore. 

- Malaria

- Cholera

- Typhoid

- Smallpox

- Tuberculosis

The more successful businessmen were motivated to help their less fortunate countrymen, thus they provided social services like hospitals and schools.

Tan Tock Seng and Syed Mohamed bin Alsagoff spent large sums of money on providing medical services and amenities like water wells for the community.

Some examples are

- Paupers' Hospital on Pearl's Hill, established in 1844

- Thong Chai Medical Institution in 1867

Their acts of philanthrophy made life for the less fortunate better for those who received help.

Philanthrophy meant the act of giving of money and other help to people who need them, without asking for anything in return.

Christian missionaires from Europe and America came and set up schools too. One example is the st.Margaret's School

Diary of a POW

28 January 1939, 7.00p.m

The Japanese soldiers tortured me. The burning pain on my skin, the strokes of torture. They whacked me with a whip, again and again. They smirked in satisfaction and mocked me. Even though I was angry, but I was too weak and vulnerable to do anything. After those horrible minutes, they threw me back into the cold and dark room.

I was lonely, I wanted to have someone to talk to. I missed my wife and children dearly. The loneliness felt like despair. The room was so damp that it stinks. The horrible odour filled the room, or what I call, hell. I was locked up for 28 days, surviving with only porridge and dirty water. I was incredibly weak, I felt that I am fortunate to survive till this day. The war was not ending, I will not be free.

All I could do was pray...

Diary of a POW

23 January 1939; 1.00pm

I feel so weak. How long will this war last? Is my wife and children alive? I seriously have no answers. Sounds of the gunshots have been lessened these few days and I guess the prosecution will continue. The food they serve here is terrible. How are we going to live with porridge everyday? And what’s worse is that they only serve one serving per day. How can I possibly live with that forever? Is this the end of me? If that's the case, i rather not die in the hands of the Japanese. I can only rely on fate...

Raffles' Trick and The Anglo-Dutch Treaty

                                                        Sir Stamford Raffles
                                                      
Raffles' Trick

Raffles wanted to establish a trading settlement in Singapore. He had a meeting with Temenggong Abdul Rahman.
The Temenggong was a senior minister of the Johor-Riau Sultanate. Raffles wanted to set up a trading settlement
in Singapore. Even though Temenggong agreed but he informed Raffles that the island was ruled by Sultan Abdul Rahman of the Johor-Riau Sultanate.

The British was not afraid of the Dutch even though they are having a war with France in Europe at the same time.
Holland was located between British's enemy therefore Britian wanted to ensure that Holland remain a buffer state.

Sultan Abdul Rahman also the Sultan of Singapore was under the Dutch influence.
It meant that the Dutch would not allow the British to set up a settlement in Singapore.
During the discussion, Temenggong explained to Raffles how Tengku Abdul Rahman had become the Sultan instead of his elder brother, Tengku Hussein.

There were two princes, Tengku Hussein who was the elder son, and Tengku Abdul Rahman, the younger son.
When their father passed away, only Tengku Abdul Rahman, the younger son, was present.
The elder son, Tengku Hussein who could have been the new Sultan, was away in Pahang.
The Bugis chiefs in Riau made Tengku Abdul Rahman the new Sultan as it was also supported by the Dutch.
The supportors of Tengku Hussein, like the malay chiefs, were unhappy but all they could do was watched as the Dutch were too powerful for the malay chiefs.
When Tengku Hussein found ou that Tengku Abdul Rahman became the new Sultan, he had no choice but to go and live quietly on one of the Riau islands.

After hearing the story, Raffles had a plan. The British recognise Tengku Hussein as the rightful ruler of the Johor-Riau Sultante as he was the heir.
Tengku Hussein agree, thus he was crowned as the new Sultan and signed a treaty on 6 February 1819 with Raffles. Singapore became the British possession.
These are the Terms of the Treaty :
1. Tengku Hussein was recognized as the Sultan of Johor.
2. British was given the southern part of Singapore to set up a trading settlement.
3. The sultan would be paid an allowance of $5000 per year.
4. The Temenggong would be paid $3000 per year.

The Dutch found out and they were very upset with Raffles. The British government was very upset too as they did not understand why Raffles had to upset the Dutch when England is having a war with France.
The British and Dutch signed another treaty in 1824 to solve their conflict. It is called " The Anglo-Dutch Treaty"
The terms :
The treaty will split the Malay Archipelago into two spheres of control.
1. Bencoolen and Indonesia will belong to the Dutch.
2. Melaka, Singapore and Penang will belong to the British.

Even though Singapore became a British Possession on 6 February 1819, we only became a colony on 2 August 1824 after the "Anglo-Dutch Treaty"

Why was Singapore chosen by the British?

Why was Singapore chosen by the British?

During the 19th century, European trading companies such as the British and the Dutch East India Companies were competing fiercely outside Europe for profit and monopoly of trade routes.
Britain had already developed commerce with china, India and the Malay Archipelago.
The Dutch were the main European power in the Malay Archipelago.
They controlled large part of the region including Java and Melaka.

The Dutch restricted the British and other Europeans to trade only at Batavia in Java.
British trader was charged high fees for using the port and had to pay heavy taxes on goods which they sold or bought. Thus, the dutch became the biggest rival of the British in Southeast Asia.

In the early part of  the 19th century, Britain's trade with China had become very lucrative.
However, the two settlements for ships to replenish their stocks at Penang and Bencoolen were unsuitable.
The British sold opium to the chinese in return for tea.

Stamford Raffles was concerned about the Dutch spreading their monopoly.
He wrote to the Directors of the British East India Company.
This prompted the British to search for a new trading settlement south of Dutch Melaka.
He believed that Singapore was suitable as a port with its natural advantages such as an excellent harbour and a good supply of drinking water.

Diary of a POW

01 November 1939; 11:30pm

I am worried about my wife and children outside. How are they doing out there? I was being captured by the Japanese soldiers few weeks ago and was held in this damp and dark room. My parents were shot to death as they resisted the arrest by the Japanese soldier. I wonder who will help me bury them. My wife and children managed to escape away safely and is now somewhere outside. Everyday there were at least one of them who were dragged out and prosecuted by the Japanese and I am worried that soon it will be my turn. Even if I am not prosecuted by them, I may probably starve to death sooner or later due to the lack of food and the hard work I have to do everyday.

Hello. We will be posting one part of the story every two days about this Prisoner of War.
Stay tuned to any updates.

Singapura, the lion city.

Singapore was used to be called Temasek.

Here's how Sang Utama found singapore:

1.Sang Utama caught sight of an island across the sea.

The island had sand so white that it look like a piece of cloth

2.He asked one of his ministers, Indra Bopal, "What place is that?"
Indra Bopal answered, "Your Highness, that land is known as Temasek."
"Let's us sail to that land" Sang Utama said

3. A violent storm broke out during the Journey.
The anxious boatman said to the ruler that the boat was sinking because if the king's crown.
 The storm subsided only when Sang Utama threw his crown overboard

4. The boat finally landed.
Sang Utma and his ministers went to the island to hunt wild animals.

5. While hunting, Sang Utama saw a fast-moving beast that had a red body and a black head.
He asked his minister what the creature was.
One of them finally said, "Your Highness, I heard in ancient times it was a lion that had that appearance.
I think we must have seen a lion.

6. Sang utama agreed with his ministers that sighting a lion was a good sign.
He decided to establish a city at Temasek, which he called Singapura or Lion City.

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