The following lists significant events that happened during 1981 in Singapore.

Incumbents

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

: **

Benjamin Henry Sheares Benjamin Henry Sheares (12 August 1907 – 12 May 1981) was a Singaporean politician, physician and academic who served as the second president of Singapore from 1971 until his death in 1981. Sheares retired in 1960 and was in private pract ...

(until 12 May),

Yeoh Ghim Seng Yeoh Ghim Seng ( zh, s=杨锦成, poj=Iôⁿ Gím-sêng, p=Yáng Jǐnchéng, first=s,poj,p) was a Singaporean politician who served as Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore between 1970 and 1989. He is one of the longest-serving speakers o ...

(Acting) (12 May to 23 October),

C.V. Devan Nair Chengara Veetil Devan Nair (5 August 1923 – 6 December 2005), also known as C. V. Devan Nair and better known simply as Devan Nair, was a Malaysian-Singaporean politician who served as the third president of Singapore from 1981 until his resi ...

(starting 23 October) *

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Lee Kuan Yew Lee Kuan Yew (16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), born Harry Lee Kuan Yew, often referred to by his initials LKY, was a Singaporean lawyer and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Singapore between 1959 and 1990, and Secretary-General o ...

Events

January

* 25 January and 7 February - Adrian Lim, a self-professed

medium Medium may refer to: Science and technology Aviation *Medium bomber, a class of war plane * Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Communication * Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data * Medium of ...

, Catherine Tan Mui Choo and Hoe Kah Hong murders two children as "sacrifices" in a case known as the

Toa Payoh ritual murders The Toa Payoh ritual murders took place in Singapore in 1981. On 25 January, the body of a nine-year-old girl was found at a block of public housing flats in the town of Toa Payoh, and two weeks later, the body of a ten-year-old boy was fo ...

. This case becomes the second-longest murder trial in Singapore at that time, taking 41 days to complete. The three suspects are found guilty and sentenced to hang. The sentences are carried out on 25 November 1988.

March

* March - Singapore's Permanent Representative to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

, Ambassador

Tommy Koh Tommy Koh Thong Bee (; born 12 November 1937) is a Singaporean diplomat, lawyer, professor and author who served as Singapore's Permanent Representative to the United Nations between 1968 and 1971. Early life and education Koh was born in Si ...

, assumes the presidency of the Third UN Conference on the Law of the Sea.

April

*15 April – The Vanda Miss Joaquim is declared Singapore's national flower.

May

*12 May – **

Singapore Changi Airport Singapore Changi Airport, commonly known as Changi Airport , is a major civilian international airport that serves Singapore, and is one of the largest transportation hubs in Asia. As one of the world's busiest airports by international passen ...

(including Terminal 1) becomes site of first

commercial aviation Commercial aviation is the part of civil aviation that involves operating aircraft for remuneration or hire, as opposed to private aviation. Definition Commercial aviation is not a rigorously defined category. All commercial air transport and ae ...

landing at stroke of midnight with the very first commercial plane,

Singapore Airlines Singapore Airlines (abbreviation: SIA) is the flag carrier airline of the Republic of Singapore with its Airline hub, hub located at Singapore Changi Airport. The airline is notable for highlighting the Singapore Girl as its central figure in ...

SQ140 touching down at 00:00:00 Singapore Time/17:00:00 London Time with 140 passengers from

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. **Singapore's second

dies while in office.

Speaker of Parliament The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerfo ...

temporarily serves as acting president during that time. *22 May – The

Government of Singapore Investment Corporation GIC Private Limited is a sovereign wealth fund in Singapore that manages its foreign reserves. Established by the Government of Singapore in 1981 as the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, its mission is to preserve and enhance the ...

is formed.

July

*1 July –

Changi Airport Singapore Changi Airport, commonly known as Changi Airport , is a major civilian international airport that serves Singapore, and is one of the largest transportation hubs in Asia. As one of the world's busiest airports by international passen ...

starts operation. On the same day, the former Paya Lebar Airport is handed over to the

Republic of Singapore Air Force The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is the aerial service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for controlling and defending the airspace of the country, and providing air support to the Army and Navy. It was establish ...

(RSAF), forming the

Paya Lebar Air Base The Paya Lebar Air Base is a military airbase of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) located at Airport Road in Paya Lebar, in the eastern region of Singapore. The airbase goes by the motto of ''Strength Through Readiness''. It was ...

. The Air Base will also handle spillover traffic and emergencies too. *4 July – The National Crime Prevention Council is officially launched to prevent crime.

August

*1 August –

Nanyang Technological Institute The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is a national research university in Singapore. It is the second oldest autonomous university in the country and is considered as one of the most prestigious universities in the world by various i ...

is established to train engineers. *22 August – Changi Airport's second runway starts construction, which will be completed by mid-1984. The rest of Phase 2 will be finished by 1986.

September

*1 September – The National Computer Board is formed to computerise the Civil Service and make Singapore an IT pioneer. *12 September – The new

Singapore General Hospital Singapore General Hospital (SGH) is an academic health science centre and tertiary referral hospital in Singapore. It is located next to the Bukit Merah and Chinatown districts of the Central Region, close to the Outram Community Hospital (OCH ...

is officially opened. *26 September – The

Benjamin Sheares Bridge The Benjamin Sheares Bridge (; ms, Jambatan Benjamin Sheares; ta, பென்ஜமின் ஷியர்ஸ் பாலம்) is the longest bridge in Singapore, spanning 1.8 km, and the tallest, at . It is named after Benjamin Sheares ...

is officially opened. The bridge is part of the

East Coast Parkway The East Coast Parkway (Abbreviation: ECP) is an expressway that runs along the southeastern coast of Singapore. The expressway is approximately in length, and connects Singapore Changi Airport in the east to the Benjamin Sheares Bridge, in th ...

until 2013, when it becomes an arterial road.

October

*16 October – The National Registration Office (NRO), the Registry of Citizens (ROC), the Registry of Births and Deaths (RBD), the Registry of Societies (ROS), and Martial Arts Control Unit (MACU) merged to form the National Registration Department (NRD). *23 October –

C V Devan Nair Chengara Veetil Devan Nair (5 August 1923 – 6 December 2005), also known as C. V. Devan Nair and better known simply as Devan Nair, was a Malaysian-Singaporean politician who served as the third president of Singapore from 1981 until his resi ...

becomes the third

President of Singapore The president of Singapore is the head of state of the Singapore, Republic of Singapore. The role of the president is to safeguard the Reserves of the Government of Singapore, reserves and the integrity of the Singapore Civil Service, public serv ...

. *31 October –

J. B. Jeyaretnam Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam ( ta, ஜோசுவா பெஞ்சமின் ஜெயரத்தினம்; 5 January 1926 – 30 September 2008), better known as J. B. Jeyaretnam or by his initials JBJ, was a Singaporean politician, law ...

wins the

1981 Anson by-election The 1981 Anson by-election was held on 31 October 1981 with J. B. Jeyaretnam from the Worker's Party as the winning candidate. This followed the incumbent MP Devan Nair stepping down in order to become President of Singapore. The by-election mar ...

, ending the

People's Action Party The People's Action Party (abbreviation: PAP) is a major conservative centre-right political party in Singapore and is one of the three contemporary political parties represented in Parliament, alongside the opposition Workers' Party (WP) and ...

's dominance in Parliament.

November

*9 November – The

Institute of Education IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society (IOE) is the education school of University College London (UCL). It specialises in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and is one of UCL's 11 constituent faculties. Prior to m ...

moves out of Paterson Road, relocating to Bukit Timah.

December

*29 December –

is officially opened.

Births

* 29 January –

Rui En Loh Rui En (born 29 January 1981), better known by her stage name Rui En (瑞恩), is a Singaporean actress and was named as one of the Seven Princesses of Mediacorp in 2006. She was under contract of MediaCorp and managed under Hype Records ...

, Actress. * 27 March –

JJ Lin Wayne Lin Junjie (; born 27 March 1981), better known by his stage name JJ Lin, is a Singaporean singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Lin launched his musical career by releasing his debut album ''Music Voyager'' (2003). GIO, Taiwa1 ...

, Singer. * 24 May –

Olinda Cho Olinda Cho Yu Yen (; born 24 May 1980) is a Singaporean singer, actress and entrepreneur. Professional background Cho emerged as the second runner-up of the first season of ''Singapore Idol'' in 2004, behind Sylvester Sim and Taufik Batisah. ...

, Singer, second runner-up of Singapore Idol (season 1). * 17 July –

Jeremy Chan Jeremy Chan Ming Yuew (; born 17 July 1981) is a Singaporean actor and host. He was awarded best comedy performance in AACA. Early life Chan was educated in Zhangde Primary School and Saint Thomas Secondary School. He graduated from ITE Col ...

, Actor. * 25 July –

Kaira Gong Kaira Gong (, born 25 July 1981) is a Singaporean singer. She sang the theme song for Singapore's National Day Parade in 2006, titled "My Island Home". She was previously signed with HIM International Music, and is best known as the protégé ...

, Singer * 4 October –

Alfred Sim Alfred Sim Chee Hao (born 4 October 1981), is a Singaporean singer and athletics coach. He is best known for being the overall winner of the third season of reality singing competition '' Project SuperStar''. Singing career Sim auditioned for th ...

, Singer, winner of

Project SuperStar (season 3) The third season of the Singaporean reality talent show '' Project SuperStar'' began on 18 August 2014. It was broadcast on MediaCorp Channel U and simulcast on Toggle Live. The show was hosted by Dasmond Koh, with Jeremy Chan and Shane Pow acting ...

. * 5 October –

Kelvin Tan Kelvin Tan Wei Lian (陈伟联, born 5 October 1981) is a Singaporean former Mandopop singer who earned a living as a busker before he won the first edition of Project SuperStar in 2005. He has released three albums, All I Want Is... (200 ...

, Singer. * 15 November –

Joanna Dong Joanna Dong (Chinese: 董姿彦; born 15 November 1981 in Singapore) is a Singaporean singer, actress and host. Primarily a jazz vocalist, she is the first artiste signed to Singapore label, Red Roof Records. Personal life The only child of div ...

, Singer and third place of

Sing! China (season 2) The second season of the Chinese reality talent show ''Sing! China'' premiered on 14 July 2017 on Zhejiang Television. Jay Chou and Na Ying returned as coaches. Eason Chan and Liu Huan replaced Wang Feng and Harlem Yu as coaches. The show is host ...

. * 10 December –

Taufik Batisah Muhammad Taufik bin Batisah ( Jawi: محمد تيوفيك بن بتيسه; born 10 December 1981) is a Singaporean singer-songwriter best known for winning the first season of the reality TV series ''Singapore Idol''. Early life and education ...

, Singer, winner of Singapore Idol (season 1).

Deaths

* 12 January –

John Fearns Nicoll Sir John Fearns Nicoll (26 April 1899 – 12 January 1981) was a British colonial administrator who served as Governor of Singapore from 1952 to 1955. Early years and colonial service Nicoll was born in 1899 and attended Carlisle Grammar Sch ...

Governor of Singapore The Governors of Singapore were the political leaders of Singapore during its pre-independence phase in the history of Singapore. Residents of Singapore (1819–1826) The Resident of Singapore ruled the British colony that is today the Republi ...

from 1952 to 1955 (b. 1899). * 11 February –

Chan Choy Siong Chan Choy Siong (; 1931 – 11 February 1981) was a Singaporean politician and women's rights activist. Chan was one of the first women to be elected to the Parliament. Biography Chan grew up in Chinatown. She attended Nanyang Girls' High School, ...

- Female politician,

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

activist, campaigner for

Women's Charter The Women's Charter 1961 is an Act of the Singaporean Parliament passed in 1961. The Act was designed to improve and protect the rights of females in Singapore and to guarantee greater legal equality for women in legally sanctioned relationship ...

(b. 1934). * 12 May – Dr

- 2nd

(b. 1907).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1981 In Singapore

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

Years in Singapore