Changi Prison's entrance gate, wall, turrets gazetted as Singapore's 72nd national monument

Parts of Changi Prison gazetted as national monument
By Melody Zaccheus, The Straits Times, 16 Feb 2016

The entrance gate, wall and turrets of Changi Prison, where about 76,000 prisoners of war were marched through for their internment, have been gazetted as Singapore's 72nd national monument.

This was announced by the National Heritage Board's Preservation of Sites and Monuments division yesterday, on the 74th anniversary of the fall of Singapore. The monument serves as a reminder to treasure the peace and harmony we have today, said the board.

Singapore’s 72nd National MonumentOn this day in 1942, Singapore was surrendered to the Japanese during World War II....
Posted by National Heritage Board on Sunday, February 14, 2016

Two days after the fall of Singapore on Feb 15, 1942, European civilians were rounded up and marched to Changi. Inmates there suffered from diseases such as malaria, with many malnourished and emaciated at the end of the war.

The old Changi Prison was torn down in 2004 for a new prison. Australian leaders had called for it to be saved as about 15,000 Australian soldiers had been detained there.

While heritage lovers lamented the loss of the old Changi Prison, they said the gazetting reflects how important the remaining structure is in commemorating war heritage.

Dr Kevin Tan, president of the International Council on Monuments and Sites Singapore, said the structure represents how Singapore was an important centre in Japan's battle for Asia.

It is also linked to events in Singapore's political history, such as how People's Action Party members were detained in Changi for their role in labour strikes in the late 1950s. Dr Tan said: "We should preserve aspects of our past which are not always good and great."

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Posted by Captains of Lives on Sunday, March 13, 2016

Making Changi Prison monument more visible
Area in front of Changi Prison's gate and wall, now hidden by a tall fence, will be redeveloped
By Melody Zaccheus, The Straits Times, 16 Feb 2016

The Singapore Prison Service will redevelop the area in front of the historic Changi Prison entrance gate and wall over the next few years to make it more visible to the public.

The newly minted national monument, gazetted by the National Heritage Board's Preservation of Sites and Monuments (PSM) division yesterday, is now hidden by a tall fence and barely visible from the road. A carpark for the modern Changi Prison Complex lies between the fence and the structure.

The Straits Times understands that the redevelopment could include replacing the fence with a lower perimeter wall.

Heritage experts said the existing layout is not befitting of a structure that is now a national monument.

Dr Yeo Kang Shua, a Singapore Heritage Society executive committee member, said: "We need to give Singaporeans a chance to know the national monument. The wall, gate and turrets have strong visual 'imageability'. But why are they hidden behind a fence?"

Dr Kevin Tan, president of the International Council on Monuments and Sites Singapore, said: "Once you preserve it, you must make it accessible. You must showcase it sufficiently so people can understand the value of what has been preserved."

Some 76,000 Allied soldiers and civilians were marched through the old Changi Prison's gates during World War II for internment as prisoners of war (POWs). Thousands were packed into the facility designed to hold only 600 prisoners.

Dr Yeo suggested that security concerns in opening up the monument to the public can be addressed with careful urban planning design. He cited the Istana, the official residence and office of the president of Singapore. It is highly protected, but its grounds are open to the public on certain public holidays.

The now-demolished Changi Prison was designed by the then Public Works Department as a maximum-security prison. The prison was originally built within a 6m-tall perimeter wall.

Left standing today is the 180m stretch of prison wall, its gate and two turrets that go back to 1936.

In 2003, Australian politicians lobbied for the prison to be saved after they learnt of Singapore's plans to replace it with a new $1 billion prison complex.

Among those who raised the issue were Australia's then Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson, who reportedly spoke to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, as well as then Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, whose father had been interred in Changi for three years.

In March the following year, the Singapore authorities said they would preserve the wall facing Upper Changi Road North, along with its two corner turrets that had once served as watch towers.

The entrance gate at an adjacent boundary wall was moved and fitted into the retained wall.

The old prison, which had two four-storey blocks of prison cells, was torn down in 2004. In its place is the Changi Prison Complex.

Ms Jean Wee, director of the PSM, said the new monument stands as an "enduring symbol of the suffering of those who defended Singapore during the tumultuous war years".

"We hope that this monument will serve as an important reminder to all Singaporeans of the tremendous sacrifice by POWs, and to treasure the peace and harmony we have today," she said.

Dr Tan said the gazetting was "vindication" of the importance of the space, noting that Australia had lobbied very strongly.

"It started with the Returned and Services League, Australia and it went higher and higher. They made the argument that it doesn't belong to just Singapore... that it is world heritage as well," he said.