A Member Organization of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network and Groundup Central by the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre.
Singapore’s History
Singapore's History
Singapore's Humane Past
01.
Two decades of war
Backed by communist power Soviet Union and China, North Vietnam emerged victorious as troops invaded South Vietnam and captured Saigon in 1975. The end of Vietnam War also saw the country unify under communist rule.
For fear of persecution, it was estimated that 800,000 South Vietnamese fled the country, becoming refugees or "boat people".
02.
Operation Thunderstorm
It was said that Singapore was the first country in the region that deterred Vietnamese boat people from coming onshore.
Under Operation Thunderstorm, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) were responsible for providing Vietnamese refugees with food, water and fuel, before sending them away from Singapore shores
03.
Temporary Haven
Eventually, Singapore opened its doors as a transit country for Vietnamese refugees, with the guarantee that they would be resettled in a third country within 90 days, or 3 months.
From 1978 to 1996,
32,457* Vietnamese refugees were provided temporary safe haven in Singapore, at 25 Hawkins Road, a former British army barrack.
Facebook Group: Vietnamese Boat People Refugee Camp
The " Vietnamese Refugee Camp" at
25 HAWKINS ROAD
[Hawkins Road camp] was considered one of the most humane camps in the region.
As a small country with limited land, Singapore is not in a position to accept any persons seeking political asylum or refugee status, regardless of their ethnicity or place of origin.
Spokesperson from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Singapore.
JASMINE OSADA (2015) “Singapore can’t accept refugees: MHA”, Straits Times, 19 May.
Yen Siow for Refugee awareness week (RAW) 2017
After the Vietnam War saw the reunification of the country under communist rule. Yen, then barely four years old, took to the seas with her family in the 1980s, becoming refugees. After spending 5 days adrift at sea, they were rescued and brought to Singapore, where the family were hosted at Hawkins Road Refugee Camp for 5 months, before being resettled to Australia. Hear what Ms Yen Siow has to say about her experience and what RAW means to her.
Relevant Articles
17 November 2019: Refugee camp in Singapore: Local volunteers, Viet refugees yearn to reconnect.
13 February 2019: Parliament: ASEAN ready to support Rohingya refugees but cannot impose repatriation.
7 January 2018: 'Refugees not welcome here': As ASEAN chair, Singapore must take the lead.
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/01/07/refugees-not-welcome-asean-chair-singapore-must-take-lead/
15 June 2017: No Common View: Asian Ambivalence Toward Refugees.
https://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/gia/article/no-common-view-asian-ambivalence-toward-refugees
19 April 2017: Volunteers and MP Louis Ng launched public exhibition revealing the story of Rohingya.
5 September 2016: Singapore’s position on refugees has always been: ‘We can’t afford having them here.’
13 June 2015: Should Singapore offer asylum to the Rohingya refugees?
http://dialectic.sg/discuss/should-singapore-offer-asylum-to-the-rohingya-refugees
21 May 2015: Does Singapore Have a Reason to Refuse Refugees?
http://spj.hkspublications.org/2015/05/21/does-singapore-have-a-reason-to-refuse-refugees/
20 Dec 2012: 40 stranded refugees will die if help does not come soon.
https://www.asiaone.com/print/News/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20121219-390514.html