KONFRONTASI MEMORIAL HONOURS DEFENDERS, REMEMBERS VICTIMS

To honour the volunteers and soldiers who defended Singapore during Konfrontasi, as well as to remember those who lost their lives, a memorial has been set up near MacDonald House, along Orchard Road. Konfrontasi was a dark episode in Singapore's history, during which Indonesia embarked on a three-year armed campaign to oppose the formation of the Federation of Malaysia.

"This will be a lasting reminder of the victims of Konfrontasi, and those who risked their lives defending our country," said Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) Lawrence Wong who inaugurated the memorial in a solemn service on 10 Mar.

Konfrontasi was the most significant external threat that Singapore faced since World War II. More than 40 acts of sabotage and violence were carried out, killing several civilians and injuring many other innocents. The most grievous was the MacDonald House bombing on this day 50 years ago.

The idea for a memorial came about last year when the Singapore Armed Forces Veterans' League (SAFVL) submitted a petition to MCCY to find ways to remember the victims of Konfrontasi and to educate the younger generations.

Explaining the rationale for the memorial, Brigadier-General (BG) (Ret) Winston Toh, President of SAFVL, said: "Those turbulent times demonstrated the high price of not having a strong defence, and not being able to protect our nation's sovereignty and security.

"The League feels that Singaporeans must never forget the history of Konfrontasi."

In his address, Mr Wong added that unlike in the 1960s, Singapore now enjoys good relationships with all her neighbours, including Indonesia, but stressed that "it is important to never take our place in the world for granted".

This is something which resonated strongly with Lieutenant Colonel (Ret) Wong Geok Seam, who served in 1963 as part of the Singapore Volunteer Corps.

"There is a need for the younger generation to be aware that threats can happen today or at any time," said the 82-year-old who eventually joined 1 SIR as a career soldier in 1966. "The memorial will give our young people a chance to know a little of the history of our Armed Forces."

One youth who got to know more about Konfrontasi was Andrew Lawrence, 15, who attended the memorial service.

"I now understand what happened in the past, like the MacDonald House bombing and how tragic it was like, especially for the families who lost their kin," said the Secondary 3 student from St Joseph Institution.

The memorial service was attended by surviving veterans, families of the victims, as well as Permanent Secretary for Defence Chan Yeng Kit and Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General (LG) Ng Chee Meng.