2004 in Singapore

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

← 2003 2002 2001 2004 in Singapore → 2005 2006 2007
Decades:	1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2004 Timeline of Singaporean history

The following lists events that happened during 2004 in Singapore.

Incumbents

• President: S.R. Nathan ^[1]
• Prime Minister: Goh Chok Tong (until 12 August), Lee Hsien Loong (starting 12 August) ^[2]

Events

January

• 1 January - The Goods and Services Tax is raised from 4% to 5%. ^[3]
• 3 January - The Millennia Institute is established from a merger of other Centralised Institutes.
• 8 January - The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore announced that phone numbers starting with '8' will become available from April after high demand for phone numbers starting with '9'. ^{[4] [5]}

February

• 3 February - The Braddell Flyover is opened to traffic. ^[6]
• 12 February - The Carlsberg Sky Tower (renamed to Tiger Sky Tower) is opened.
• 22 February - Plans for a new hospital in Jurong were postponed in favour for one in the north. These plans were elaborated on 22 March, when the Health Ministry announced a Northern General Hospital (now Khoo Teck Puat Hospital) in Yishun. ^{[7] [8]}

March

• 9 March - The Singapore Tourism Board launched a new tourism campaign called Uniquely Singapore. ^[9]
• 13 March - A new pre-tertiary arts school (now School of the Arts) is announced during a parliamentary debate to cater for students between the ages of 13 and 18. ^[10]
• 17 March - The Ministry of Education announced more flexibility for school admissions and an all-rounded school ranking system. ^{[11] [12]}
• 18 March -
  • The Ministry of Education announced that the EM1 and EM2 streams will be merged. ^[13]
  • The chewing gum ban is partially lifted with the launch of Nicorette, a smoking cessation gum. ^[14]
• 26 March - The Arts House is opened. ^[15]
• 23 March - The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority's Coastal Command Headquarters on Pulau Brani is officially opened by then Minister for Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng.
• 29 March - The M18 and R21 ratings are introduced, among other changes. ^[16]
• 31 March - The Old National Library Building at Fort Canning is closed for the building of Fort Canning Tunnel.

April

• 1 April -
  • Two statutory boards, the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority and Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board ^[17] are formed.
  • All hawker centres are now managed by the National Environment Agency, taking over roles previously held by the Housing and Development Board and JTC Corporation. ^[18]
• 2 April - The Singapore Sports School is officially opened. ^[19]
• 13 April – A blackout hits several parts of Singapore including Choa Chu Kang, affecting 80,000 households and lasting almost an hour. Investigations found that a cable fault was responsible for the event. ^{[20] [21]}
• 20 April – A section of Nicoll Highway collapsed, four workers were killed. ^{[22] [23]}

May

• 1 May -
  • The National Trades Union Congress's new headquarters, One Marina Boulevard is officially opened. ^[24]
  • Singapore Pools is transferred to the Singapore Totalisator Board; present-day Tote Board (a statutory board of the Ministry of Finance), taking over this role from Temasek Holdings.
• 4 May -
  • The first $10 polymer notes are released. ^[25]
  • Valuair launches its first flights.
• 10 May - SMRT and TIBS were officially merged, whereas SMRT Buses was formed.
• 14 May - The Media Development Authority (MDA) awards the 99.5FM frequency to MediaCorp under MediaCorp Radio. The new station, GROOVES 99.5FM (renamed Lush 99.5FM) will broadcast local music and arts programmes, as well as jazz and programmes by tertiary students. The station will start broadcasting by end 2004. ^[26]
• 19 May – First Lieutenant Brandon Loo of the Republic of Singapore Air Force is killed when his F-16 jet crashed while on training from the Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.
• 21 May - The Changi Naval Base is officially opened. ^[27]
• 29 May - StarHub launches its new digital cable TV service. ^[28]

June

• 1 June - Security guards are now deployed in MRT stations. ^[29]
• 4 June - Hippo City Sightseeing bus in Singapore started operations.
• 5 June - Wild Wild Wet, a water theme park opens to the public in Downtown East. ^[30]
• 15 June - MINDEF announced that National Service will be cut from 2.5 to 2 years from the December 2004 batch. ^[31]
• 18 June - The third NEWater plant opened in Seletar. It operated for seven years until its closure in 2011.
• 29 June - A blackout occurred for the second time, affecting about one-third of Singapore residents. Investigations reveal that the blackout was caused by a disruption of natural gas supply from Indonesia. ^{[32] [33]}

July

• 20 July - The National Security Secretariat is renamed to National Security Coordination Secretariat as part of an enhanced national security plan.

August

• 12 August - Lee Hsien Loong was sworn as the third Prime Minister. ^[34]
• 22 August - Pro-family policies were introduced during the National Day Rally. Among the measures include an enhanced Baby Bonus scheme, increased maternity leave to 12 weeks, more childcare options, a five-day work week, among others. In addition, female civil servants can claim medical benefits for their dependant unmarried children below 18 year and spouses from 1 January 2005, as well as two-day childcare leave for each parent from 1 October. ^{[35] [36]}

September

• 1 September - Punggol Plaza managed by Koufu and NTUC Fairprice is officially opened and connected to Coral Edge LRT Station in Punggol, Singapore.
• 2 September - The Media Development Authority allows the sale of Cosmopolitan, a women-oriented magazine, coming after a 22-year ban since 1982 on the grounds of nudity. However, the magazine will be shrink-wrapped with the label 'Unsuitable for the Young' to protect vulnerable consumers. ^[37]
• 15 September - Tiger Airways launches its first flights. At the same time, a new low cost terminal will be built by 2006, with Tiger Airways being the first to use the terminal when it opens. ^{[38] [39]}
• 17 September - In a bid to stem losses, MediaCorp and Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) announced the merging of their media operations. A new holding company MediaCorp TV will be created with MediaCorp owning 80 percent and SPH holding the remaining 20 percent. In addition, MediaCorp Press will continue to be owned by MediaCorp; holding a 60 percent stake with 40 percent to be sold to SPH. Channel i will be reviewed for commercial viability while Streats will be merged with Today. ^[40]
• 23 September - VivoCity, formerly known as the HarbourFront Mall, is unveiled, opening in December 2006. ^[41]
• 24 September - The Direct School Admission was announced, allowing Primary 6 and Secondary 4 students to be guaranteed a place in a secondary school and junior college of their choice respectively. The scheme took effect from the 2005 cohort. ^[42]
• 26 September - Reviews were announced for education awards, new school achievement tables and the scrapping of rankings for IP schools and junior colleges. ^[43]
• 30 September - PSA International sells its stake in CWT, a logistics company. ^[44]

October

• 2 October - The Yellow Ribbon Project and Yellow Ribbon Fund are officially launched to give ex-convicts a second chance. ^{[45] [46]}
• 29 October - The first units of The Sail @ Marina Bay are launched, which is jointly developed by City Developments Limited and AIG Global Real Estate. ^[47]

November

• 29 November - The Changi Air Base (East) is officially opened. ^[48]
• 30 November - Temasek Holdings acquires HDB Corp (present-day Surbana Jurong) as part of Housing and Development Board's divestment, allowing it to expand overseas to new markets in Asia. Likewise, entry barriers for private companies will be lifted from July 2006 with HDB Corp allowed access into private sector projects from 2007 onwards. ^{[49] [50]}

December

• 4 December - The Nicoll Highway reopens to traffic, months after the collapse. ^[51]
• 6 December - The Media Development Authority (MDA) approves the merger involving both MediaCorp' and Singapore Press Holdings' free-to-air television operations, first announced in September. ^[52]
• 13 December - Jetstar Asia Airways launches its first flights. ^[53]
• 29 December - The Boon Lay Extension of the East West MRT line is announced. The 3.8 km (2.4 miles) extension will be finished by 2009, with 2 elevated stations to be built. ^[54]
• 31 December -
  • MediaCorp and Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) complete their merger, creating the new holding company MediaCorp TV. Channel i ceased transmission the following day, while Channel U joined MediaCorp. In addition, Streats prints its last issue, merging into Today the next day. ^{[55] [56]}
  • Radio station Lush 99.5FM starts transmission. ^[57]

Deaths

• 6 February - Fong Chong Pik - one of the prominent Malayan Communist Party leaders in Singapore (b. 1924). ^[58]
• 21 February - Khoo Teck Puat - Banker and hotel owner (b. 1917). ^[59]
• 1 June - Liu Kang - Artist (b. 1911). ^[60]
• 7 July - Phyllis Eu Cheng Li - First woman elected into office in Singapore (b. 1914).
• 6 August - Lien Ying Chow - Founder of Overseas Union Bank (b. 1906). ^{[61] [62]}
• 29 August - Lin Chen - Theatre director and playwright (b. 1919). ^[63]
• 16 November - Goh Sin Tub - Writer (b. 1927). ^[64]
• 4 December - Pacita Abad - Painter (b. 1946).
• 7 December - Cheng Yik Hung - Founder of Wing Tai Group (b. 1911). ^[65]
• Christopher Henry Rothwell Allen - Actor, director, winner of 1983 Cultural Medallion for Theatre (b. 1933). ^[66]

References

1. "Obituary: Sellapan Ramanathan (SR Nathan), statesman". Scotsman. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
2. "Changeover of Prime Minister: President's Office Press Statement". NAS. 10 August 2004. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
3. "Introduction of the Goods and Services Tax". NLB. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
4. "10 million mobile nos with prefix '8' launch". Today (retrieved from NLB). 9 January 2004. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
5. "Supercharging Singapore: The 2000s". The Straits Times. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
6. "Braddell Flyover opens today (Page 3)". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 3 February 2004. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
7. "Next new hospital to be in the north". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 23 February 2004. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
8. "400-bed hospital for the north in Yishun Central". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 23 March 2004. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
9. ""Uniquely Singapore" tourism campaign is launched". NLB. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
10. "Ministerial Statement by Minister Lee Boon Yang in Parliament: Announcement on The Arts School". MITA (now MCI). 13 March 2004. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
11. "Greater flexibility in the school admission system". MOE. 17 March 2004. Archived from the original on 8 March 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
12. "A more broad-based school ranking system". MOE. 17 March 2004. Archived from the original on 8 March 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
13. "Refinements to primary school streaming". MOE. 18 March 2004. Archived from the original on 8 March 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
14. "12-year chewing gum ban partially lifted". Today (retrieved from NLB). 17 March 2004. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
15. "Opening of The Arts House". NLB. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
16. "New Film Rating System Offers More Viewing Choices". MDA (now IMDA). 22 March 2004. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
17. "Formation of Singapore Examinations & Assessment Board". MOE. 31 March 2004. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012.
18. "Hawker centres". NLB. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
19. "Official Opening of the Singapore Sports School". NAS. 2 April 2004. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
20. Raymond, Jose (14 April 2004). "Several areas in Spore hit by blackout". Today (retrieved from NLB). Retrieved 25 November 2020.
21. Andrew, Raymond (15 April 2004). "SP still in dark on blackout". Today (retrieved from NLB). Retrieved 25 November 2020.
22. Loh, Sharon (21 April 2004). "MRT worksite collapse wrecks Nicoll Highway". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). Retrieved 8 November 2019.
23. "Friday's fatal mishap among worst worksite accidents since 2004 Nicoll Highway tragedy". TODAYonline. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
24. "Official Opening of One Marina Boulevard". NAS. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
25. "MAS Issues $10 Polymer Portrait Notes". MAS. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
26. "MediaCorp Radio Awarded 99.5FM Frequency For New Radio Station". MDA (now IMDA). 14 May 2004. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
27. "Speech by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong at the Opening Ceremony of Changi Naval Base" (PDF). MINDEF (NAS). 21 May 2004. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
28. "Digital Cable Launch of Starhub Cable Vision Ltd". MITA (now MCI). 29 May 2004. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
29. "Security guards start MRT patrols". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 1 June 2004. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
30. "Wild Wild Wet opens in Downtown East". Get For Me (Singapore). Retrieved 8 August 2019.
31. "Ministerial Statement on Full-time National Service Duration" (PDF). NAS. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
32. "Massive blackout hits many parts of Singapore". Getforme Singapore. 30 June 2004. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
33. Raymond, Jose (30 June 2004). "Another massive blackout hits Singapore". Today (retrieved from NLB). Retrieved 25 November 2020.
34. "Let us shape our future together". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 13 August 2004. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
35. "New package of measures to support parenthood". NAS. 25 August 2004. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
36. "Civil Service moves ahead with changes to promote a pro-family environment and better work-life balance for civil servants". NAS. 25 August 2004. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
37. "Cosmopolitan to be available from this month". MDA (now IMDA). 2 September 2004. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
38. "Speech By Mrs Lim Hwee Hua At The Tiger Airways Inaugural Ceremony Singapore on 15 September 2004". MOT. 15 September 2004. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
39. "Another Low Cost Carrier Takes Off From Singapore Changi Airport". MOT. 15 September 2004. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
40. "MediaCorp And Singapore Press Holdings Merge Their TV And Free Newspaper Operations". MediaCorp, SPH. 17 September 2004. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
41. "Mapletree Unveils the New Wave of Retail". Mapletree. 23 September 2004. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
42. "Direct School Admission for Integrated Programme" (PDF). NAS. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
43. "A Broader Picture of Schools' Performance in Academic and Non-Academic Domains". MOE. 26 September 2004. Archived from the original on 23 April 2008. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
44. "PSA to sell entire stake in logistics company CWT (Page 38)". Today (retrieved from NLB). 1 October 2004. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
45. "Yellow Ribbon Project". NLB. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
46. "Tie a yellow ribbon..." The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 4 October 2004. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
47. "CDL Celebrates the Launch of The Sail @ Marina Bay With a Big Bang". CDL. 29 October 2004. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
48. "RADM (NS) Teo Chee Hean opens Changi Air Base (East)" (PDF). NAS. 29 November 2004. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
49. "Sale of HDB Corp to Temasek Holdings". Temasek Holdings. 30 November 2004. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
50. A Paulo, Derrick (1 December 2004). "Temasek buys shareholding of HDB Corp". Today (retrieved from NLB). Retrieved 15 September 2019.
51. "Nicoll Highway opens after $3m in repairs". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 5 December 2004. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
52. "Mediacorp, SPH Application To Merge Mass-Market Television Operations Approved". MDA (now IMDA). 6 December 2004. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
53. "Address By Mrs Lim Hwee Hua At The Jetstar Asia Airways Inaugural Ceremony on 13 December 2004". MOT. 13 December 2004. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
54. "Expanding The Rail Network: LTA To Build Boon Lay MRT Extension". LTA. 29 December 2004. Archived from the original on 28 July 2007. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
55. "MediaCorp and Singapore Press Holdings complete TV and free newspaper merger". MediaCorp, SPH. 31 December 2004. Archived from the original on 22 January 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
56. "Channel i to close on 1 January 2005 Channel U and Channel 8 to have complementary programming". MediaCorp, SPH. 7 December 2004. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
57. "MediaCorp Radio launches new music station Lush 99.5FM". Channel NewsAsia. 30 December 2004. Archived from the original on 13 April 2005. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
58. Kok, Jaime (1 July 2013). "Fong Chong Pik".
59. "Khoo Teck Puat". NLB. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
60. "Liu Kang". NLB. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
61. "Banker Lien Ying Chow dies, aged 98". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 7 August 2004. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
62. "George Lien Ying Chow". NLB. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
63. "Lin Chen". NLB. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
64. "Goh Sin Tub". NLB. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
65. Tay, Tsen-Waye (8 December 2004). "Wing Tai Group founder Cheng Yik Hung dies at 93". Today (retrieved from NLB). Retrieved 8 December 2019.
66. "Christopher Henry Rothwell Allen". NLB. Retrieved 12 November 2019.