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The High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to the Republic of Singapore is the United Kingdom's foremost diplomatic representative in Singapore.
Singapore, previously a British colony, became an internally self-governing state in 1959 and George Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Earl of Selkirk, was appointed Commissioner (not High Commissioner) for Singapore and South East Asia. [1] [2] [3] In 1963, Singapore declared independence from Britain and joined the new Federation of Malaysia. In 1965, Singapore left Malaysia and became an independent country (as the Republic of Singapore) and a full member of the Commonwealth. As a member of the Commonwealth, the United Kingdom's diplomatic representative is a High Commissioner rather than an Ambassador.
The British High Commission is located at Tanglin Road, close to the Australian High Commission and American Embassy.
1963–1965: Singapore united with Malaysia
Operation Coldstore was the code name for a covert security operation executed in Singapore on 2 February 1963 which led to the arrest of 113 people, who were detained without trial pursuant to the Preservation of Public Service Security Ordinance (PSSO). In official accounts, the operation was a security operation "aimed at crippling the Communist open front organisation," which threatened Singapore's internal security. The operation was authorised by the Internal Security Council which was composed of representatives from the British government, Singaporean government, and the Malayan Federal government.
Group Captain George Nigel "Geordie" Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Earl of Selkirk, was a British nobleman and Conservative politician.
Sir John Baines Johnston was a British diplomat. He is best known for being Britain's High Commissioner to Rhodesia when that colony made its Unilateral Declaration of Independence in November 1965.
Victoria Marguerite Treadell, is the high commissioner of the United Kingdom to Australia and has been in the posting since April 2019. She is the former High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to Malaysia, High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to New Zealand and Samoa, and Governor of the Pitcairn Islands.
Sir Samuel Falle was a British diplomat and decorated Royal Navy officer. He served as Ambassador to Kuwait and Sweden, and High Commissioner to Singapore and Nigeria.
The British Theatre Playhouse (BTP) is a professional theatrical and musical production company incorporated in Singapore in 2004. With the motto Bringing to the World the Best in British Entertainment, the BTP is internationally focused with a British connection, as well as it is a long-standing member of the Singaporean British Chamber of Commerce and the European Chamber of Commerce. In 2012, the BTP also established a UK branch office, in order to work more closely with British playwrights, writers, actors, directors, musical directors, and set and costume designers.
Andrew Scott Norman Wightman is a senior British civil servant and former diplomat. Before his appointment as Director for External Affairs in the Scottish Government, Wightman was High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to Singapore from 2015 to 2019, succeeding Antony Phillipson. Prior to this, Wightman was British Ambassador to South Korea between 2011 and January 2015.