Haw Par Villa opened to the public in 1931. The gardens, also known as Tiger Balm Gardens, were designed by Swatow artist Kwok Wan Shan who was commissioned by Aw Boon Haw, son of Aw Chu Kin, the inventor of the Tiger Balm lotion.

  Admission to the Gardens was free until 1985 when its ownership passed from the Aw descendents to the Singapore Tourism Board, then known as Singapore Tourist Promotion Board.

  In the 1980s, Haw Par Villa attracted about one-third of all visitors to Singapore, making it the fourth most popular tourist destination after Sentosa, Mount Faber and the Botanic Gardens.

  Since its reopening in 1990, after an extensive facelift to turn it into a theme park, Haw Par Villa has been losing money for its operators - to the tune of S$35 million in the last eight years. This doesn't take into account the S$80 million spent to refurbish the Gardens.

  Now Singapore Tourism Board has taken over ownership of the Gardens, but the operators will be allowed to run the place until 31 Mar 2001. So, the future of Haw Par Villa lies in the hands of STB again.

  As someone who has grown up in the heydays of many landmarks in Singapore and who has seen their ageing as well as the disappearance of many such landmarks, such as National Theatre, and New World Amusement Park, I have this to say. Haw Par Villa attracted the masses in the 60s and the 70s, perhaps, because it offered free admission. Singaporeans of that period found its free admission provided a convenient excuse to take the whole family out for an outing without burning a hole in the pocket. Children of that period have now become parents. In their minds, perhaps, they find it difficult to accept that they have to pay to get into a place which in their childhood they got in free.

  The Singapore Tourism Board has to decide, as the Aw family must have decided in the 1980s, to keep this world-renowned landmark open to the public, let in visitors free of charge and incur some recurring expenditure in its upkeep, or to continue with its commercialisation of the Gardens at the risk of pouring more good money down the drain.

  Haw Par Villa will always remain, in the minds of the older generation of Singaporeans who have grown up with it, a leisure garden, an educational site, a scenic spot for photograph taking, a cheap recreational destination and many more. Why not bring that part of the past back and let the younger generation experience what their parents had experienced in the Gardens when they were young. Let that translate into a tradition for the future generations of Singaporeans. It is a heritage that is rightfully ours to treasure forevermore. 

We received our 500,000th hit on 21 Sep 2000!

Letters to the Editor

Coca-Cola Enjoy!

NEW WEBSITES

eBookIt.com is an online travel website which offers a wide choice of flights, hotels and cars for booking online.

Lifestyle2U.com is an online shopping website where you can browse and buy lifestyle products for men and women, such as wallets, handbags, cosmetics, underwear, swimwear and many others. Accepts Visa, Mastercard and debit cards (only those not needing signatures)

IT-Axe.com is an e-auction website specialising in IT equipment and accessories.

CarFellas.com provides you with more choices in buying and selling cars, car insurance, car care and a whole range of services.

HDBuilders.com is an online hub which facilitates and manages the whole spectrum of business processes in the construction industry. You can access information on tenders, HDB, classifieds as well as suppliers and contractors.

Uneedtrust.com is a one-stop unit trust portal; includes detailed and comprehensive information on Singapore funds industry.

LivingWoman.com is an on-line, one-stop, one-source, lifestyle portal for women in Asia, focusing on personal well-being. Read a wealth of information, go shopping, search specialised services, create your own personal e-blackbook and win prizes.

V-3000.com does web-design, hosting and promotions.

Eyeball.com.sg or the print version, a morning tabloid, Project Eyeball, is a new newspaper which hit the streets on 12 Aug 2000. Brought to you by Singapore Press Holdings (SPH).

one-99shop.com has gone online! This shop already has nine branches selling everything at S$1.99 each. Items range from crockery, utensils, confectionery,  household accessories, artificial flowers to Hello Kitty stationery.

wwlegal.com is a legal website which went online in late August 2000. It provides a one-stop centre for people to find lawyers. Official launch date is 21 Sep 2000.

Click New Websites for the rest of the list.

BANKmates: Get a Personal Assistant to do your errands in Singapore.

SporesCity www.sporescity.com 

The Singaporean website community Set up your company's website here. More...

We are now 1,315 pages thick and growing.

Public Holidays DEEPAVALI is the next public holiday. It falls on Thursday 26 October 2000.

General Message Board

Madam Kang's Kitchen Message Board

Singapore Cemetery Warren Message Board 

BackPackers' Message Board

Registration for national service for all male Singaporeans and permanent residents born between 13 Dec 1982 and 12 Mar 1983 started on 31 Jul 2000 and ends on 29 Sep 2000. For those born between 13 Mar 1983 & 12 Jun 1983, registration starts on 2 Oct 2000 & ends on 24 Nov 2000.

New Banking Licence:

*Hana Bank (Not. 2529 dated 15 Sep 2000)

Change of name of insurance company:

*Axa Reinsurance Asia Pte Ltd to Axa Corporate Solutions Asia Pacific Pte Limited from 1 Sep 2000 (Not. No. 2556 dated 18 Sep 2000). 

New Address:

*Cougars Adventure Club  56 Bukit Batok East Ave 5 #09-01 Singapore 659804 (8 Aug 2000)

*Society of Chinese Cuisine Chefs (Singapore)  228B Sims Ave Singapore 387507 (10 Aug 2000)

PEOPLE SEARCH: Let us flip through the phone book to help you find someone you wish to contact urgently. Email your request to peoplesearch@getforme.com.

The OG Building at People's Park, along with its overhead Bridge is being demolished from 30 Aug - 15 Sep 2000.

GOVERNMENT MATTERS

Singapore Government Website   Police Ministry Of Education  Consular Matters & Migrating (known as permanent residency)

Setting up a business? Do a free Name Search first to see whether the name you want is available. Click RCB.

The Singapore Economy

Current issues affecting our community:

Charging of Mobile-phone batteries at MRT Stations

Death of child at childcare centre suspected to be caused by foot, hand and mouth disease

Insurance agents who use "survey" ruse to collect personal information

Timeshare companies which use high-pressure sale tactics

Late Power Supply utilities bills

Motor-vehicle COE Insurance

Speakers' Corner opens at Hong Lim Park

Killer-Litter

School Discipline: Put the cane in our teachers' hands

Others

Food Stalls Suspended From Business

Alarms And Excursions  -  A comedy by Michael Frayn  Directed by Nick Perry. A Stage Club Presentation  41 Malcolm Rd Singapore 308276.  27 - 30 Sep 2000  8pm  Drama Centre. Tickets at S$20 - S$30.

Invisibility Rated P(G) and performed in English and Mandarin  Presented by Drama Box Written by Quah Sy Ren  Adapted & Directed by Sim Pern Yiau     Performed by: Alvin Chiam, Caroline Fernandez, Zelda Tatiana Ng & Yeo Yann Yann  13 - 17 Sep 2000, 19 - 23 Sep 2000  8pm

Ambient Asia “Chilled-out grooves and traditional cool”  22 Sep 2000     The Courtyard, National Library at Stamford Rd   7pm  End your day on an eclectic note with the unique music of  two of Asia’s top instrumentalists, Sara T and Jessica, on erhu, sanxian and pipa.  An exotic blend of club sounds and dance beats rendered from traditional Chinese instruments. Admission is Free.  Everyone's welcome

See Entertainment for more information on local happenings!

7 and still counting That's the number of MediaCorp Studios artistes so far to have resigned to cross over to rival MediaWorks set up by the SPH group.

TOURISTS

Tourism Board

Tourist Arrival Statistics

BackPackers' Corner

Luggage Repair

Rent A Car

To get free copies of brochures on Singapore, including Singapore Official Guide, please click HERE.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Low Lying Areas In Singapore  Lists the flood-prone areas in Singapore.

Things you should know  Tells you things you need to be aware of - disasters, drowning cases, Hotel New World... 

Good Eats

10 MUST VISIT places

FleaMarts

2nd-hand Watches

Shopping Complaints

Nature