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History
First prison and POW camp
Changi Prison was constructed by the British administration of the Straits Settlements as a civilian prison, in 1936.
During World War II, following the Fall of Singapore in February 1942, the Japanese military detained about 3,000 civilians in Changi Prison, which was built to house only 600 prisoners. The Japanese used the British Army's Selarang Barracks, near the prison, as a prisoner of war camp, holding some 50,000 Allied — predominantly British and Australian soldiers.[1] Although POWs were rarely if ever held in the civilian prison, the name Changi became synonymous in the UK, Australia, and elsewhere with the POW camp.
About 850 POWs died during their internment in Changi during the Japanese occupation [2], a relatively low rate compared to the overall death rate of 27% for POWs in Japanese camps.[3] However, many more prisoners died after being transferred from Changi to various labour camps outside Singapore, including the Burma Railway and the Sandakan airfield.
Allied POWs, mainly Australians, built a chapel at the prison in 1944 using simple tools and found materials. British airman Stanley Warren painted a series of murals at the chapel. Another British POW, Sgt. Harry Stodgen built a Christian cross out of a used artillery shell. After the war, the Chapel was dismantled and shipped to Australia, while the cross was sent to the UK. The chapel was reconstructed in 1988, and is now located at the Royal Military College Duntroon, Canberra.
Second prison
In 2000, the prison was demolished and its inmates were relocated to a new consolidated prison complex in a neighbouring site. In view of its historical significance, the Preservation of Monuments Board worked with the Singapore Prison Service and the Urban Redevelopment Authority to allow the front gates of the old prison to be preserved and moved to the new prison.
In 1994 Changi Women’s Prison and Drug Rehabilitation Centre were opened.
Presently, the new Changi Prison houses the most serious criminal offenders in the country, including criminal offenders who are serving long sentences and those who have been sentenced to death. It serves as the detention site for death row inmates at Changi, before they are executed by hanging, traditionally on a Friday morning.
Changi Chapel and Museum
In 1988, Singapore built a replica chapel and museum next to the Changi Prison. When Changi Prison was expanded in 2001, the chapel and museum was relocated to a new site 1 km away and the Changi chapel and museum was officially established on 15 February 2001. see Changi Museum for more information.
Prominent detainees
Prisoners of war
- Lieutenant-General Arthur Ernest Percival, commander of Allied forces in Singapore, following his surrender to the Japanese. Percival was moved to a camp in China in late 1942.
- James Clavell is one of the most famous survivors. He wrote about his experiences in the book King Rat.
- Sir Alexander Oppenheim, mathematician. In 1984, he published "The prisoner's walk: an exercise in number theory", based in part of his experiences at Changi
- English cartoonist Ronald Searle
- Michael Woodruff, surgeon and scientist
- Ernest Tipson, linguist
- Sheila Bruhn, who wrote about her experiences in Diary of a Girl in Changi.
- Sydney Piddington, postwar Australian mentalist entertainer with wife Leslie, "The Piddingtons" ABC and BBC radio and stage mindreading team. Developed his verbal code in Changi.
Convicted criminals
- Nick Leeson, central figure in the collapse of Barings Bank
Changi in popular culture
- King Rat (1962 novel), by James Clavell
- King Rat (1965 film), based on the novel
- Changi: The fortunes of a fictional group of Australian POWS were dramatised in this television miniseries, screened by Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 2001.
References
- Fong, Tanya. "New Changi Prison goes high-tech." The Straits Times: August 16, 2004. [1]
- Choo, Johnson. "New technology at Changi Prison Complex allows focus on rehabilitation." Channel News Asia: August 16, 2004. [2]
External links
- Singapore Prison Service | Changi Prison
- Changi drawings (1942-1945) / John Noel Douglas Harrison (1911-1980)
