Remember the name Pulau Senang. It means “Isle of Ease” in Malay. But its history is anything but easy.
Pulau Senang is one of Singapore’s southern islands. It sits 24 km from the mainland. Today, Pulau Senang is a military live-firing zone. Entry is prohibited. But once, Pulau Senang was a penal settlement.
Let’s go back to the 1960s. Singapore faced overcrowding in Changi Prison. This was due to the Criminal Law Ordinance. The law aimed to curb secret societies. So, an ad-hoc committee suggested a penal settlement on an offshore island. Pulau Senang was chosen. The goal was to rehabilitate detainees. They would become useful members of society.
Superintendent Daniel Stanley Dutton managed the Pulau Senang Settlement. He had over 20 officers and attendants. In June 1960, the first detainees arrived from Changi Prison. By August, the population more than doubled to 122. Inmates built their dormitories and infrastructure. This included a hospital and recreation grounds. They cultivated vegetables and reared livestock. Newcomers undertook hard manual labor. They cleared forests and built roads. Detainees could visit relatives on the mainland monthly.
The penal experiment was hailed as a success. By September 1962, about 200 offenders returned to society. But the “Isle of Ease” was soon to see violence.
On July 12, 1963, a violent revolt erupted. Some prisoners staged a riot. Superintendent Dutton and three attendants died. Buildings were destroyed and set ablaze. The trial was the longest in Singapore at the time. Eighteen men were convicted of murder. They were hanged in October 1965.
The Pulau Senang settlement closed after the riot. In 1968, it was handed to the Ministry of Interior and Defence. In 1984, Pulau Senang became part of the New Southern Islands Live Firing Area.
Before the penal settlement, Pulau Senang saw little activity. In the 1830s, there were discussions to build a lighthouse on Pulau Senang. However, Raffles Lighthouse was erected on Coney Islet instead. In 1948, a Eurasian family moved to Pulau Senang. Adolf Monteiro, a retired lighthouse keeper, relocated his family. They built a house on stilts and made a living. By 1960, only Adolf and a son remained. They moved to Pulau Pawai when the government wanted Pulau Senang.
Pulau Senang’s history is complex. From “Isle of Ease” to penal colony to military zone, the island has witnessed many changes.