3 January –
Jurong Bird Park is officially closed exactly 52 years after it was first opened.[2]
4 January –
HomeTeamNS Bedok Reservoir clubhouse is officially opened. The clubhouse features an indoor water theme park.[3]
CP: Appointments are no longer needed for individuals to get their COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters at any Joint Testing and Vaccination Centres (JTVC) or Children Vaccination Centre (CVC).[4]
9 January –
SPH Media Trust's circulation figures were reported to be inflated by about 10 to 12 per cent during a review triggered by the restructuring of the company. It comes a day after an online news media source leaked out.[5]
10 January – The revamped Admiralty Place in Woodlands, Singapore officially reopens with Singapore's sixth A&W outlet and a Kopitiam Cantine foodcourt after 4 years of renovation.
Mediacorp begins soft-launching its new unified branding across television, radio and digital media products (except
CNA and
CNA938) while also being teased on their social media accounts, with the inclusion of the "M" prefix to signify their recognition in the digital-first environment. The Mplifier branding takes effect full-time on 1 February.[8]
Grab relaunches carpooling service GrabShare for a two-week period from certain locations.[9]
19 January – New support centre, SheCares@SCWO, for girls and women who face online harassment opens in Waterloo Street.[12]
31 January – SMSes from organisations not in central registry to be labelled as 'likely scam'.[13]
February
7 February –
CapitaLand announced plans to redevelop
JCube into a 40-storey residential complex with two levels of commercial shops by 2027. As a result, JCube closed down on 6 August.[14]
CP: Plans are announced to move Singapore from
DORSCON Level Yellow to Green from 13 February. There will be no mandatory masking on public transport and some healthcare areas, unless if visiting vulnerable patients. There will be no negative tests and insurance required for unvaccinated travellers, with the Popular Places Passes system in four locations for migrant workers scrapped.
TraceTogether and
SafeEntry are discontinued with all data deleted (with the exception of a murder case in 2020), with the possibility of reactivation if necessary. A token return scheme will be conducted from 13 February to 12 March. People can isolate in dormitories from 1 March. Protocols 1-2-3 are also scrapped, with fees for tests and treatment to start 1 April (no more full subsidies), as well as fees for using Community Treatment Facilities. Vaccinations will continue to be free for citizens, permanent residents, long-term and some short-term pass holders. New vaccination guidelines are also released, with a minimum of three doses (two primary and one booster) and children only requiring two doses. Those vulnerable are encouraged to get boosters. MCs will no longer differentiate between COVID and other respiratory diseases. There will also be an after-action review, with a report on COVID-19 pandemic management to be released and debated in
Parliament. Finally, the Multi-Ministry Task Force will stand down, with the
Ministry of Health taking charge. Should there be a need, a new multi-agency crisis management structure can be reactivated.[16]
13 February – CP: DORSCON Level Yellow reduced to Green.[16]
17 February – The revamped
Peranakan Museum is officially reopened to the public after nearly four years of renovation works.[17]
19 February – The new Tampines Viaduct is officially opened after a delay caused by a collapse in 2017 which killed one worker and injured ten workers.[18][19]
March
6 March – Sengkang Grand Mall which is located outside
Buangkok MRT station is officially opened. Buangkok Integrated Transport Hub will be opened in 2024.[20]
8 March – CP: A White Paper on Singapore's Response to COVID-19 is released, setting out seven recommendations to boost preparedness for a future pandemic.[citation needed]
22 March – Jetstar begins operations at Changi Airport T4.[21]
26 March – Chong Pang City starts construction and will be completed in 2027.
29 March
DBS Bank suffers an outage, which affected its digital services for up to 10 hours.[22]
Disney announced that it will start cruise services in Singapore from 2025 for a period of five years.[23]
1 April – The new Shaw Plaza and Theatres at Balestier is officially reopened after 4 years of renovation with amenities like shopping malls and a cinema theatre.
5 April – Singapore's newest five storey regional library at Punggol is officially opened at One Punggol.
30 April - The Perennial Business Park (Formerly Known as Big Box) at Jurong East located at Venture Drive is officially opened.
May
1 May – Strides Taxi and Premier Taxis will merge to form Singapore's second-largest taxi operator.[24]
8 May –
Bird Paradise (formerly Jurong Bird Park) is the first of the new wildlife parks to open at Mandai Wildlife Reserve.[25]
9 May – The Woodleigh Mall at Bidadari (located near Woodleigh MRT Station and Bidadari Community Club) is opened with Singapore's seventh A&W restaurant outlet as well as Fairprice Finest and more.
29 May –
Halimah Yacob announces her decision not to seek a second presidential term.[27][28]
June
1 June
Stricter measures against table littering and not clearing crockeries in foodcourts, coffeeshops and hawker centres kicks in with offenders facing immediate warnings and fines.[29]
Amendments to the
Misuse Of Drugs Act kick in, with increased punishments and caning for possession of selected controlled drugs above certain weight thresholds.[30]
SAFRA opened its seventh clubhouse, also known as its 'fitness oasis' at Choa Chu Kang.[31]
2 June – The Aqua Adventure Waterpark at HomeTeamNS Bedok Reservoir is officially opened.
4 June – The first new set of
Alstom Movia R151 train debuts on the East West Line.[32]
25 June - The Passion WaVe at Bedok Reservoir is officially opened for kayaking or dragon boating activities to be held there as organised by the People's Association. It's the third community club in Singapore to be opened aside from Marina Bay in 2015, Jurong Lake Gardens in 2019.
30 June
Cathay Cineplexes closes its Cineleisure branch after operating for almost 26 years.
1 July – The revamped Admiralty Place was officially opened to shoppers that includes Prime Supermarket (which opened on 15 December 2022, as well as A&W restaurant which opened in February this year, and many more new shops).
14 July – Singapore-based Malaysian businessman
Ong Beng Seng's arrest by the CPIB is reported in connection with a corruption probe involving Minister S. Iswaran. CPIB revealed later that both were arrested on 11 July.[40][41]
Former
GIC investment officer Ng Kok Song announces his candidacy for the Presidential Elections.[45]
26 July to 2 August – The inaugural Festival of Football saw five European football clubs play over three matches as part of their pre-season tours.[46]
Singapore executed 45-year-old drug trafficker
Saridewi Djamani, the first female offender to be executed in nearly twenty years. Saridewi was found guilty of trafficking 30.72 grams of
heroin in 2018.[47]
30 July – Former
2011 presidential election candidate
Tan Kin Lian announces he has submitted his forms, with a future decision to be made on contesting the elections.
11 August – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong issues the Writ of Election for the
presidential elections. After the dates are announced, Teacher's Day and several exams for N Levels will be moved to 11 September, as well as 12 and 20 September respectively.
15 August – In what was the largest money laundering case in Singapore, 10 foreign nationals were arrested and over S$1 billion worth of cash and assets seized, frozen or issued prohibition of disposal orders.[51] The value of assets involved would later balloon to S$3 billion, making it one of the world's largest money laundering cases.[52][53]
16 August – The 10 foreign nationals arrested for their involvement in the largest money laundering case in Singapore are charged in court.[54]
17 August – At the close of forms, six candidates have filed Certificates of Eligibility, with 16 applications for Community Declarations.
18 August –
Tharman Shanmugaratnam,
Ng Kok Song, and
Tan Kin Lian are awarded Certificates of Eligibility, with
George Goh Ching Wah among three who did not succeed in a Certificate of Eligibility. The reason is later revealed that the five companies listed did not meet the S$500 million shareholders equity requirement. Only six of the 16 Community Declarations are accepted.
20 August – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivered his
National Day Rally 2023 speech.[55]
29 August - Holland Village Market and Food Centre is reopened after one year of renovation since mid 2022, with several unique local stalls such as Holland Village Fried Bee Hoon, 363 Katong Laksa, and Mala Xiang Guo.
5 October - The Jurong West Hawker Centre is officially reopened as JW50 food centre after three years of closure since it's original openings back in 2017.
15 October - Bukit Canberra Swimming Complex and the public access ActiveSG Gym in Sembawang are officially opened.
25 October – Four cars belonging to one of the ten accused in one of the world's largest money laundering case are impounded. At the same time,
Singaporean police officers confiscated
Bearbricks linked to one of the accused in the same case.[60]
27 October – The Forward Singapore Report is released, detailing seven major shifts in Singapore's social compact and several new policy changes, including ComLink+ and Singapore Government Partnerships Office.
28 October - Trifecta Sports Complex, a sports centre in Somerset is opened.
November
1 November
Banks will start charging all customers who issue
Singdollar cheques.[61]
Changi Airport Terminal 2 fully reopens after 3+1⁄2 years of upgrading.[62]
ERP 2.0 units installation will begin starting with company vehicles.[63]
5 November – Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong announced at the
People's Action Party convention that he will hand over the position to Deputy Prime Minister
Lawrence Wong before the PAP's 70th year and the
next General Election. This comes after DPM Wong's declaration that he was ready for the next step.
30 November - Buangkok Hawker Centre, which is located at the premises of Sengkang Grand Mall is officially opened.
December
1 December –
The Bus Collective, a resort hotel in Changi Village featuring 20 retired public buses transformed into accommodations, opens to the public.[68]
One Holland Village Mall, a pet-friendly mall in Holland Village, Singapore is officially opened to shoppers.
Deaths
3 January –
Eric Low, former PAP politician (b. 1948).[69]
^Hamzah, Aqil (18 April 2023).
"Stricter measures against table littering in foodcourts, hawker centres from June 1: NEA". The Straits Times.
ISSN0585-3923. Retrieved 22 June 2023. Diners who fail to return used trays and crockery after finishing their meal at coffee shops, foodcourts and hawker centres may face tougher action from the National Environment Agency (NEA) and Singapore Food Agency (SFA) from June 1. Instead of merely being advised to clean up after themselves, first-time offenders will be given written warnings, NEA said on Tuesday (April 18). Repeat offenders will face the possibility of a fine or getting charged in court.
^"Commencement of the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Act 2023". Ministry of Home Affairs (Singapore). Retrieved 22 June 2023. The Misuse of Drugs Act (Amendment) introduces increased punishments, including caning, for the possession of selected controlled drugs above certain weight thresholds. The drug types for which the punishment for the possession offence will be increased are morphine, diamorphine, opium, cocaine, cannabis, cannabis resin, cannabis mixture and methamphetamine. The maximum punishment for the drug possession offence will now be 30 years' imprisonment and 15 strokes of the cane for these eight drug types.
^Teng, Amelia (8 July 2023).
"Prominent economist Lim Chong Yah dies, aged 91". The Straits Times.
ISSN0585-3923. Retrieved 2 January 2024. His (Lim Chong Yah) eldest child is lawyer Lee Suet Fern, who is married to Mr Lee Hsien Yang – the younger son of first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, and the brother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
3 January –
Jurong Bird Park is officially closed exactly 52 years after it was first opened.[2]
4 January –
HomeTeamNS Bedok Reservoir clubhouse is officially opened. The clubhouse features an indoor water theme park.[3]
CP: Appointments are no longer needed for individuals to get their COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters at any Joint Testing and Vaccination Centres (JTVC) or Children Vaccination Centre (CVC).[4]
9 January –
SPH Media Trust's circulation figures were reported to be inflated by about 10 to 12 per cent during a review triggered by the restructuring of the company. It comes a day after an online news media source leaked out.[5]
10 January – The revamped Admiralty Place in Woodlands, Singapore officially reopens with Singapore's sixth A&W outlet and a Kopitiam Cantine foodcourt after 4 years of renovation.
Mediacorp begins soft-launching its new unified branding across television, radio and digital media products (except
CNA and
CNA938) while also being teased on their social media accounts, with the inclusion of the "M" prefix to signify their recognition in the digital-first environment. The Mplifier branding takes effect full-time on 1 February.[8]
Grab relaunches carpooling service GrabShare for a two-week period from certain locations.[9]
19 January – New support centre, SheCares@SCWO, for girls and women who face online harassment opens in Waterloo Street.[12]
31 January – SMSes from organisations not in central registry to be labelled as 'likely scam'.[13]
February
7 February –
CapitaLand announced plans to redevelop
JCube into a 40-storey residential complex with two levels of commercial shops by 2027. As a result, JCube closed down on 6 August.[14]
CP: Plans are announced to move Singapore from
DORSCON Level Yellow to Green from 13 February. There will be no mandatory masking on public transport and some healthcare areas, unless if visiting vulnerable patients. There will be no negative tests and insurance required for unvaccinated travellers, with the Popular Places Passes system in four locations for migrant workers scrapped.
TraceTogether and
SafeEntry are discontinued with all data deleted (with the exception of a murder case in 2020), with the possibility of reactivation if necessary. A token return scheme will be conducted from 13 February to 12 March. People can isolate in dormitories from 1 March. Protocols 1-2-3 are also scrapped, with fees for tests and treatment to start 1 April (no more full subsidies), as well as fees for using Community Treatment Facilities. Vaccinations will continue to be free for citizens, permanent residents, long-term and some short-term pass holders. New vaccination guidelines are also released, with a minimum of three doses (two primary and one booster) and children only requiring two doses. Those vulnerable are encouraged to get boosters. MCs will no longer differentiate between COVID and other respiratory diseases. There will also be an after-action review, with a report on COVID-19 pandemic management to be released and debated in
Parliament. Finally, the Multi-Ministry Task Force will stand down, with the
Ministry of Health taking charge. Should there be a need, a new multi-agency crisis management structure can be reactivated.[16]
13 February – CP: DORSCON Level Yellow reduced to Green.[16]
17 February – The revamped
Peranakan Museum is officially reopened to the public after nearly four years of renovation works.[17]
19 February – The new Tampines Viaduct is officially opened after a delay caused by a collapse in 2017 which killed one worker and injured ten workers.[18][19]
March
6 March – Sengkang Grand Mall which is located outside
Buangkok MRT station is officially opened. Buangkok Integrated Transport Hub will be opened in 2024.[20]
8 March – CP: A White Paper on Singapore's Response to COVID-19 is released, setting out seven recommendations to boost preparedness for a future pandemic.[citation needed]
22 March – Jetstar begins operations at Changi Airport T4.[21]
26 March – Chong Pang City starts construction and will be completed in 2027.
29 March
DBS Bank suffers an outage, which affected its digital services for up to 10 hours.[22]
Disney announced that it will start cruise services in Singapore from 2025 for a period of five years.[23]
1 April – The new Shaw Plaza and Theatres at Balestier is officially reopened after 4 years of renovation with amenities like shopping malls and a cinema theatre.
5 April – Singapore's newest five storey regional library at Punggol is officially opened at One Punggol.
30 April - The Perennial Business Park (Formerly Known as Big Box) at Jurong East located at Venture Drive is officially opened.
May
1 May – Strides Taxi and Premier Taxis will merge to form Singapore's second-largest taxi operator.[24]
8 May –
Bird Paradise (formerly Jurong Bird Park) is the first of the new wildlife parks to open at Mandai Wildlife Reserve.[25]
9 May – The Woodleigh Mall at Bidadari (located near Woodleigh MRT Station and Bidadari Community Club) is opened with Singapore's seventh A&W restaurant outlet as well as Fairprice Finest and more.
29 May –
Halimah Yacob announces her decision not to seek a second presidential term.[27][28]
June
1 June
Stricter measures against table littering and not clearing crockeries in foodcourts, coffeeshops and hawker centres kicks in with offenders facing immediate warnings and fines.[29]
Amendments to the
Misuse Of Drugs Act kick in, with increased punishments and caning for possession of selected controlled drugs above certain weight thresholds.[30]
SAFRA opened its seventh clubhouse, also known as its 'fitness oasis' at Choa Chu Kang.[31]
2 June – The Aqua Adventure Waterpark at HomeTeamNS Bedok Reservoir is officially opened.
4 June – The first new set of
Alstom Movia R151 train debuts on the East West Line.[32]
25 June - The Passion WaVe at Bedok Reservoir is officially opened for kayaking or dragon boating activities to be held there as organised by the People's Association. It's the third community club in Singapore to be opened aside from Marina Bay in 2015, Jurong Lake Gardens in 2019.
30 June
Cathay Cineplexes closes its Cineleisure branch after operating for almost 26 years.
1 July – The revamped Admiralty Place was officially opened to shoppers that includes Prime Supermarket (which opened on 15 December 2022, as well as A&W restaurant which opened in February this year, and many more new shops).
14 July – Singapore-based Malaysian businessman
Ong Beng Seng's arrest by the CPIB is reported in connection with a corruption probe involving Minister S. Iswaran. CPIB revealed later that both were arrested on 11 July.[40][41]
Former
GIC investment officer Ng Kok Song announces his candidacy for the Presidential Elections.[45]
26 July to 2 August – The inaugural Festival of Football saw five European football clubs play over three matches as part of their pre-season tours.[46]
Singapore executed 45-year-old drug trafficker
Saridewi Djamani, the first female offender to be executed in nearly twenty years. Saridewi was found guilty of trafficking 30.72 grams of
heroin in 2018.[47]
30 July – Former
2011 presidential election candidate
Tan Kin Lian announces he has submitted his forms, with a future decision to be made on contesting the elections.
11 August – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong issues the Writ of Election for the
presidential elections. After the dates are announced, Teacher's Day and several exams for N Levels will be moved to 11 September, as well as 12 and 20 September respectively.
15 August – In what was the largest money laundering case in Singapore, 10 foreign nationals were arrested and over S$1 billion worth of cash and assets seized, frozen or issued prohibition of disposal orders.[51] The value of assets involved would later balloon to S$3 billion, making it one of the world's largest money laundering cases.[52][53]
16 August – The 10 foreign nationals arrested for their involvement in the largest money laundering case in Singapore are charged in court.[54]
17 August – At the close of forms, six candidates have filed Certificates of Eligibility, with 16 applications for Community Declarations.
18 August –
Tharman Shanmugaratnam,
Ng Kok Song, and
Tan Kin Lian are awarded Certificates of Eligibility, with
George Goh Ching Wah among three who did not succeed in a Certificate of Eligibility. The reason is later revealed that the five companies listed did not meet the S$500 million shareholders equity requirement. Only six of the 16 Community Declarations are accepted.
20 August – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivered his
National Day Rally 2023 speech.[55]
29 August - Holland Village Market and Food Centre is reopened after one year of renovation since mid 2022, with several unique local stalls such as Holland Village Fried Bee Hoon, 363 Katong Laksa, and Mala Xiang Guo.
5 October - The Jurong West Hawker Centre is officially reopened as JW50 food centre after three years of closure since it's original openings back in 2017.
15 October - Bukit Canberra Swimming Complex and the public access ActiveSG Gym in Sembawang are officially opened.
25 October – Four cars belonging to one of the ten accused in one of the world's largest money laundering case are impounded. At the same time,
Singaporean police officers confiscated
Bearbricks linked to one of the accused in the same case.[60]
27 October – The Forward Singapore Report is released, detailing seven major shifts in Singapore's social compact and several new policy changes, including ComLink+ and Singapore Government Partnerships Office.
28 October - Trifecta Sports Complex, a sports centre in Somerset is opened.
November
1 November
Banks will start charging all customers who issue
Singdollar cheques.[61]
Changi Airport Terminal 2 fully reopens after 3+1⁄2 years of upgrading.[62]
ERP 2.0 units installation will begin starting with company vehicles.[63]
5 November – Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong announced at the
People's Action Party convention that he will hand over the position to Deputy Prime Minister
Lawrence Wong before the PAP's 70th year and the
next General Election. This comes after DPM Wong's declaration that he was ready for the next step.
30 November - Buangkok Hawker Centre, which is located at the premises of Sengkang Grand Mall is officially opened.
December
1 December –
The Bus Collective, a resort hotel in Changi Village featuring 20 retired public buses transformed into accommodations, opens to the public.[68]
One Holland Village Mall, a pet-friendly mall in Holland Village, Singapore is officially opened to shoppers.
Deaths
3 January –
Eric Low, former PAP politician (b. 1948).[69]
^Hamzah, Aqil (18 April 2023).
"Stricter measures against table littering in foodcourts, hawker centres from June 1: NEA". The Straits Times.
ISSN0585-3923. Retrieved 22 June 2023. Diners who fail to return used trays and crockery after finishing their meal at coffee shops, foodcourts and hawker centres may face tougher action from the National Environment Agency (NEA) and Singapore Food Agency (SFA) from June 1. Instead of merely being advised to clean up after themselves, first-time offenders will be given written warnings, NEA said on Tuesday (April 18). Repeat offenders will face the possibility of a fine or getting charged in court.
^"Commencement of the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Act 2023". Ministry of Home Affairs (Singapore). Retrieved 22 June 2023. The Misuse of Drugs Act (Amendment) introduces increased punishments, including caning, for the possession of selected controlled drugs above certain weight thresholds. The drug types for which the punishment for the possession offence will be increased are morphine, diamorphine, opium, cocaine, cannabis, cannabis resin, cannabis mixture and methamphetamine. The maximum punishment for the drug possession offence will now be 30 years' imprisonment and 15 strokes of the cane for these eight drug types.
^Teng, Amelia (8 July 2023).
"Prominent economist Lim Chong Yah dies, aged 91". The Straits Times.
ISSN0585-3923. Retrieved 2 January 2024. His (Lim Chong Yah) eldest child is lawyer Lee Suet Fern, who is married to Mr Lee Hsien Yang – the younger son of first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, and the brother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.