1850s–1960s: Early development Early settlements Pulau Tekong was home to a diverse population of migrants from China and the Malay Peninsula, forming a society of immigrants who had made the island their home for more than a century. The Malays were among the first inhabitants, primarily arriving from
Pahang and
Terengganu. Kampong Pahang served as the island's administrative hub, with its
Penghulu (village head) coming from the village itself. The first
Penghulu, Ishak, was followed by Tengku Ahmad bin Tengku Sulong as the second, and Jemaat bin Awang as the third.
Rise of businesses During the colonial era, the British actively developed Malaya by bringing in Chinese and Indian labourers. The advances of businesses were closely tied to the colonial government's policies in
British Malaya, which actively fostered commercial growth and created numerous opportunities for business expansion. To promote development on Pulau Tekong, the colonial government introduced a policy stating that anyone interested to farm the land could claim ownership. This incentive attracted many Chinese settlers, who began planting
gambier and
pepper. The reason for Hakka being the majority of the Chinese population is that most of the
Hokkien and Teochew businessmen already had flourishing businesses on the mainland. When the Hakkas arrived, they decided to make a living on an island less inhabited. Most were inland
farmers, (cultivating rubber, vegetables, and raising poultry) with a few shop owners selling sundry goods. To adapt to the situation, the British forces reorganised their defense strategy by positioning the
1st Malaya Infantry Brigade on the right flank, while the
Straits Settlements Volunteer Force held the central position in Singapore, and the
2nd Malaya Infantry Brigade on the left flank, covering the Pengerang area and Tekong Island. Furthermore, as Pulau Tekong Besar was considered a more secure location, requiring fewer troops on the mainland, the British relocated heavy artillery, (two 9.2-inch guns) originally intended for Pengerang to Pulau Tekong Besar. However, on 15 February 1942, Singapore was formally surrendered to the Japanese. Before the Japanese army took control of Singapore, the British had destroyed military equipment (batteries, generators, and vehicles) and left behind sugar, rice, cookies, and cloth canopies on Tekong Island. Prior to the Japanese arrival on Tekong Island, women and children sought refuge in the forest, while the men stayed at road intersections to guard against any Japanese intrusion. A week after the Japanese forces took control of Singapore, they occupied Tekong Island and the Japanese army appointed
Penghulu Tengku Ahmad as the village leader and awarded a three-flower medal of honor. Following their defeat, Japan withdrew from Tekong and Singapore, and the British resumed control of the island. This population remained consistent in 1965 when Singapore became a fully independent republic. 60 percent of the inhabitants were Chinese, out of which 70 percent were
Hakkas and 30 percent were
Teochews, and 40 percent were Malays. In 1958, it was noted that Pulau Tekong was home to seven Taoist temples, two mosques, two Chinese cemeteries, and eight Muslim cemeteries. Mr. Chen Bo Sheng, 69, a former resident of Tekong, explained that there were essentially two groups: the older generation, who were accustomed to life on Tekong, and the younger generation, eager to explore the world and improve their standard of living. He noted that while many older residents weren’t initially keen on moving, they recognised that relocating to the mainland would provide better career opportunities for their children. With this transition, the island’s temples were required to form a consortium, register with the Registrar of Societies, and relocate to a united temple in one of Singapore’s industrial zones, now known as the Pulau Tekong United Temple (天降佛堂). The government’s relocation project was a lengthy and complex process that lasted about eight months. The project, costing approximately S$620 million, involved the use of 33 million cubic meters of dredged material sourced from offshore areas near Changi and imported from Indonesia. The
Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) 1991 Concept Plan designated portions of Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong for high-density housing to support a growing population in the future. The URA also envisioned that the islands would be connected to the mainland by the Mass Rapid Transit system (MRT). Starting in February 2002, Malaysian media began reporting claims from local politicians about the potential negative impact of the Pulau Tekong reclamation work on Johor. Malaysia expressed concerns that the reclamation could encroach on its territory or alter the boundary between Singapore and Malaysia. Furthermore, Malaysia expressed concerns that the reclamation could impact the shipping route to Pasir Gudang Port, as the channel had become both narrower and shallower and also lead to alterations to the current flow in the Johor Straits, potentially causing flooding and harming the local fishing industry. Nonetheless, by the end of 2003, ITLOS recommended that both countries collaborate and consult on various measures, including the formation of an independent group of experts to study the effects of Singapore's reclamation and suggest solutions to address any potential negative impacts. On April 26, 2005, after negotiations, both nations signed a comprehensive and final settlement. while reclamation off the southern coast is currently ongoing. In contrast to other land reclamation works at other parts of the country, Singapore has been using the
polder method to create new land for Pulau Tekong.
Military training . The reclaimed area in Pulau Tekong is used exclusively as a training base for the
Singapore Army. Pulau Tekong Besar is one of the islands that is a training base for the various
Singapore Army with other islands, including
Pulau Sudong,
Pulau Pawai and
Pulau Senang. The
Basic Military Training Centre is based here, where recruits to the Singapore Army are trained in basic military operations. The
School of Infantry Specialists (SISPEC) was formerly situated at Rocky Hill Camp. A new training area, called
Sanyongkong Field Camp, has been completed on the reclaimed land south of Dogra Bridge. Built by the
Combat Engineers, this field camp will be used to train
Infantry and Guards battalions. In March 2004, Pulau Tekong was the hiding place for a group of armed robbers comprising two Indonesians and a Malaysian. The robbers had fled from Malaysia, sparking off a massive coordinated manhunt involving Air Force helicopters, commandos, ground surveillance radar, troops from the 2nd Singapore Infantry Regiment, troops from the 40th Singapore Armoured Regiment and the Singapore Police Force. All three were caught by police officers; two by members of the Gurkha Contingent and one by the Police Coast Guard's Special Task Squadron. They were later charged with illegal entry and possession of firearms. On 25 September 2006, the Combat Engineers of Singapore Armed Forces handed over a new field camp, Sanyongkong Field Camp, named after a depopulated village Kampong Sanyongkong, after a year of construction. The field camp would allow for longer training periods without returning to mainland Singapore.
Geography Wild boars, tigers,
dugong, and deer were once plentiful on Pulau Tekong, and this attracted hunters from Singapore. However, Pulo Tekong Besar had undergone so much development after World War II, that the wildlife has mostly disappeared. Among the larger wild mammals, only the wild boar and the
dugong are present within Singapore's national borders; the
dugong can be found in the coastal waters around
Pulau Ubin and Tekong, while the wild boar is located on Tekong. On 29 May 1990, national servicemen spotted a family of three Indian elephants which had swum 1.5 km (0.9 mi) across the
Straits of Johor. The
Singapore Zoo worked with the
Malaysian Wildlife Department's Elephant Capture and Translocation Unit to help in its plan to recapture the runaway elephants. On 10 June, all three elephants were captured and relocated back to the jungles of Johor. Currently, it also provides habitat to some wild animals that are rarely seen in the main island of Singapore, such as the
leopard cat,
Sunda slow loris and
Sunda pangolin. The extended Pulau Tekong will massively replace all training grounds, like
Mandai,
Marsiling,
Seletar, Nee Soon,
Lower Seletar,
Upper Thomson and
Simpang. The island also houses Singapore's second hot spring, Pulau Tekong Hot Spring in the former grounds of Kampung Unum. The
National Biodiversity Centre (NBC) and
National Parks Board (NParks) has conducted coastal protection and restoration works at the north-eastern coastline of Pulau Tekong to prevent further
coastal erosion. The NBC stated that the erosion had resulted from extensive movements of ships and strong waves in the area. A study NParks commissioned in 2006 found that of the north-eastern shore is most severely affected. The coastal erosion poses a threat to the of mangroves in Pulau Tekong which is one of the largest mangrove areas in Singapore with a mature and undisturbed habitat. Local ecologists point out that the island is extremely rich in biodiversity and resident to some rare or endangered species, including the Fern
Dipteris conjugata. ==In popular culture==