25/6/11
We set off on another tour (yes you guessed it there was a cheap package available!) this time to the WW2 memorial museum. Here we saw how the area was overrun by the Japanese with surprising ease. As always on these tours I was left thinking what a waste of human life but this time there was an added twist of the extreme brutality that the prisoners of war suffered at the hands of their captors. Whilst there may not be many saving graces associated with war there is the Geneva Convention and this governs the treatment of prisoners. It would appear that Europeans (allies or aggressors) by in largely followed these conventions the Japanese did not leading to some gruesome behaviours and exhibits. We also learned that the world view of the Second World War in Asia appears to be different to that of the Japanese view. Whereas we would see the Japanese as an imperialist force trying to take over lots of Asia the Japanese would argue that there motivation was to make an Asia for Asians by turning out the colonialists.
The afternoon saw James have a rest and me head off on another tour. This time of the dock area. Hear I saw the location of a warehouse that used to house Ice brought all the way from Boston! I also saw a huge skyscraper with three columns with a spaceship on it and lots over very modern things next to the old. It was also clear that the Singaporean government is not a curator of history and the old must make way for the new. The guide described it as all being based on dollars. If an organisation wants to take on an old building and pay the government rental fees then the building can stay. If not then the developers move in. This brought me onto thinking about the population and land space of Singapore. It may well be a tiny island with a dense population but for some reason it does not feel crowded. Many times I would like down the road and see no traffic. There is also green space and not just token bits but large areas. I presume this has been achieved though high-rise living to free up valuable land space and an efficient public transport system to make car ownership a luxury rather then a necessity.
The evening heralded a big gay night out. Whilst homosexuality is illegal it is tolerated. The government has explicitly said it will turn a blind eye but will not repeal the (British law) as this would offend social norms. With this in mind we were keen to seek out gay Singapore. The first obstacle was that the bars do not explicitly call themselves gay bars but use uthermisams such as ‘a bar for friends of Dorothy.’ We did however locate Gay Street and its 5 gay bars. Upon entering the bar the first thing we noticed was the distinct lack of physical interaction between the patrons. Whilst not a fan of excessive public displays of affection I would expect some hand holding and god forbid kissing and even the toilets being used for nefarious activities as is the case in gay bars across Europe. Alas regulations and social norms also prevail in the ‘alternative scene.’ Being intrigued by the different approach to a night out I decided to talk to some local Singaporeans and ascertained that whilst you may hook up in a bar or nightclub you would go home to engage in kissing or affection. James also learned that 5 years ago the authorities received a complaint about the bar that we were in. The complained was outraged by the displays of public affection between those of the same sex. The authorities investigated and took the necessary enforcement action… instructing the owners to put up signs prohibiting kissing, touch or anything of a sexual nature! Unfortunately we were not aware of this before the night out so when James and I danced alongside Neil and Jason (a British couple we had met) and we probably broke most of the rules. Oh well one never likes to conform!
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