Singapore celebrated its 47th anniversary of independence from
Malaysia on Thursday with a military parade.Singapore has sharply
increased its defense expenditures amid China’s buildup of its naval
forces.Singapore’s defense spending is at nearly 10 billion dollars this
year. That’s 50 percent higher than a decade ago, and consumes about a
quarter of the nation’s budget.Singapore has strengthened defense
cooperation with the United States, which is shifting its military focus
to the Asia-Pacific region. The island-state has agreed to allow US
naval vessels to be based in the country.
Singapore is not alone in boosting defense outlays. Other Southeast Asian nations such as Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand have rapidly increased defense spending to compete with China’s military buildup.Singapore marked its 47th birthday on Thursday with tens of thousands of people gathered at the downtown Marina Bay area to soak in the celebrations.
Marina Bay area was a sea of red as 26,000 spectators packed the floating platform – the centre of activity.The sight was nothing short of funfare and bright smiles.
Singaporeans of all ages and families were eager to enjoy the birthday celebrations themed “Loving Singapore Our Home”. “The favourite part is the parade when I see all the officers in their dresses (uniforms) – it makes me proud; they look beautiful, wonderful.” The Red Lions free-fallers from the Singapore Armed Forces were the usual crowd favourites.The pomp of the parade was the Commitment to Defence March with some contingents marching in from the seating gallery amidst the spectators.
New at this year’s parade was the dress theme – red and white – seen on many of the MPs, cabinet ministers and former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, compared to the mainly all-white of previous years.The first inspection of the parade contingent as Head of State was President Tony Tan Keng Yam, who took office in September last year.
This year’s parade commemorated 45 years of National Service paying tribute to NSmen – past and present – with a 10-minute salute from the ground, the sea, and the air.The sky was definitely not the limit for this year’s fireworks display.The Singapore SOKA Association – a long time contributor to the National Day Parade – upped the ante with a stunning display of pyrotechnics.By sun down, more than 4,000 performers put up a spectacular show, urging everyone to reflect on what they love about Singapore.A spectator said: “Not only loving ourselves, our family, probably we should also love those who come to our shores to better themselves and better their lives.” A large part of the success of the parade was also due to the enthusiastic crowd who cheered on the participants non-stop throughout the whole day.Media agencies
Singapore is not alone in boosting defense outlays. Other Southeast Asian nations such as Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand have rapidly increased defense spending to compete with China’s military buildup.Singapore marked its 47th birthday on Thursday with tens of thousands of people gathered at the downtown Marina Bay area to soak in the celebrations.
Marina Bay area was a sea of red as 26,000 spectators packed the floating platform – the centre of activity.The sight was nothing short of funfare and bright smiles.
Singaporeans of all ages and families were eager to enjoy the birthday celebrations themed “Loving Singapore Our Home”. “The favourite part is the parade when I see all the officers in their dresses (uniforms) – it makes me proud; they look beautiful, wonderful.” The Red Lions free-fallers from the Singapore Armed Forces were the usual crowd favourites.The pomp of the parade was the Commitment to Defence March with some contingents marching in from the seating gallery amidst the spectators.
New at this year’s parade was the dress theme – red and white – seen on many of the MPs, cabinet ministers and former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, compared to the mainly all-white of previous years.The first inspection of the parade contingent as Head of State was President Tony Tan Keng Yam, who took office in September last year.
This year’s parade commemorated 45 years of National Service paying tribute to NSmen – past and present – with a 10-minute salute from the ground, the sea, and the air.The sky was definitely not the limit for this year’s fireworks display.The Singapore SOKA Association – a long time contributor to the National Day Parade – upped the ante with a stunning display of pyrotechnics.By sun down, more than 4,000 performers put up a spectacular show, urging everyone to reflect on what they love about Singapore.A spectator said: “Not only loving ourselves, our family, probably we should also love those who come to our shores to better themselves and better their lives.” A large part of the success of the parade was also due to the enthusiastic crowd who cheered on the participants non-stop throughout the whole day.Media agencies
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