Mention Lim Chu Kang, and the first impressions that come to our mind are probably ulu (secluded), countryside or cemetery. The name Ama Keng may be even more unfamiliar to many Singaporeans, who are unaware of the former existence of this famous and bustling village.
Lim Chu Kang Road and the Villages
Lim Chu Kang Road has a long history. It was built in the 19th century as an ease of accessibility to the pepper and gambier, and later rubber, plantations that once flourished in this vicinity. The road soon became the main link between the rural villages that scattered around Lim Chu Kang and the city-bound roads of Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Timah.
Three large Chinese kampong once flourished at Lim Chu Kang. They were the Ama Keng Village (亚妈宫村), Thong Hoe Village (通和村) and Nan Hoe Village (南和村). Located between the 17.5 milestone of Lim Chu Kang Road, Ama Keng Village was filled with attap and zinc-roofed houses and single-storey shophouses that provided the basic needs for a self-sufficient rural community. Thong Hoe Village was situated a short distance away at the 18.5 milestone of Lim Chu Kang Road, while Nan Hoe Village stood along Neo Tiew Road.
Flanked by thick canopies of Angsana and Mahogany trees, the rustic Lim Chu Kang Road was gazetted as a Heritage Road by the National Parks Board in 2001. Four other Heritage Roads elsewhere in Singapore are Arcadia, Mandai, Mount Pleasant and South Buona Vista Roads.
Early History of Ama Keng
The name Ama Keng originated from a popular Chinese temple built in 1900 (see Ama Keng Temple below) that worshipped the deity of Ma Zhu, the Chinese goddess of the sea. The words “Ama” and “Keng” means grandmother and temple (or palace) respectively in Hokkien and Teochew. By the 1930s, there was a sizable population living around the temple, and the growing kampong came to be known as Ama Keng Village.
The rubber industry at Lim Chu Kang took a big hit when the prices of rubber crashed in the early 1930s. Abandoned plantations soon became wastelands. In 1933, the British’s Department of Agriculture tried to experiment with pineapple cultivation at the old rubber estates near Ama Keng in an attempt to tap into the growing pineapple business in Malaya.
In 1935, a tiger was spotted within the Lim Chu Kang vicinity, creating panic among the villagers. The Sultan of Johor had banned the shooting of tigers in his state for several years, resulting in its abundance. It was believed that a few swam across the Straits of Johor and roamed around Bukit Timah and Lim Chu Kang, where there were more than 10,000 acres of jungle.
In the early 1940s, the Lim Chu Kang vicinity fell into total darkness at night when the British Royal Air Force (RAF) ordered the total prohibition of lights in order to prevent air surveillance by the enemies. This, however, did not deter the Japanese invaders from pinpointing Ama Keng Village as one of their first targets. On 8th February 1942, the Japanese crossed the Johor Straits and attacked from the northwestern side of Singapore, swiftly occupying Ama Keng. Tengah Airfield fell into the enemies’ hand within a day. The planned Ama Keng-Sungei Berih line, defended by the Australian brigade, rapidly fell apart.
Ama Keng after the War
It was a chaotic period after the war. Food was scarce and jobs were limited. In 1953, the British government decided to speed up Singapore’s food production with a multi-million food production centre at Ama Keng.
Over 300 squatter farmers, more than half of them living at Ama Keng Village, were given lands for vegetable cultivation in a 750-acre site along Lim Chu Kang Road. The remaining farmers were from other parts of Singapore whose farms were affected by other development plans. The British also set up Animal Husbandry Station and Veterinary Station along the 17th milestone of Lim Chu Kang Road (present-day Old Lim Chu Kang Road) to encourage organised rearing of poultry and other farming livestock to meet the growing domestic demand.
Things gradually improved, but life was still tough for the residents at Ama Keng Village. Water cut-offs were frequent in the Lim Chu Kang vicinity. The Konfrontasi period made it worse, as the relatively peaceful Ama Keng Village was one of the sites where the Indonesian saboteurs hid their guns, hand grenades and TNT explosives. Fortunately raids and arrests were carried out successfully by the Special Branch after tip-offs.
Construction of Public Amenities
As the population size grew, more public amenities were needed. One of the facilities built in the vicinity was the Ama Keng Police Station, constructed in the fifties to provide assistance and security to the residents. Located a short distance from the junction of Lim Chu Kang and Ama Keng Roads, the police station was housed in a single-storey concrete building with a signboard that states “Balai Polis Ama Keng” in Malay.
In September 1958, the rural police station was one of the chosen sites to be involved in the first Police week organised by the Singapore Police Force to improve the public-police relationship and cooperation. The police premises was opened for three evenings for the villagers to visit and understand its operation, facilities and equipment.
Ama Keng Police Station was eventually closed in July 1989 due to the impending resettlement which led to the decline in the number of residents seeking police assistance. With its closure, the remaining residents were advised to visit the Jurong or Choa Chu Kang Neighbourhood Police Posts (NPP) for urgent matters.
Located beside the police station was the Ama Keng Village Community Centre. It was opened in 1959 after three years of construction that cost $12,000, and proved to be popular among the villagers as a central meeting place for interactions, newspapers-reading and sports and games. Other amenities included the Maternity and Child Welfare Centre, opened in 1956, to provide dental services to the residents in the rural areas. It was later renamed as the Maternal and Child Health Centre before its operation was ceased in 1981.
In 1978, the Telephone Exchange fitted Ama Keng with 2,000 new lines for the telephone subscribers in the village. For the first time ever, the residents could dial to both local and international numbers. By the end of the seventies, Ama Keng had become a bustling neighbourhood with shophouses, kopitiam, provision stores and motor repair shops. Life was simple yet happy for the residents who lived in their kampong houses and farms that stretched more than a milestone along the present-day Old Lim Chu Kang Road.
New Ama Keng Road
It was a joyous time for the Ama Keng villagers in late 1969. Electricity supplies were provided to the kampong for the first time. A new tarmac road was also constructed for the convenience of the residents, who had to bear with the muddy tracks that were prone to floods during stormy weathers. To celebrate the achievement, dinners, dragon dances and variety shows were held at the community centre.
The newly paved Ama Keng Road used to link up Lim Chu Kang Road and Choa Chu Kang Road (present-day Old Choa Chu Kang Road) via a long and winding path known as Jalan Piring.
Today, the majority of Jalan Piring had been absorbed by Tengah Air Base and Lim Chu Kang Camp. A small part of it still exists off Old Choa Chu Kang Road today, although it is now restricted to public access.
In the early eighties, there was a lot of safety concerns because many drivers would use Ama Keng Road as a shortcut to Choa Chu Kang Road and Woodlands Road (via Jalan Pisang and Neo Tiew Road respectively). Lorries tend to speed above limits due to the absence of traffic police in the rural areas, posing a threat to the students and residents in the areas.
Before the expansion of Tengah Air Base, a network of tracks existed in Ama Keng. They were, interestingly, given names in ayam (chicken in Malay), possibly due to the abundance of chicken farms in the vicinity. Some of the small roads such as Lorong Ayam Hutan and Lorong Ayam Katek still exist today, but the access is now cordoned off by a military gate.
Others like Lorong Ayam Belaga, Lorong Ayam Beroga, Lorong Ayam Bogel, Lorong Ayam Borek, Lorong Ayam Dara, Lorong Ayam Denak, Lorong Ayam Jalak, Lorong Ayam Jantan and Lorong Ayam Selaseh had all vanished in history.
A Lorong Ayam Betina also once existed nearby. It was paved in 1980 by 800 volunteers made up of national servicemen, students and citizens’ committee members, using tools and machinery provided by the Public Works Department. Upon its completion, the metalled road was able to serve 200 residents living in the area. Such gotong royong (mutual aid) projects were common in Singapore during the seventies and eighties.
Live Firing Area Dangers
Due to Ama Keng’s location near the designated live firing area, there had been a couple of accidents occurring in the seventies and eighties. Some of the villagers earned a side income by picking up the shells and sell them to the rag and bone dealers for their copper value. One Ama Keng Village resident was killed in 1980 when an anti-tank shell exploded in his house after he collected a basket full of spent and unspent cartridges. The fatal accident prompted the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) to step up their security in preventing villagers from entering the live firing area to collect the shells.
Earlier in 1971, a 10-year-old boy was shot dead near the village. The boy, along with other children, had apparently followed the army troops in an obstacle training exercise. One of the soldiers lost his grip and fell. His rifle, loaded with blanks, went off and hit the boy in close range. It was a sad moment, as the mother was only 30 yards away selling soft drinks when her son was killed.
Ama Keng Chinese Temple
The historic Ama Keng Chinese Temple was one of the earliest landmarks at Ama Keng. It was first built in the form of a simple wooden structure in 1900 by Lim Yek Soon* (林玉顺), Lim Chee Meng* (林子明) and Eng Seet Chuan* (翁翼泉), and had its deity statue of Ma Zhu extravagantly “invited” from Yuen Hai Ching Temple (粤海清庙), the oldest Taoist temple in Singapore located at Phillip Street. The kampong temple was destroyed when the Japanese invaders landed in Singapore in early 1942. Surprisingly, the Japanese were respectful of the deity and later ordered the temple to be rebuilt in 1943.
With increasing number of devotees visiting the temple, the temple committee decided to expand its premises in 1965. When Jurong and Tuas underwent industrial development in the late sixties, population in the western part of Singapore surged and more people visited and prayed at the temple. The following decade was arguably the golden period in the history of Ama Keng Temple. At the peak of its popularity, the temple organised grand religious ceremonies, filled with wayang performances and extravagant dinners, several times each year.
The better days of Ama Keng Temple ultimately came to an end by the late eighties, when the government decided to acquire the lands for military purposes. The temple committee, residents and devotees tried to petition the acquisition without success, and its building was subsequently demolished.
(* the names were loosely translated into dialects due to lack of records)
Ama Keng Clinic
Operated in a small rundown shophouse, the Ama Keng Clinic had been an indispensable healthcare provider for the villagers for almost twenty years. It was opened in 1971 by Dr Tan Cheng Bock who decided to become a doctor at the countryside after his graduation, a noble move that surprised many.
Many poor villagers could not afford their medical fees, let alone travelled to the nearest hospital which was at least 28km away from Ama Keng Village. Dr Tan Cheng Bock generously accepted their eggs, vegetable and chickens in exchange for the consultation and medicine. He also waived the fees for those who could not pay. Over time, a special bonding between Dr Tan Cheng Bock and the villagers was developed. Even till today, the highly respected doctor still keeps in contact with his former patients from Ama Keng.
Like others, Ama Keng Clinic was affected by the resettlement plans of Ama Keng in the late eighties. Dr Tan Cheng Bock shifted his medical practice, which had retained the name “Ama Keng Clinic”, three times before settled down at Jurong West. It was eventually closed in late 2012, after a long significant 41-years of history.
Ama Keng School
Founded in 1951 as part of the colonial government’s Ten Year Plan, Ama Keng School 亚妈宫学校 first started with only 53 students having their classes in three simple single-storey buildings of 14 classrooms. There was also a double-storey block that served as the teachers’ quarters.
In 1959, the Ministry of Education approved the construction of tuck shops at several rural schools for the benefits of the students. Ama Keng School, along with other schools at Jurong, Clementi, Boon Lay and Teluk Jaku, was given the priority.
Over the years, the enrolment at the school increased rapidly. By the late sixties, the school premises was unable to cope with the student size ballooned to almost a thousand. As a result, an extension wing was built. The four-storey building, completed at a cost of $300,000, was officially opened in 1971, followed by an addition of a hall-cum-canteen two years later. The enrolment of students for Ama Keng School peaked in 1982; the number reached 1,512 that year.
The school introduced Chinese-medium classes in the seventies but they did not last. By 1987, the Chinese-medium classes were phased out by the government’s decision to make English as the compulsory first language for all schools in Singapore. Under the new system, the mother tongue would be taught as the second language. Likewise for other races, the Tamil-medium schools in Singapore were phased out in 1982, and the Malay-medium ones saw their end by 1986.
Ama Keng School was closed with the resettlement of the Lim Chu Kang residents in the late eighties. In March 1990, it was merged with the former Nam San School 南山学校 to become the new South View Primary School located at Choa Chu Kang.
Today, the old school compound of Ama Keng School still stands unnoticed and undisturbed along Ama Keng Road, retaining its original sloping zinc roof and wooden windows. The premises has been utilised as a foreign worker dormitories since the early 2000s; its four-storey extension building was converted into a nursing home for several years but is now left vacated.
Decline and Demise of Ama Keng
Two factors had led to the decline and demise of Ama Keng and other villages at Lim Chu Kang. First, the planned expansion of Tengah Air Base and land acquisition was announced as early as 1983. The government followed up by also introducing agrotechnology program to Lim Chu Kang in 1986. It was a scheme to maximise output in limited space, but it also meant hundreds of small traditional farmlands would have to be sacrificed as they were converted into modern agrotechnological parks.
In the resettlement plans, the existing farmers were given options to relocate their operations to Mandai, while other residents were encouraged to move into the new HDB flats.
There were still close to 660 small parcels of vegetable farms at Ama Keng and Lim Chu Kang by the late eighties, providing as much as 17,000 tonnes of lettuce, Chinese cabbage and chye-sim (Chinese spinach) to Singaporeans. Some of the farms had already been around for sixty years. The pig farms, on the other hand, were already phased out.
In 1988, approximately 550 chicken farms at Ama Keng were still in operation, producing almost three million eggs everyday to be sold to both local and Malaysian markets. The number would dwindle rapidly in the next couple of years. Today, there are only four chicken farms in Singapore, all of which are located within the Lim Chu Kang vicinity. The Chew’s Agriculture of Murai Farmway, first started as a breeder farm in 1975, is one of the more prominent ones that stands along Lim Chu Kang Road.
By the early nineties, most amenities at Ama Keng were gone. The temple was demolished, and the police station had shut down. The Ama Keng Market, a simple zinc-roofed single-storey building, was left empty after the stallholders had shifted. There were, however, some 4,500 residents still persisted in staying at Lim Chu Kang, but by the the turn of the millennium, the last family finally moved out. Most former residents by then had already resettled at the new towns of Jurong East, Jurong West, Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Panjang.
Today, what is remaining of Ama Keng is a quiet and forgotten road. Many who drive past may not even notice its existence. Nothing much is left to remind us of the bustling village that once stood here. But to many former residents, this was once a familiar place made up of closely-knitted homes, childhood playmates and simple, peaceful and happy days. Hopefully the memories can be passed on to their next generations.
Published: 22 August 2013
Updated: 17 July 2016
Remember Singapore 
So sad. The photos bring back memories of this unique place. I love the ride-bys on my motorbike in the evenings just to soak the atmosphere of this place. I am glad I had been in it.
amazing stories. thank you.
Thank you for documenting the contribution of Dr Tan. Such heros have to be made known to the upbringers of our generation
I lived in thong Hoe village during the late 80s.my
Neighbor was an aquarium fish farmer n sold pets
Such as rabbits..we had well water then. When it rained,
The sound of raindrops pattering on the zinc roof is mesmerizing
Really enjoyed reading about Ama Keng. I can say that I was always around the area during my NS days and also during my reservist training. Indeed just looking at the photos brought tears to my eyes as I really missed the scenery and beauty of the village and the kindness and friendliness of the villagers towards the army boys whenever we were near their houses as I am sure many old soldiers would agree. The last time I took a drive around the LIm Chu Kang area was the visit to the Bollywood veggies and the nearby frog farm. Is there any way to see the spot where the village stood. I am planning to visit the area again on one of the coming weekend.
Well written. It has brought back much memories. I truly miss this place and the people living there, especially Ama Keng Primary School.
Another excellent article! Thank you for shedding light on one of the less mentioned areas in Singapore. I’ve come across the name Ama Keng before but never found out what it was until now. Interesting fact on Dr Tan as well. The background prior to that really puts a lot of colour on his decision to set up shop in that village. I wonder how much of that area can we still see these days…
Enjoyed the read. My memories of Lim Chu Kang are of my NS days in the early nighties, Bunked in Lim Chu Camp for 2 years. The early morning runs in the cemetries were fond memories.
Great story. I used to live in Singapore in the 80s but so much has changed in your country, I don’t even recognise it anymore.
What I don’t understand is, why did your government make everyone move out? What’s there now? So many livelihoods, memories gone for the sake of what? It’s so sad.
Urbanisation and development. Unfortuntately, Singapore is too small to have something remain the same for too long. I think the area now is mostly cemeteries, a couple of farms and military training sites. I remember doing route marches and other military training/exercises in the area.
The “翁翼泉” mentioned in this article might have been my great-grandfather. I vaguely remember my grandfather telling me stories about how his father contributed something to some temple thing in Ama Keng.
Brought back many fond memories reading this article. Stayed at Lim Chu Kang, 16 half milestone, just before Ama Keng . Our place was near the Primary Production Department entrance road, opposite was part of Tengah Airbase, Remember there was a public telephone booth there too. My 2 brothers went to the Chinese primary school near the Ama Keng temple, I think that was like a branch school, there was another one at Tong Hoe or Nam Hoe if I remember correctly. Some of my cousins went to Ama Keng School. Going to Bukit Panjang (Chap Ko) was like going to the “big city” for us.
Thank you so much for the article.
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The school was called Kay Wah School (Branch 1), which has since relocated to Woodlands and renamed Qihua Primary School. My siblings & I attended KW School in the 70s. Fond memories of Lim Chu Kang & Ama Keng. Did you attend KW School or Ama Keng School?
Thank you for the article! I was deeply moved. I lived a few doors away from Dr Tan Cheng Bock’s clinic at the timber merchant.Would you happen to have any news on this? I also went to a kindergarten opposite the clinic. it was slightly elevated and behind it was a hill we used to take walks in the evening – catch tadpoles… I miss Lim Chu Kang and Ama Keng so much.
My aunts and uncles attended Ama Keng school.
Thank you so much for the wonderful write-up. I missed Ama Keng very much and all the people that lived with and around me. Now we are scattered everywhere in HDB housing. I loved those times that I spent in Ama Keng School. All my siblings were brought up from there. Life back then was full of activities ; catching fishes in the pond, climbing rambutan trees, feeding the chickens and ducks, planting vegetables and cycling to everywhere, and even grow beautiful flowers in our small backyard! My neighbor had a few dogs and 2 of them were very fierce. Each time we pass by there, we need to carry a stick with us, or if we were cycling, we need to cycle hard and lift up our legs till we pass them then cycle again. It was so challenging!
Thank you for reporting this incident . In fact , I do personally known a few relocated residents from Ama Keng , and their surname begin with Neo ……
During my NS in ’93 and in later reservist years in ’98, I recall the village hawker centre was still open and we can tabao some food in between exercises.
Thanks for sharing this! My grandfather was a teacher at the school and I’m going to show this to him later!
I asked my “ama” (grandma actually, lol) about Ama keng and she still remembers it vividly
It was a really bustling place that she had no idea it completely dissapeared, she thought it was still around. One of my uncles had a big business there, he has absolutely no idea it all but dissapeared into the thin air. Have to dig more for more info though
Excellent article. Like many, it brought back great memories. My father used to drive us to that area to visit his friends. My sister used to teach at Ama Keng so I remember the long drives there. My NS exercises brought me to names now no longer on the topo maps – Thong Hoe village was one of the checkpoints for topo exercises. My ex-girlfriend lived in Lorong Ayam Bogel so there were long bus rides there late at night (scary to be waiting for the service 172 to take me out of that area). For me, Ama Keng is stuffed full with all kinds of memories. Thanks for the trip back in time!
I remember there was another school near the temple. The name is Qi Hua primary school. I attend the school. I like the kampong very much and i really miss the place.
Fellow alumni here, attended Kay Wah School (Branch 1) from 1980-1986. Missed Ama Keng & Lim Chu Kang loads.
Hi, this article on Ama keng is refreshing. My name is BeeChew, studied in Ama Keng Pri Sch from 1963 to 1968. Hope to meet up and catch up with friends and classmates.
Hi Bee Chew,
My name is Walter Jayandran Muthu and I was a teacher there from 1965 to 1967. The Pricipal was Mr Holt, and Snr Teacher was Mr Lee Thian Sung. Some other teachers include Mr P.Naidu, Mr Kalimuthu, Mr Woon Lin Siah, Mr Fung Lan Kay, and Mr Hardial Singh. I used to stay at the Teachers’ Quarters up on the hill.
If you would like to discuss old Ama Keng stories, please do get in touch with meat my FaceBook page under Walter Jayandran. My email address is wjayandran@gmail.com. Thank you.
Dear friends, Thank you very much for putting up great article got back beautiful memories. i (YaoLong) studied in Ama Keng Pri Sch from 1977-1984. i likes to meet up some old classmates too. 97637337
A warm article.Brings back nostalgia of old Singapore and her memories. Had heard about Ama Keng for older cab drivers. Got to learn about kindness of Dr Tan Cheng Bock. We need more of such doctors in fast paced, changing Singapore
I have such fond and sweet and longing memories of Ama Keng. I studied in Ama Keng School from 1963 to 1966. Reading this article brought back floods of memories from walking on gravel roads to going to Chinese wayangs and chicken farms and planting fruit trees , vegetables , plitter platter of rain on zinc roofs , fire crackers noises on CNY eve , the common public tap etc etc. My zinc and wooden house was situated on high ground Lorong Ayam Borek which was behind the Police Station. Life was simple and happy with no worries. I took a bus ride back to Ama Keng in 2000 and found that my house was gone and the whole area fenced up. It is sad indeed but however the sweet fond memories of Ama Keng lives on.
Hi, you were there for 4 years, what class were you in ? Do you still some of your mates then ? I was staying at the junction of CCK Rd and Jln Bahar then.
It was amid the vast, rolling hills of Lim Chu Kang Cemetary that we army recruits used to train in the early 70’s, before the use of such areas was disallowed. This was the Singapore of farms, old schoolhouses, chicken coops, pigsties and murky ponds. Thank you for bring back the memory.
Ama Keng used to have 4 sauce manufacturing factories, and Chuen Cheong was one of them.
Chuen Cheong, one of the oldest soya sauce brands in Singapore, was founded in the 1930s by Chia Hou. In 1971, it moved its manufacturing factory from Geylang Road to Lorong Ayam Beroga, off Lim Chu Kang.
Its factory was relocated again, this time to Defu Lane, in 1980.
(Source: Facebook Group “十里之外”)
I remember back then, the sauce delivery man would come to our house. My mother would order about half dozen each time. The taste of these sauce in those days were so much better. Just the black sauce and plain porridge would taste so good….
Ama Keng Village in 1980s.. The road sign was Jalan Puyoh
(Source: Facebook Group “十里之外”)
Thanks for the article. This picture brings back so much memories. There is a bus stop under the tree for going down town. Bus number 172,177 and 206. Ama keng clinic is on the left hand side of the picture. Really missed this place.
I remembered it was 172 (Lim Chu Kang – Prince Edward), 179 (Lim Chu Kang – Beauty World), 206 (Lim Chu Kang – Boon Lay). My 19 months (1979 – 1981) NS was spent there with 38SCE.
when my ns time(91-92) use to have a small camp at end lim chu kang road near to the police coast guard ..always pass by the hawker center and have dinner there,,,now my son is at the 38sce when drive him back to camp really bring back lots of Memories.
（use to collect fresh ration at 38cse ha)
Who is you granfather name. I’ the ex student of ama keng school
When Ama Keng Police Station closed in 1989…..
Rustic Ama Keng Police Post to Close after 35 Year
28 June 1989
The Straits Times
Stepping into the Ama Keng police post is like taking a step back in time, when the theft of bicycles, chickens and pigs was the order of the day.
The 35-year-old post with its 33 units of family quarters in rustic Lim Chu Kang will close on Saturday and be handed over to the Land Office.
The impending closure recognises that times have changed – a recent police study showed that the number of reports made at the post had been “negligible”. This has been partly due to the crime-free nature of the area and partly due to the fact that many people, especially younger folk, have moved to new housing estates.
For some police officers, recalling their earlier stints at one of Singapore’s antique police posts was like leafing through the pages of an old history book. The setting and the duties then were so different, a far cry from the current state-of-the-art policing, or the hub of activity seen in modern generation neighbourhood police posts.
“Most of the cases we had then were thefts of bicycles, chickens and pigs,” recounted Station Inspector M. Kanniah, 49, now serving at Jurong Police Station. Apart from the normal duty of keeping the peace, “police officers also went around the kampong selling dog licenses issued by the Primary Production Department”.
Because telephones were rare, the officers used bicycles to convey news of accidents or the conditions of patients in hospital. In those days, it was certainly not a high-tech operation. Sergeant Khamis Jais, 40, recalled with a laugh: “I had to climb the roof (of the police post) to sweep away the dead leaves.” But his stints there in the late 60s and mid-70s were “profitable”.
“The kampong people were friendly and sometimes offered us rambutans and durians. The police-public relationship was very brotherly,” he said.
A police spokesman told The Straits Times yesterday that following the closure of the post, residents can turn to the new computerised Chua Chu Kang Neighbourhood Police Post at Block 116, Teck Whye Lane, or refer to Jurong Police Station in Corporation Road. Most of the surrounding kampongs have given way to an army camp and the Tengah Air Base. The number of residents has dwindled to about 400 from a peak of 20,000.
Constable Tan Kim Wong, 34, the only officer there for the past three years, said that reports, if any, mainly concerned lost and found property, like identity cards and student bus passes.
“The crime rate here is very low,” said Constable Tan. The officers’ nostalgic recollection was, however, tinged with a sense of relief at the advent of modernisation.
Sergeant Osman Ali, 40, recalled the anxiety he felt when he returned to his quarters late one night to find his wife in labour.
“I waited at the main road for half an hour for a taxi but there was none,” said Sergeant Osman. “One of my colleagues had a car but he wasn’t in until much later. Finally at 3am, my wife was on the way to Kandang Kerbau Hospital.”
Die-head villagers, who still cherish the kampong setting and spirit, are unlikely to suffer any sleepless nights over the closure of the post.
“We are a carefree peaceful lot. There’s little crime here,” said Miss Zainab Umar, 22, a production operator.
http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19890628-1.2.26.1
What was left out is the fact that many NS men who served in the Sungei Gedong camps and Combat Engineers further up at Lim Chu Kang end. Would visit the market and shops by the roadside along Lim Chu Kang road. Originally the 3 tonners and other military vehicles would use the Lim Chu Kang link toward Kranji as a shortcut.
It could be a little scary driving though the farmlands early in the morning or late at night after reporting to camp or going home. The wildlife was incredible, as well. All types of squirrels, including flying ones were roamed freely. We once caught a extremely long python which measured at 19 feet, but reached up to 21.5 feet when stretched.
We even caught a very old monitor lizard that was so huge we initially thought it was a Komodo Dragon, because it’s head was bigger than two combat boots wide and longer that a size 12 . It’s skin was so rugged and weather beaten, we really thought it was probably the oldest monitor lizard ever. Luckily we let it go instead of eating it. Last, the ghost stories and local legends was something that we all respected.
All and all, I’m glad to have experience and seen much of your well written article. It truly is a historic village.
Such nostalgic memories . Thanks for sharing. 😊
Thanks for this post. Beautiful memories of Ama Keng & Lim Chu Kang. Was a resident of Lorong Ayam Dara in the 70s-80s. Had done everything described in the post and comments plus more: caught tadpoles, played hide & seek & all kampung games, attended Kay Wah School (Branch 1), chased by dogs, climbed rambutan trees, watched “Jaws” under the stars at CC, squeezed with 3 other kids on my uncle’s bike, lit firecrackers, burnt plastic bags to catch pigeons, got treated by Dr Tan Cheng Bock and even deprived of sleep thanks to the aircraft noise from Tengah Airbase hahahaha.
Nice reminiscing of our sweet pasts. So sad on my side, i was in AMK from 1963 to 1968 and up today, I have yet to get in touch with any one of my classmates nor school mates. Haven’t gave up to meet.
Hi Bee Chew. I was studying in Ama Keng Pri School for 2 years 1965 to 1966 ( primary 5&6). I remember there classmates named Ang Ah Moi , Lim Siew Joon ( polio girl) and Habibah . Can’t remember the others. Just wondering whether we were in the same class. I think I would love to visit Ama Keng end of this Oct before Govt expunge Ama Keng Road on 1st Nov 2019. LengVC .
Ama Keng Road will be expunged on 1 November 2019.
Farewell Ama Keng Road….
How do you know? Also, what will it be turned into? I am so glad I visited it a month ago, but unfortunately there was a gate halfway through. It was a beautiful and serene road. RIP
as of 2021, Ama Keng Road is still around but has been closed to vehicular access since late 2019… but one can still walk in
Guess the development project was delayed due to the covid years
Late 60s I used to cycle there often when 14 yrs old , very fond memories and nostalgic friends and school mate from Whitely Sec Sch stayed at Ama Keng, I still used to drive there even up till today
ama keng. forever in memories
i was in AMK from 1966 to 1968 and moved to Boon Lay School after that