,, GOVERNMENT PRESS STATEMENT H YF S. hP. 58/39.

MORE POSTAL FACILITIES FOR ISLJ\NDS

Singapore's received more postal facilities today with the opening of a Postal Agency at by the Minister for Communications and Works, the Hon. Mr. Francis Thomas. The new $1°0,000 building housing the Postal .-~gency is adjacent to new school-teachers' quarters also recently opened. Happiest man on the Island was 23-year-ol.::l Sin£. &pore-born Enche Ramali bin Osman, who is combined Postman, P c. strr.uster-in ... Charge a~d motor-boat driver. He took over duties at the rostal Agency immediately after the opening. Enche Ramali is no ordinary Postman. He hao no bicycle or motor-cycle to go on his rounds delivering mail. Instead he has been provided with a red-painted motor sampan and his postal beat covers six Islands - other than Semakau ••.•• Kechil, Pula~ Bukom, Pulau Sakeng, ,. and . If the is too rough, the weather approaching storm dimensions, then Postman Ramali doos not deliver the mail that day. All letters will be delivered the following day -- weather conditions permitting. Postman Ramali has to sell stamps, sort letters, then make a daily trip in his motor sampan to Pulau Bukom to receive and despatch mail incoming and outgoing from Singapore. Back at Fulau Semakau he then has to begin his two-hour trip by sea delivering· the mail to the six nearby Islands. Postman Ramali then turns motor-boat driver and visits all the Islands in his motor sampan. Ho. is permanently stationed on Pulau Semakau which is in Singapore Postal District 1. Other nearby Islands and their Postal Districts are: - S'pore 2; Pulau Blakang Mati - 2; Tanjong Kling - 22; St. John's Island - 1; - 17; - 17; Pulau Bukom - 1. Mr. Thomas said in an opening speech, "In keeping with the Government's policy to improve services in the form of schools, clinics and post offices to the rural population of Sing c:i.1jo Pe, the Postal Services Department c~1ducted a postal survey of all the Islands lying South-West of Singapore in 1956. "The survey indicated that whilst on the larger islands of Pulau Bukom, Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin, St. John's Islanc\ an6 Pulau Brani, postal agencies, stamp vendors and posting boxes hz.d been established, two groups of Islands lying South-West of Singa:9ore were not pro.vi ded with any postal facilities. "The first group of islands is formed by Pulau Semulun, Pulau Damar Laut, Pulau Pesek 9 Pulau Merlimau, Pulau Seraya, Pulau Ayer Merbau, Pulau Ayer Chawan, Pulau Sakra, Pulau Batu, Pulau Bakau in Postal District 22, and the second group of islana_s is formed by Pulau Sebarok, Pulau Sakeng, , , Pulau Ular, Fulau Semakau, Pulau Sudong, Pulau Pawai and Pulau Senang in Postal District 1. ·

"In early •••• 2/- - 2 -

"In early 1957 a Postal Agency was es.tablished at Tanjong Kling, the Postman there being responsible for daily delivery and collection of mail by means of a motor-sampan t o the first group of Islands. "The establishment of the official Postal Agency at Pulau Semakau today to serve the second group of isla. n c:s completed the Department's plan to provide postal services t o a ll the inhabited islands of Singapore.

"Mail for the inhabitants of the second g r onp of Islands will be despatched daily from the G.P.O. and forwarde d to Pulau Bukom Postal Agency by the Shell Company launch. From there the mail will be collected by the Postman attached to the Pulau Semakau Postal Agency and he will deliver and collect all mail to. and from the islands by motor-sampan. Mail collected from the Islands will then be despatchect to the G.P.O. daily from Pulau Bukom.

"The population of the two groups of Islands is approximately 11 , 000 o II

At today's ceremony on Pulau Semakau the following were present: Mr. H.J.C. Kulasingha, Chairman, Rural District Committee & Senior Member of theRural Board; Mr. H.M. Rose, Director of Posts, Singapore, and Mrs. Rose; Mr. D.I. Goodwin, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communications & Works; Mr. R.F. Knott, P.W.D.; Mr. K.R. Chandra, Acting Principal Collector of Land Revenue; Mr. D. Olunies- Ross, Controller of Posts; Messrs. Chan Chong Leng and A.L. Selvarajoo, Assistant Controllers of Posts; Enche Jalil bin Karim, Ketua of the Island.

APRIL 14, 1 958. (Time issued 1430 hours)