Photo exhibition chronicles Singapore's defining moments

SINGAPORE - The hijacked Singapore Airlines Flight SQ117 was shrouded in darkness.

The sun had yet to rise and the authorities had darkened the lights in its vicinity.

Armed with a powerful lens and high-speed film camera, Straits Times photographer Francis Ong waited on elevated ground near Changi Airport, where hijackers claiming to be from the Pakistan People's Party had directed the plane to land hours earlier.

Mr Ong was the only photographer on the scene to get a clear shot of the jet in which 129 passengers and crew were being held hostage.

The grainy black and white picture was picked up by wire agencies and splashed across newspapers around the world the same day.

It conveyed an atmosphere pregnant with anticipation. Shortly after it was taken on March 26, 1991, Singapore Armed Forces Commandos stormed the plane, shooting dead all four hijackers within 30 seconds.

"As photographers, we prepared for events like these," said Mr Ong, 67, who retired five years ago.

"We knew where the best vantage points were."

His iconic shot is one of more than 400 photographs from The Straits Times archives and the National Museum of Singapore's collection that will go on display on April 27, in a new exhibition called We: Defining Stories.

The free, four-month-long event chronicles the defining moments in Singapore's history from 1950 to last year.

The photos have been divided into six sections; Merdeka - the Malay word for freedom - Home, Challenges, Heroes, So Singaporean and Our Stories.

Like Mr Ong, veteran photographer Aziz Hussin, 61, has many stories to tell. Some of his photos feature in the section Challenges. Mr Aziz has been with the paper since 1980, boarding boats and planes to bring readers shots of major news events.

When SilkAir Flight MI185 crashed into Indonesia's Musi River in Palembang in 1997, Mr Aziz flew into the disaster zone and took the first shot of a piece of the plane's fuselage as it was held aloft by a villager.

The next day, Mr Aziz and the paper's Indonesia bureau chief Derwin Pereira travelled to the mouth of the Musi River.

There, Mr Aziz snapped photos of the hundred or so passports - belonging to the flight's 104 victims - that villagers had picked up.

In a 2003 shot that features in the same gallery, Mr Aziz captured the efforts of rescue teams after Singapore navy ship RSS Courageous collided with a merchant ship in the eastern Singapore Strait.

Battling motion sickness, he chartered boats out to sea over the course of three days.

"By the second and third day, The Straits Times was the only member of the media there," said the current executive photographer.

"I spent long hours on the boat, and the strong winds and waves made it a very challenging assignment."

More light-hearted moments at the exhibition include a shot in the Home section which features Singaporeans in a sea of red raincoats, beaming through the rain at the 2008 National Day Parade.

Talking about her front-page shot, deputy photo editor Wang Hui Fen, 42, said: "It was nice to see that the rain did not dampen the crowd's mood... in fact, I could sense the strong spirit of patriotism."

Ms Wang also photographed the 2011 Workers' Party rally in Hougang Central.

To capture the sheer number of people there - estimated to be about 15,000 - she headed to a nearby block of flats for a vantage point 10 storeys above ground.

Ms Wang said: "The stairwells and corridors were crammed with people so I knocked on doors, hoping residents would let me use their balcony for a clear shot of the field. They were friendly and let me in."

Other Straits Times shots at the exhibition have sparked heated debates.

Last year, 30-year-old photographer Neo Xiaobin snapped a young man at a protest holding a sign reading "Singapore for Singaporeans".

The image, and similar shots taken by members of the public, ended up being circulated online.

The man - interior designer Daryl Tan, then 22 - later said his sign stood for putting Singaporeans first but was not meant to be nationalistic or xenophobic.

Straits Times photo editor Stephanie Yeow, 43, said: "Many people remember historical moments through a single image.

"The pictures at the exhibition will evoke memories of Singapore's past, and it will be a good opportunity for visitors from the older generation to share their stories with the young."

Reporters and photographers will share stories of their experiences in monthly talks at the exhibition, dates for which will be released soon.

melodyz@sph.com.sg

This article was published on April 19 in The Straits Times.

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