A decision to invade Singapore was made only due to this reason. During those times, the British were competing with the Dutch in their trade affairs and Sir Stamford Raffles a clerk in British East India Company was appointed to establish a trading station in Southeastern part of Asia. 1819 - After surveying other nearby islands in 1819, Sir Stamford Raffles and the rest of the British East India Company landed on Singapore, as it was the ideal destination for establishing a port. 1826 - Eventually Singapore became one of the most important commercial and military centers of the British Empire. In 1826 Singapore was joined with Melaka and Penang to form the Straits Settlements under the control of British India. During 1824, the British procured the complete rights to rule the island. 1832 - Singapore became the center of government of the three areas. It attracts immigrants like Europeans, Malays, Chinese, Indians and Arabs which came to live and work there. 1867 - In 1867 Singapore became a Crown Colony ruled directly by the British government rather than the East India Company. 1942 - Then in January 1942 the Japanese conquered Malaysia. On 15 February 1942 Singapore was forced to surrender. The British failed to protect Singapore from Japanese occupation during World War II, they lost their credibility with Singaporeans. The Japanese called Singapore Yonan, which means Light of the South but their rule was tyrannical. Thousands of Chinese Singaporeans were executed. 1945 - However Japan surrendered in August 1945 and on 5 September 1945 the British re-occupied Singapore. 1946- However after 1945 Singapore slowly moved towards independence. In 1946 the Strait Settlements were dissolved 1959 - During 1959, Britain gave Singapore a larger degree of self-authority. Then, Lee, who led the ‘People’s Action Party’ was enthroned as the PM of Singapore through elections. Colonisation During World War 2, Singapore was colonised by Britain and the British forces. At that time, our native languages were Malay, Tamil, and Mandarin but all these changed upon the entry of the British Empire in Singapore. English began spreading in dense parts with most people, including kids, learning how to speak and write in the language. In the 1970s, all the children in Singapore would interact freely in the new language. Singapore has a universal language called Singlish, which came as a result of mixed words from different people of different races and cultures living in Singapore. Schools English was a mandatory language in most schools after the British demanded everyone to learn the language. Most teachers had learned the language earlier, so the acquisition of the language in schools was not a problem. Additionally, there were functional community centres where everyone, including the elderly, received their english conversations coursesAs the country progressed and the colonial period ended, the nation maintained English, and it became one of the official languages in Singapore. Children who were born after the language became popular in the country did not have a problem speaking like natives, but a big percentage of people still cannot speak fluently in the English language.
