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| ICA launches
gallery and heritage book |
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| The gallery occupies
283 square metres of the ground
floor of the ICA Building. |
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In celebration of
the first anniversary of the Immigration and Checkpoints
Authority (ICA), the Minister for Home Affairs, Mr Wong
Kan Seng, officiated at the opening of the ICA Gallery
and the launch of ICA’s Heritage Book — Guardians
of Our Homeland.
By providing a glimpse of ICA’s rich heritage, both
the gallery and heritage book aim to preserve the history
of the departments that had preceded ICA. They are also
ICA’s contribution to National Education as they
showcase the wonderful visual and written accounts of
ICA’s roots since our early years of nation-building.
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| Many interesting
items are on display. |
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ICA was formed in April 2003. Three government agencies
— Singapore Immigration, the National Registration
Department (which merged in 1998 to form Singapore Immigration
& Registration) and the checkpoint enforcement capabilities
of the Customs & Excise Department — are the
foundation of ICA.
The ICA Gallery, named Insight ICA, showcases the rich
history of the three departments and their roles in keeping
Singapore safe and secure.
Visitors to the gallery can expect to find out more about
these agencies and their significant events and milestones,
which can be traced back to the early 19th century when
modern Singapore was first founded. They will learn how
the development of ICA was interwoven with Singapore’s
nation-building.
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| Visitors will learn how the
development of ICA was interwoven with Singapore’s
nation-building. |
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The gallery occupies 283 square metres of the ground floor
of the ICA Building and consists of two main sections
— “Securing Our Future“ and “Reminiscing
Our Past”.
The “Securing Our Future” section offers an
overview of what ICA does every day to protect our nation’s
future. The focus is on border security, current and future
technologies, as well as the achievements and international
awards ICA has received to date.
The “Reminiscing Our Past” section takes visitors
down memory lane. There are displays of artefacts like
seized contraband goods and personal documents used over
the years, as well as a visual treat of old sights and
scenes, like posters of past ICA functions that were graced
by famous Hongkong stars. This section also features interesting
cases solved by officers.
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| A group of ICA officers have
been trained to guide visitors through the
gallery. |
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A group of ICA officers have been trained to guide visitors
through the gallery. Guided group tours will be conducted
for ICA and Home Team officers within the first few months
of the opening. ICA will work with schools, community
groups and other agencies to arrange for group tours in
the subsequent months. The gallery will be open to the
public in future.
Like the gallery, ICA’s heritage book aims to capture
the developments of the three departments from their early
years.
The 302-page book is divided into three chapters: Immigration,
Registration, and Customs and Cargo Clearance. It chronicles
the rich heritage of Singapore Immigration, the National
Registration Department and the Customs & Excise Department
respectively. The many anecdotes and photographs featured
will give readers an exclusive glimpse of the departments’
rich history.
The book pays tribute to ICA officers who have made and
will continue to make Singapore a safe and secure home.
The book is meant for ICA officers and is not available
for sale.
Said Mr Lock Wai Han, Commissioner of ICA, “The
composite departments that make up today’s ICA...
have played key roles in nation-building and their histories
date back to the early preindependence days. ICA is what
we would call a ‘young veteran’ — someone
full of youthful dynamism and drive, yet guided by the
wealth of wisdom and experience amassed from our predecessors
through the years.”
Indeed, there is much all of us in the Civil Service can
learn from the experiences of those who had come before
us, as we prepare ourselves for the challenges.
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| This book is
a tribute to ICA officers. |
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By ICA
Next: A memorable
Service Excellence Day |
