Tanjong Rhu (Chinese: 丹戎禺; Tamil: தஞ்சோங் ரூ; English: Rhu Point[a] and formerly Sandy Point), is a subzone within the planning area of Kallang, Singapore, as defined by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). The perimeter of Tanjong Rhu is made up of Nicoll Highway in the north; Mountbatten Road and Fort Road in the east; East Coast Parkway (ECP) in the south; as well as Marina Channel and Kallang Basin in the west.[1] Tanjong Rhu is the largest in terms of physical area among the nine subzones that make up Kallang.
Tanjong Rhu is also a residential neighbourhood, made up of mostly condominiums and private housing along Tanjong Rhu Road. A few blocks of public housing built by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) exist along Kampong Arang Road and Kampong Kayu Road. These residential estates are connected to the Singapore Sports Hub via Stadium Way, across the Geylang River.
Etymology
The name Tanjong Rhu appeared in Manuel Godinho de Erédia's 1604 map of Singapore spelt as Tanjon Rû, it means "casuarina cape" in Malay from the trees of Casuarina equisetifolia or almost similar C. littoria (ru or rhu) species that grew along the beach between Kallang and Rochor. It was known as sha tsui (沙咀) in Cantonese, which means "sand spit".[2]
Condominiums
Costa Rhu
Pebble Bay
Fort Gardens
Water Place
Sanctuary Green
Parkshore
Tanjong Ria
Camelot By The Water
Casuarina Cove
The Waterside
The Line @ Tanjong Rhu
Fulcrum
Crystal Rhu
La Ville
History
Tanjong Rhu has been associated with ship building and repairing from the early days. Captain William Flint, a harbour master, started a boat building and repair company here in 1822. Thomas Tivendale had his (Wilkinson, Tivendale and Company) shipyard here in the 1860s. The shipyard would be acquired by John I. Thornycroft & Company in 1926 and close in 1986 by successor Vosper Thornycroft Pte Singapore.
As late as the 1980s and the early 1990s, the Tanjong Rhu area was an industrial area with shipyards. The water surrounding Tanjong Rhu was polluted with industrial and domestic waste, creating an extremely unpleasant environment. A massive relocation exercise was then undertaken by the Singapore Government to transform Tanjong Rhu into a high-end residential area. Reclamation of land along the Tanjong Rhu coast began as early as 1992. Private developers then started the new luxury residential developments in Tanjong Rhu. Today, the shipyards have since been relocated elsewhere and condominiums have replaced them.
In September 1993, 12 men were arrested in an entrapment operation in Tanjong Rhu coined the "Fort Road Incident". They were charged with outrage of modesty. Six pleaded guilty. They were sentenced to three strokes of the cane each and imprisonment ranging from two to six months. The names, ages and occupations of all 12 men were published in all major Singaporean newspapers.[3] Those were the last reported cases of such police entrapment. A short 19 minute 2009 film, "The Casuarina Cove" by Boo Junfeng told the story of one of those men.
The high-end private residential developments at Tanjong Rhu form the backdrop for this panorama of the Kallang Basin area in the eastern part of Singapore.