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Kampong Glam: From diamond central to scholars’ hub
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Kampong Glam was home to one of the earliest communities in Singapore involved in diamond trading.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
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SINGAPORE – At a ceremony on Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur to mark 58 years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Malaysia, President Halimah Yacob and the Malaysian king, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, planted a gelam tree (Melaleuca cajuputi).
The “pokok gelam” – from which Kampong Glam got its name – was chosen for its historical significance, as the area was not only the seat of Malay royalty, but also where the earliest Malay businesses grew in Singapore.
