The Haunted Beaches of Singapore.

Changi Beach on the east coast is an idyllic stretch of pure white soft sand, shaded by trees and lapped by the deep blue waters of the ocean. It is a perfect holiday destination or weekend hideaway for city workers-hardly the type of location where one would expect a disturbing paranormal experience.

A row of huts for rent line the shore. Many families who have stayed in them have had a far from restful time. Most have left with an unshakeable feeling of having been watched by unseen eyes for the duration of their stay. They are the lucky ones. In many huts, people have reported spending sleepless nights listening to the constant opening and closing of the door, despite all their efforts to secure it. A few unlucky visitors have been awoken with a start by the disembodied sound of a woman-crying close by. Others report being slapped in the face by a spectral hand, both in the hut and while bathing. And in very cases, people have seen a fleeting image of a wraith-like woman.

Punggol Beach, further along the coastline, was the site of the execution of nearly four hundred Chinese residents in 1948. People living close to the beach regularly hear cries for help and the sound of gunfire; sometimes the sound is so clear that one or two of them have run to help. Of course they usually find the same thing: an empty beach. On one chilling occasion, a woman witnessed the spectral image of a World War II execution taking place in front of her. As it disappeared, she found a fresh bloodstain in the place she had seen the body fall.

The fishermen and anglers who spend their lives beside the ocean in Singapore have their own theories about the disturbances at the beaches. They feel that a growing disrespect for the ocean and the shoreline are angering these spirits. The authorities have plans to develop Punggol Beach; one fisherman questioned the wisdom of the development, saying simply, “We sure got trouble.”