On 28 February 1942, some 400 Chinese Civilians, victims of the Sook Ching purge, were killed by the Japanese on this northeastern shore.
The Punggol Beach was one of the three main sites in Singapore where the Sook Ching Massacre took place. The killngs were done on a large-scale basis, as the Japanese sent many men who were suspected of being anti-Japanese to be shot dead and exterminated. The victims who perished were hastily discarded into the sea or left abandoned on the foreshore.
The remains of some victims were discovered by beachgoers and fishermen. in March 1977, a skull was brought to light when a man dug a hole in the sand around the area. In December 1997, a beachgoer found a gold tooth belonging to a victim's skull near the shore.
