In a rare incident, Singapore’s longstanding icon, the original Merlion statue at the mouth of the Singapore River has been struck by lightning.

Channel NewsAsia


HELP keep the voice of TOC alive!

If you like this article, please consider a small donation to help theonlinecitizen.com stay alive. Please note that we can only accept donations from Singaporeans. Thank you for your assistance.

Do you have a flair for writing? Volunteer with us. Email us your full name and contact details to theonlinecitizen@gmail.com

31 Responses to “Bad omen?”

  1. Xiao Bai Long 1 March 2009

    that merlion is where many tourists go there to take pictures .
    i hope the relevant authorities act immediately to prevent tourists get struck by lightning.

    its a SIGN…..

    a sign that its time ……

    to repair the merlion.

  2. Do not read too much into it 1 March 2009

    If it is bad omen, then everywhere there is lightning there will be bad omen.

    It was lucky that no human was struck and a lucky contractor will get a job, albeit a very small one.

    Compare this lightning striking the Merlion with those old folks collecting recycleable items in the rain and under the lightnings, the sights of those folks going about their businesses are far worse signs.

  3. LemonTree 1 March 2009

    ….what to do, it’s happened.

  4. LemonTree 1 March 2009

    Time to erect new icon for Singapore Inc?

  5. Well well…coincidence…merlion got struck by lightning during a period the A team is been tested

  6. eidetical 1 March 2009

    for all we know, it might be a good omen for the MIW? after all, the lightning bolt is part of the ruling party’s logo…

  7. tiredsingaporean 1 March 2009

    I do feel its a bad omen too, call it superstitious or what not, under who’s instruction was the merlion being built there? even heaven gets irritated by the way things are happening here in Singapore while the people suffers. Make lui gong chin tu lan liao!

  8. “for all we know, it might be a good omen for the MIW? after all, the lightning bolt is part of the ruling party’s logo…”

    hahahhahahaa

  9. pugdragon 1 March 2009

    I like tiredsingaporean’s theory of the thunder god being dulan with how things are in singapore.

    Quote from channelnewsasia “Other onlookers continued to take photos of the 36-year-old tourism icon”

    Eh, merlion’s supposed to be a tourism icon? I thought it’s supposed to be a national symbol, like the dragon is to Wales, the lion to England & the American bald eagle to USA? Gee, that line in gov-linked news media just further establishes singapore as singapore inc.

  10. no time for peace, only eternal war 1 March 2009

    That’s cool. Should strike the other on sentosa.

  11. darkdays 1 March 2009

    7) tiredsingaporean on March 1st, 2009 1.58 am

    Agree it is a bad omen. Bad luck or whatever but all good things wiil not last forever.

  12. need2change 1 March 2009

    I thought we have been taught that thunder strikes baddies or people who have done a lot of bad to others. common sense since young wat.

    of all the places, thunder strikes the merlion and plunges two holes in it?

    hmmm……..

  13. Peter Lim 1 March 2009

    It is a fault in the structure design for not having a lighting antenna. How can the minister i/c get more than a million salary, without taking the responsibility this time, minister i/c should resign!!!!!

  14. Mickalee 1 March 2009

    Merlion hit by lightning …. bad omen?…. wrong target lah …. hit those who want to sent our old citizen to other countries nursing home

  15. woodpecker 1 March 2009

    Quote from ST :” The national icon at One Fullerton facing the Singapore River … is believed to have its right ear chipped.”

    It’s heaven’s dramatic way of reminding S’poreans that the white edifice is now deaf.

  16. woshiempire 1 March 2009

    maybe we can look at a good way?

    the merlion is not ”badly” hurt,only right ear chipped off. not a big hole in the head.

    merlion symbol singapore, and it surive lighting(natural att). does means sg wll survive the crisis wth lttle damg?

  17. chee koh liong 1 March 2009

    a SNAP strike by a lightning on the rod.

  18. tiredsingaporean 1 March 2009

    This time kenna only the right ear served just as a warning to those who prey on the poor and suffering. Next time, lui gong kee siao liao, then . . . . . . leave it to your imagination lo . . . . .

  19. A LOSS is a LOSS ....this is why banks are in trouble.... 1 March 2009

    Hi , my name is Audeeta Generer.

    i would be more careful when going near this merlion.

  20. When you watch channel 8 or U or Hong Kong movies, there is always this scene “If I tell a lie, I will be struck by lightning”. I am wondering who is telling a lie. Who does the Merlion represent?

  21. Ancient Beliefs 1 March 2009

    Article extracted from the Internet -

    “Lightning is a sign from God. ”

    “Ancient Romans saw Jove’s thunderbolts as a sign of condemnation and denied burial rites to those killed by lightning. Andeans hold similar beliefs and may ostracize the victim. In some cultures, medicines are made from stones that are believed to be a result of lightning strike. Roman, Hindu, and Mayan cultures all have myths that mushrooms arise from spots where lightning has hit the ground.(5) ”

    “In the poly-ethnic United States, belief in “fate” or “God’s will” may affect how family, friends, or coworkers relate to the victim or how the victim feels about himself and his recovery. Some patients may have already consulted a healer before finally seeking the advice of a physician and in rare instances it may be difficult to treat a patient unless the help of a shaman or priest is employed to address the religious issues while the physician addresses the physical ones. ”

    Definitely Not a Good Sign if one were to explain the lightning strike from a spiritual point of view.

  22. It is sign that wickedness is rampant. Injustice is widespread. The people are suffering from them. The aggrieved minibond investors have been the victims of unfairness and injustice. The authority has not been doing the right thing. The lightning is a sign retribution is coming to those who cheated the people.
    Beware, RMs , FIs and insurance agents, it is pay back time. Whatever you have fleeced and cheated from the poor, the man in the street, the old folks, the AH SOHs and Ah PeKs, it paying back in interest or paying back with your life. You will not walk safely. You can be struck anytime and anywhere. The Merlion is just a sign.

  23. Mer-tiger 1 March 2009

    I am laughing, haha I am mertiger. This is definitely retribution, punishment and bad omen.
    My mother told me this when I was very young and I have not forgotten she said, if I were naughty, disobedient, the lightning/thunder god will strike.
    I wonder why my mother didnt tell me what happen to a nation if she is also naughty, bad and disobedient.

  24. Brutus 1 March 2009

    Beware the Ides of March !!!

  25. “the merlion is not ”badly” hurt,only right ear chipped off. not a big hole in the head.

    merlion symbol singapore, and it survive lighting(natural att). does means sg wll survive the crisis wth lttle damg?”

    Nice…if a lightning just hit you on your right ear, do you think you will survive? i doubt so, 40 kiloamperes transferring into your body through the right ear will still fry anyone, but of cos that’s a human context…

    even if it is a object, what you see out there is only superficial…just the surface, but what the lightning does into the inside and over long term since heat more or less degrade the structure…

  26. Why so like that ? 1 March 2009

    With or without lightning, it is alredi veri bad here in SIN.

    If it is bad omen for SIN, the filthy rich will just move to elsewhere at the veri first apparition of calamities. Only the weak, poor and old will be left behind to suffer.

    Please tell, is the bad omen only meant for the poor, weak and old ?

  27. Too bad if you belong to the poor, weak and old. You will be stuck in SIN. Those who work for the right party would have enriched themselves to enable them to move elsewhere. You need $100,000 cash just to apply for a PR in Aus provided you are not too old.

    When the reserves are depleted and before you realise it, the fat cats would have gone. Not now, maybe by the third generation.

  28. Sg will survive the crisis and so is our Merlion, of course with just a little damage.
    Gosh, I wish there isn’t a need to change the MerlionAuction.com logo…. haha!

  29. Ludicrous 3 March 2009

    People are funny, an incidental lightning strike gave rise to so much conjuration. Bad omen ! How bad can the omen be ?

    If bird flu suddenly strike 50% of the population or half of Singapore went below the sea suddenly, these will be real bad omens. Why read so much into the incident ? The leaders of this country must have laughed at their naive, imaginative and superstitious citizens all the way to their beds and had good sound sleeps.

  30. Come on 29)Ludicrous,
    I’m sure all these comments are in jest. Perleasee, dont tell me people cant have a laugh at this insignificant incident. After all I think its not the ear that’s been strike off, its the part of the mane thats sticking out like a “jambul” like elvis presley hairdo. :0

  31. Sorry its the top left mane and the right ear.