1965 Singaporean independence

On 9 August 1965 Singapore announced it had left the Federation of Malaysia and become an independent sovereign state. Explaining the separation at a news conference, the prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, was overcome with emotion.

Fifty years later in 2015, Catherine Davis spoke to Manjeet Kaur who was 15-years-old when Singapore became independent.

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(Photo: Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Minister of Singapore, announcing secession from the Federation of Malaysia. Credit: John Cantwell/AP Photo)