Bomb hoax forces evacuation at Xinmin Secondary School

On Thursday, Aug 13, a bomb hoax caused an evacuation at Xinmin Secondary School in Hougang. Students and staff were briefly evacuated at around 8:30am following a potential bomb threat, according to a notification from the school to parents. The Singapore Police Force (SPF) received the alert around 8:20am. Police and school personnel thoroughly checked the premises and found no suspicious items. All students and staff were accounted for and safe, and regular lessons resumed afterwards.

Principal Mr Tan Soon Hui announced the evacuation via the school’s PA system, stating that the incident was caused by a bomb threat. A Secondary 4 student mentioned that the sudden announcement caught everyone off guard, including those still taking exams. Mr Cheng, whose child is a student, expressed shock at receiving the bomb threat notification and was deeply concerned about his child’s safety.

Another parent, Mr Cho, said he was surprised to hear the news about the bomb threat. He learned about the incident through the Parents Gateway app and WhatsApp group for parents.

Parents expressed support for the school’s response, praising its professionalism in maintaining calm and ensuring everyone’s safety. The police are investigating the incident as a case of communicating false information, which carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison, a fine of up to S$50,000, or both. The police emphasized that such security threats must be taken seriously. This marks the fourth bomb hoax at a Singapore school in the past four years, despite previous incidents being deemed false.