Singai Nesan

Singai Nesan (Tamil: சிங்கை நேசன், English: Singapore Friend, also transliterated as Cinkai Necan) was a Tamil language weekly newspaper published from Singapore from 1887 to 1890.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]} The newspaper also carried material in English and Malay.^[1] It is the oldest Tamil newspaper in Singapore of which a substantial number of issues has been saved in archives.^[2] The issues of Singai Nesan contains historical material on the religious life of Hindu and Muslim communities of Singapore.^[7] S.K. Makadoom Saiboo was the editor of Singai Nesan.^[8][9]

Singai Nesan

Cover of first issue of Singai Nesan, 27 June 1887
Type	Weekly
Editor	S.K. Makadoom Saiboo
Founded	27 June 1887 (1887-06-27)
Language	Tamil language
Ceased publication	1890
Headquarters	Singapore

The first issue of the newspaper was published on 27 June 1887, in commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria.^[1][9][10] The inaugural issue carried editorial articles in Tamil and English in honour of the Queen.^[9] The issue also carried a small editorial in Tamil in tribute to the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II.^[1]

Singai Nesan had the majority of its subscribers in Singapore, but subscribers were also found in Batu Pahat, Klang, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Siam, Porto-Novo, Sibolga, Padang, Medan, Langkat, Saigon and Melaka.^[2] The majority of subscribers were Muslims, but the readership also included Hindus and Christians.^[11] It was published by Denodaya Press, which printed both Malay and Tamil literature.^[1][2]

Large chunks of the material printed in Singai Nesan were borrowed from the English-language press and the Reuters agency.^[1] Whilst it provided the Colombo-based newspapers Muslim Nesan and Sarvajana Nesan with article material from South-East Asia, the newspaper copied material from them on Middle Eastern affairs.^[12]