The Invasion of the Swordfish
Long after the reign of Sang Nila Utama, the seas of Singapore were invaded by shoals of swordfishes .These large fishes multiplied rapidly and soon became a menace to the Maharaja. He was worried for the safety of the local population. The people of the island no longer dared to venture near the sea as each day there would always be someone killed by the swordfish. Talk spread among the people that this was an evil omen of the sign of things to come. The locals began to believe that the kingdom had somehow incurred the wrath of the gods and they were now being punished for it.
The talk soon reached the ears of the king, Paduka Seri, who was worried that he would somehow be blamed for these events. Fearful of the threat to his rule and the possibility of rebellion by his subjects, the king decided to rid the seas of the swordfishes.
On the appointed day, the King had his soldiers armed and ready on the beaches where the menace of the swordfish was greatest. The soldiers went into the waters and waited for the fish to come in with the tide. However, despite being well-armed, the King's men were no match for the swordfishes, which impaled themselves on the men. One after another, the men fell, seriously injured or killed. Their cries could be heard from far away.
Soon the sea was awash with the blood of the King's army. To avoid further slaughter, the King was forced to withdraw his men. But he also noticed a young boy taking a special interest in the events and laughing at the debacle. When brought before him, the lad said: " Majesty, I was just thinking that it would be better to form a barrier using banana tree trunks instead of your soldiers to fight the swordfish. There' ll be less bloodshed that way." The King was struck by the ingenuity and simplicity of the boy's idea and immediately adopted it.
Every banana tree on the island was felled in the effort. Soon, the people had erected a great wall of banana tree trunks along the beach. When the tide came in again, the imminent swordfish attack came. However, this time, the swordfish had their long, sharp points stuck into the tree trunks and were not able to free themselves. The islanders were thus able to kill the fish without any harm to themselves. The sea was red with the blood of the swordfish but the scourge was finally over.
Everyone on the island celebrated the victory, and the king rewarded the boy for his idea, but his ministers were unhappy and jealous. One of them whispered into the king's ear: "Even as a boy he is already so clever. Imagine what will happen when he grows up. Why, he might even usurp your throne."
Believing the slander, the king immediately ordered the boy to be executed.
One version of the legend has it that the boy was thrown into the sea near one of the islands south of Singapore. It is said that on certain nights his anguished cries could still be heard in the winds.
According to another version, the King's men went to a house on top of a hill where the boy was staying. When they reached the house, they found an old crone waiting for them. She said: "I know why all of you are here. The boy has saved the kingdom and yet you wish to kill him! You will all pay for this!"
The next moment, the earth opened up and bright red liquid flowed out. The following day, the hill had turned completely red to remind the people of the kingdom's guilty secret. The people hereafter named the hill Bukit Merah, or Red Hill.