KUCHING: It was a historic occasion when prominent Australian journalist, Jennifer Byrne laid a bouquet of flowers at Batu Lintang WWII Borneo Monument yesterday.
On a wet and soggy day, Jenifer braved the rain to pay tribute to all those who died during the Japanese Occupation in Sarawak, many in the Batu Lintang Prisoners of War camp.
Indeed, most Sarawakians were not aware that 72 years ago, Sarawak was liberated by 600 members of the Allied Forces at Pending. Among then was the only Sarawakian, Sgt Chua Gin Teck, a member of the Australian Z Special Force who later joined the Sarawak police and helped establish the Sarawak Police Field Force at Bukit Siol.
During the Occupation, the Japanese rounded up more than 3,000 Sarawak civil servants, European members of the Military and Police, the Punjab Regiment, Christian missionaries as well as some locals who were loyal to the Brookes. About 2000 POWs were freed after the “Surrender” ceremony was completed at about 5 pm at Pending.
Apart from Jennifer and a colleague, Dr Deborah Bateson from England, another participant at the flower-laying ceremony yesterday was child POW detainee, Michale Dandi Tiong @Jeli Abdullah.
Born in 1940, Jeli was adopted by Borneo Evangelical Mission (BEM) pastors, Roland Bewsher and his wife and raised in the camp. Together with the Bewshers were at least two dozen BEM pastors including founding members, Hudson Southwell, better known as “Tuan Sapu”, and Frank Davidson who died four months before the War ended.
Jeli was able to share his childhood experience with Jennifer who received a detailed account of what happened at the camp by Dato Lim Kian Hock, chairman of the Sarawak Tourism Federation Heritage Development Committee.
Jeli said that the POWs owed their lives to the Japanese camp commandant, American-trained Christian graduate, Colonel Tsuga, who concealed a letter from the Tokyo, ordering him to execute all the POWS.
Jennifer Byrne, who is visiting Sarawak Borneo for the first time, was told that the POW camp had even run a University Degree course for the inmates—an activity which Tsuga encouraged..
Just before his trial in Labuan, Tsuga tried to take his life by stabbing a fork into his chest.When he failed, he ordered one of his officers to behead him to enable him to die with honour.
Jennifer said later Sarawak should be proud to have a war memorial museum, which is a tribute to the sacrifices of the soldiers and brave people of the state.
