KUCHING: Sarawak Heritage Society will hold a public talk on ‘Borneo’s WW2 Japanese Shipwrecks: an underwater living museum’ on Feb 13 at 6pm, at Museum Café, Main Bazaar here.
In 1941, several Japanese navy ships were sunk off the coast of Santubong and a number of others off the Borneo coast during World War Two (WW2).
As these wrecks contain valuable metals, a number of them have been scavenged for scraps, some quite recently.
But wreck sites are war graves with lost lives. They call for the attention of the heritage conservation community, shipwreck divers and naval historians.
The talk, to be given by Ernest Teo, will be illustrated with photos and video footage tracing the history of the WW2 warships. It will discuss issues that the conservation raises like, “What steps must be taken by the government, civil society and media to preserve the historical sites and protect what is left of them from further plundering or metal salvage operations? Could it be a potential frontier for heritage tourism?”
Ernest Teo is a professional diving instructor, wreck diver and advocate for the protection of the WW2 Japanese shipwreck historical sites. He is also the current Vice President of Sarawak Heritage Society.
Admission is free.
