Author: CHUNG Yoon Ngan
Date: 06-19-04 23:48
Lim Bo Seng (林謀盛 Lin Bosheng alias Tan Choon Lim 陳春林)
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人生自古誰無死,---Ren2 sheng zi gu shui wu si,
留得丹心照汗青。=Liu de dan xin zhao han qing.
From time immemoral, what man was ever immune from death?
Let me but leave a loyal heart shining in the pages of history.
Wen Tianxiang (文天祥 1236AD to 1282AD)
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Lim Bo Sheng (alias Tan Choon Lim) and John Davis, the chief commander of Force 136, at Force 136 Campsites at Blantan near the towns of Tapah and Bidor in 1943.
http://chungyn.webhop.net/limDavis.jpg
From the book "The Mysterious Laite (神秘萊特)"
By Guo Rende (郭仁德)
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Lim Bo Seng was the leader of the Supplying Services, a member of the Chinese Mobilization Council, when Singapore was under siege from the Japanese. Before the fall of Singapore Lim Bo Seng escaped to India. As he was the leader of the Kuomintang or the Nationalist Party in Singapore Lim Bo Seng went to Zhongqing (重慶) to see Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), the head of the Chinese Government. Chiang Kai-shek ordered him to return to Malaya to organize the Overseas Chinese to resist the Japanese. On his way back to Malaya Lim Bo Seng went to Ceylon and joined Force 136 whose commander was John Davis, a fluent Cantonese speaking former police officer in Malaya. Force 136 was a British-led resistance group of British and Malayans.
At 8.30 pm on May 24, 1943, Colonel John Divis and five Chinese left a Dutch submarine and landed on a beach at Tanjong Hantan near Pangkor Island. Eventually, they contacted Chen Ping (陳平), the head of the Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) in the State of Perak, who helped them. Colonel John Davis was sent to a camp of the 3rd Independent Regiment of the MPAJA at Blantan near Tapah. Davis' men Ah Ng,Ying, and Tsing were to stay in Pangkor Island and the other two Chinese agents were to set up a business in Ipoh.
In September 1943, two more British officers, Major Richard Broome and Captain Harrison arrived by Dutch submarine to join John Davis. On October 25, 1943, Lim Bo Seng, now a Major landed near Pangkor Island by Dutch submarine, alone. Again, Chen Ping helped them to get to the Headoffice of the Force 136 at Blantan.
The two men, who came with Colonel Davis, set up a business at 77 Market Street in Ipoh. The name of the shop was Jian Yi Zhan (建益棧). Major Lim Bo Seng (林謀盛) used to live there helping to manage the business. Members of Force 136 used the business to collect information for the Southeast Asia Supreme Command (SASC) which was established to reconquer Malaya.
On January 1, 1944 a conference was held between Colonel Davis, Major Lim Bo Seng and Major F. Spencer Chapman, representing the Southeast Asia Supreme Command, Loi Tak, the Secretary-General of the Malayan Communist Party, and Chen Ping, representing the Malayan Communist Party. Lim Bo Seng was also acting as an interpreter translating from Mandarin to English and vice versa.
After the conference Major Chapman came in contact with the SASC. By that time the British new Liberator bomber could reach Malaya from the island of Ceylon. The British began to drop weapons and medical supplies to the varies regiments of the MPAJA. British officers of Force 136 were also parachuted to the MPAJA camps to help training and led the fighters to pave the way for the British to reconquer Malaya. During the whole operation a total of 510 British and Malayan officers were parachuted to the various camps of the MPAJA.
On March 14, 1944, like other times, Lim Bo Seng left camp and came down to Ipoh and lived in the top floor in a rented house. The business at 77 Market Street was in financial trouble - shortage of money, because John Davis and Richard Broome had only brought limited amount of money. The agent in charge of the business, Ah Ng (亞吳), had left for Singapore to raise money. He was later arrested by the Japanese in Singapore. Lim Bo Seng, posed as his uncle, took charge of the business. He tried to raise money from the local wealthy Chinese in Ipoh.
Long Zhaoying (龍朝英), a member of Force 136, was directed to meet an Allied submarine near Pangkor Island. With two assistants, Long went by a fishing boat. However, he received a Japanese submarine. He managed to escape but his two assisants were arrested.
An agent, Chen Chongzhi (陳崇智), who was operating in Lumut, came to know about the incident. He rushed to Ipoh to inform Lim Bo Seng. Immediately, Lim Bo Seng issued orders to all the agents operating in other towns in the State to leave towns.
Under torture the two captured agents revealed the contact links and agents of Force 136. Two more agents, Choy (whose real name was 余天送) and Tsing (whose real name was 李漢光) were arrested. Lim Bo Seng should have left Ipoh without delay. But he had an appointed with a wealthy Chinese by the surname of Su (蘇) who promised to come the next day to give a lump some of money to help the business.
The next day, 27th March 1944, came news that Chen Chongzhi was arrested and the business at 77 Market Street was raided. Without delay, Lim Bo Seng told his driver, Mo Qing (莫清), also a member of Force 136, to drive him back to Bidor.
At the junction near the town of Gopeng there was a road block. Like other times, Lim Bo Seng's car had no problem with the Japanese at the checkpoint. However, this time a Japanese soldier saw his new watch. Being curious, the Japanese soldier asked Lim Bo Seng to allow him to have a look at his new watch. Of course Lim Bo Seng could not refuse. The Japanese discovered that it was a brand new watch and it was made in Great Britain. This Japanese soldier wondered how Lim Bo Seng was in possession of a new British watch. So the Japanese soldier detained Lim Bo Seng and his driver for questioning by the Military Police.
Tsing, who was arrested with Choy in Lumut, was taken to Ipoh and lodged in the headquaters of the Japanese counter-espionage. He was well treated because the Japanese wanted to win him over. He was locked up and being looked after by two Chinese women. When a Japanese wandered into the room stark naked the two Chinese women were angry and left the room. Tsing said that he was going to have a bath. Tsing managed to climb out of the bathroom window. He then took a taxi to a coffee-shop near Bidor where he was known. He borrowed the taxi fare from the local guerilla supportes and paid off the driver. Tsing then rushed to Force 136 camp at Blantan and informed John Davis.
On hearing Tsing story's John Davis and Chapman asked Chen Ping to sent out runners to warn Lim Bo Seng. When the runners arrived in Ipoh Lim Bo Seng was nowhere to be found.
Lim Bo Seng and his driver were imprisoned at the Batu Gajah Prison Camp. Lim Bo Seng was confirmed as a high ranking officer of Force 136. The Japanese lured him to surrender but he refused. He and his driver were tortured to death because they refused to reveal the Headquarters and other members of Force 136. He was buried in the Batu Gajah Prison cemetery.
After the war Lim Bo Seng was posthumously promoted as a Major General (少將) and his remains were brought back to Singapore and was reburied in (I don't know where).
Sources:
The Mysterious of Laite
By Guo Rende
The Jungle is Neutral
By Major Frederick Spencer Chapman
My Side of History
By Chin Peng
CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
All rights reserved 19062004
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