Re: hakka: Tales of a Hakka Town (6)

[CHUNG Yoon-Ngan <chungyn@mozart.collective.com.au>]

Hello Kong-Khen,

Thank you so much for the information as I have not been back
to Pusing for quite a few years.

This is how I am related to 136 force.

  During the three years and eight months Japanese occupation of Malaya
my family had lost two members; one died of public execution because he
was in the 136 force. Just before the fall of Singapore and the British 
surrendered to the Japanese he evacuated with the British to Ceylon (now
Sri Lanka). Later he was assigned to the 136 force and went through
military training.

 In the early months of 1945 he returned to Malaya from Ceylon with two
British officers by parachuting down to Kampar which is abou 40 kilometers
from my hometown Pusing. They could not make contact with the
Malayan-People's-Anti-Japanese-Army (Communist guerillas) in the hills
around Kampar. With no other options they trekked through the jungles to
get to Pusing where there were MPAJA. 

 Half way, near the town of Gopeng, they were captured by the Japanese. 
He was treated as a traitor because he was a Malayan whereas the British
officers were treated as prisoner of war. Wanting to show an example to 
the Malayans the Japanese publicized the time and the date for his
execution. That was how my family knew of his capture. Members of my
family went, without their mother's knowledge, to Kampar hoping to bring
back his body. The execution took place in the Kampar market. Members of
my family were among the crowd watching the execution. The Japanese 
refused to hand over his body to the members of my family and he was
buried in an unmarked grave.

  Members of my family went home without telling their mother who had no
knowledge of the execution because no one in the village dared to tell her
lest she went amok. BTW their father died before the Japanese arrived. 

  The Japnaese surrendered uncondtionally in August 1945. When their
mother heard the news that the Japanese had surrendered she was so happy
because her youngest son was about to return home. Every one was so
happy, but at the same time they felt guilty for not telling her the
truth.

   Every day she waited and waited for the son to return. Seeing the MPAJA
guerillas marching out from the jungle made her felt more excited. She was
telling people that her son was not with the MPAJA forces but the British
and it would take sometime to reach home from Ceylon. However, all the
villagers knew he was executed by the Japanese. The poor mother waited and
waited. Every morning was a new hope for her. 

   A few months or about a year later (forgot the date) a British officer
from the 136 force came to the house and wanted to see the mother. He gave
the mother a British flag and a cheque as compensation for the services
that her son had contributed to the British Commonwealth. On hearing of
her son's death she fainted. 

The other member died of illness due to lack of medicine.

That was the story this generation was told.

Sincerely
Yoon-Ngan