Feature: Let history tell future - Singapore commemorates 70th anniversary of WWII

A 70-meter-high white monument with four identical pillars, representing the shared experiences and unity of Singapore's four major races - Chinese, Eurasian, Indian and Malay - stands on Beach Road in the downtown area of the city state.

It is the Memorial to the Civilian Victims of the Japanese Occupation built in memory of the civilians killed by the Japanese troops in Singapore during World War II.

It is also where a new documentary begins to trace the atrocities of the Japanese invaders during their three and a half year occupation from Feb. 15, 1942.

An estimated 50,000 local civilians were said to have been killed by the Japanese during the occupation years.

The 45-minute documentary, Singapore 1942, was debuted in the auditorium of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) building on Saturday, as one of the commemorative events to mark the end of World War II 70 years ago.

Singapore 1942, shot by the World War II History Research Association, is the first ever documentary which tells the Japanese barbarities via historical materials and interviews with war survivors and scholars who specialize in that period of Singapore history.

The documentary focuses on Dalforce, or the Singapore Overseas Chinese Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army, which carried out a guerrilla war against the Japanese forces, and the Sook Ching Massacre - mass killings of whoever the Japanese military regarded as anti-Japanese elements in Singapore.

Dalforce fought bloody battles in western Singapore with the Japanese forces, although their weapons were backward and the team was lack of training.

During the operation of Sook Ching, which means "purge through purification" in Chinese, to eliminate anti-Japanese elements, the Japanese slaughtered some 50,000 civilians in batches. The massacre, together Nanjing Massacre and Manila Massacre, has been known as the three holocausts committed by the Japanese forces during World War II.

In the 1960s, the remains of the Sook Ching Massacre victims were found and the SCCCI lost no time to form a special team to collect the remains and related information. After four years of efforts, the Memorial to the Civilian Victims of the Japanese Occupation finally was erected in 1967. Since then, Singaporeans from all walks of life began an annual commemoration in front of it.

A forum was held after the premiere of the documentary where experts on World War II studies shared their views with an audience of about 500.

Chen Jian, adviser of the World War II History Research Association, said the purpose to launch commemorative activities is to make more people aware of the cruelty of war, and to pay tribute to the anti-Japanese martyrs, as well as to convey condolences to the victims.

"What's more, we should be alert to danger in times of peace and take history as a mirror." he said.

Chen specially mentioned Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's statement delivered on Friday. Chen said what Abe said in the statement is in fact an attempt to sever Japan from the history of its aggression and free Japan's younger generations from "apology" for the crimes committed by Japanese troops during World War II.

"We should be alert to Abe's statement, which was made under pressure from at home and abroad. Abe's statement is lack of sincerity and did not reflect the fact at all. He didn't change his attitude towards history."

The association also issued an open letter to Japanese Prime Minister Abe, protesting against his cabinet's revision of Japan's pacifist constitution and the move to bulldoze the controversial security bills through the lower house of parliament. It also called on the people to remember history and cherish peace.

Kek Boon Leong, president of the association, said at the forum that although Singapore is a prosperous and stable country, the risk of war still exists.

"The reason why we presented the history of the Japanese occupation via this documentary is that we hope the younger generation can remember the history 70 years ago when Singapore was invaded and occupied by Japanese troops for three and a half years."

Tan Dib Jin, eldest grandson of patriotic philanthropist Tan Kah Kee, said the documentary is the ever first in Singapore, which can help the youth learn more about the history of the Japanese Occupation, understand the hardship that their predecessors had experienced and therefore cherish peace.

"The documentary was very successful," said Ravi Sarma, one of the audience. "Because it mentioned a key point, that is, never forget the past."

"It has put a major issue before Singapore, and the youth in particular. That is, never forget war, never forget the harm that foreign invaders imposed on us. Forgetting history means betrayal. " Endi