Transcript The Syonan Years - iSpark

Chapter 6
The Syonan Years:
Surviving the Horrors of War
Focuses
At the end of this chapter, you will learn:
 Japanese
treatment of the Allied POWs and
the local civilians.
 Life during the Japanese Occupation.
 The anti-Japanese groups.
 Lessons from the Japanese Occupation.
Section 1
Coming under New Masters
The New Masters
 "Syonanto"
(Light of the South) was the
name the Japanese gave to Singapore.
 Singapore
came under Japanese rule for the
next three years and eight months.
Section 2
Meeting Their Fates
The Allied POWs
Comprised of the British, Australians, Indians and
other Europeans as well as women and children.
 POWs were imprisoned at camps like Changi
Prison and Selarang Barracks.
 Indian soldiers in the British Force were asked to
pledge their loyalty to the Japan and join the
Indian National Army.
 Those who resisted were imprisoned or killed.

The Allied POWs
POWs were forced to do hard labour such as
cleaning up the city, burying dead bodies,
restoring water and electricity supplies and
repairing the docks.
 Many POWs were also sent to Thailand to build
the Death Railway.
 They worked under horrible conditions.
 Many died or suffered from diseases.

The Local Civilians
A.
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
The Chinese
Japanese hated the Chinese most because they
helped China in resistance against Japan’s attack
on China.
Japanese were angry with the Chinese for the
fierce battle at Bukit Timah which killed many
Japanese soldiers.
They were also suspicious of Singapore Chinese
who contributed to China war efforts.
The Local Civilians



The Chinese in Singapore were forced to form the
Overseas Chinese Association and participate in
Japanese celebrations (e.g. Emperor’s birthday).
They were also made to contribute $50 million
towards Japan’s war efforts.
To raise this amount, they had to borrow half the
amount from a Japanese bank.
The Local Civilians




Japanese planned an operation on mass screening
called Sook Ching to wipe out the Chinese who
were anti-Japanese.
All men between 18 and 50 years old were
required to report at the mass screening centres.
They were questioned by the Japanese and
sometimes, local informers wearing hoods would
point out certain people as anti-Japanese.
Those pointed out would be taken into lorries to
beaches like Changi to be gunned down.
Minds at Work!


1.
2.
Discuss
Some Chinese who passed the mass screening had
stamps on their faces, arms, clothing or in pieces of paper.
The stamped part of the clothes was cut out and used as a
pass. Those who had the stamps on parts of their body
had to take extra care to refrain from washing the mark
off.
What do you think the people in the second category
should do?
What would happen to them if they had washed off the
stamp?
The Local Civilians
B.
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
The Eurasians
The Eurasians were also treated harshly because
they felt that the Eurasians thought themselves
to be more superior to Asians.
Eurasians also fought against the Japanese as
part of the Singapore Volunteer Corp.
Many were sent to the prison or the Thai-Burma
border to build the Death Railway.
The Local Civilians
C.



The Malays
They were not regarded as a threat to the
Japanese rule.
They tried to win over the Malays and
convinced them that Japan would free them from
the colonial rule.
However, those who did not obey were still
punished.
The Local Civilians
D.


The Indians
Japanese tried to get their support and
claimed that they were trying to help India
break free from British rule.
Those who displeased the Japanese were
not spared.
Section 3
Living the Days of Darkness
Fear
A.



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
Kempeitai(Japanese Military Police)
The Kempeitai dished out harsh punishments.
Methods of punishment included the water torture,
electronic torture, using needle and cigarettes to prick
and burn the victims.
They kept a close watch over the people.
Interrogation centres were set up at Y.M.C.A at Orchard
Road and Central Police Station at South Bridge Road
The locals’ movements were closely monitored and the
Japanese issued documents like passes and work badges
to monitor them.
People who were caught looting were beheaded.
Fear



A network of spies was created where informers
were found all over the island.
Sometimes, even one’s neighbours or relative
could not be trusted because one could be
reported as anti-Japanese or be arrested at the
slightest remark made.
Rewards and privileges encouraged many people
to supply information to the Kempeitai.
Fear
B.
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Japanese Imperial Army and the Sentry
The Japanese Imperial Army beheaded looters and
displayed their heads at public places like the Anderson
bridge and Kallang bridge.
Barbed wire roadblocks were set up all over Singapore
and people are expected to produce passes issued by the
Japanese.
People had to bow in respect before the Japanese; those
who did not obey were slapped, kicked, beaten up or
punished to kneel on pebbles for hours.
They would also go to the cinemas to take away youths
to do hard labour.
Hardship and Suffering
A.



The Allied POWs
They were made to clean up the city, bury the
dead, restore water and electricity.
Many were sent to work on the Death Railway
where they were given only simple tools to fell
huge trees and cut through rocks.
There was insufficient food and the long
working hours made many susceptible to
diseases.
Hardship and Suffering
B.
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The Locals
There was serious food shortages because:
Supplies from other countries were not coming in as they
needed food for their own people.
There was a shortage of fuel as the Japanese took fuel
and petroleum products from Southeast Asia for their
own use. Thus very few ships brought food into
Singapore.
The Allied countries could not bring in food as they were
at war with Japan and their ships were sunk by the
Japanese.
The Japanese took much of the food supplies and left
very little for the locals.
Hardship and Suffering




Ration cards and product purchasing cards were
distributed and each household was given a
limited amount of food.
The locals had to rely on a simple diet and they
planted their own food like vegetables and sweet
potatoes.
In schools, students had to look after vegetable
plots.
Many people suffered from malnutrition and
other diseases.
Hardship and Suffering




To make things worse, many doctors and nurses
were killed or sent to prison camps.
The Japanese looted medicine for their own use
while the local people looted medicine to sell in
the black market.
Those who could not afford to buy medicine
died without medication.
Sometimes, surgical instruments were homemade or improvised and success of treatments
depended very much on the skills of the doctors
and nurses.
Hardship and Suffering

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In the black market, unlawful buying and selling of
necessities took place.
Prices of goods were very high because only those who
offered the highest prices could buy the items.
The Japanese issued money, also called the "banana
notes" because of the fruit prints on the notes.
These notes were printed in large quantities without
serial numbers and their value dropped because they
could be forged easily.
Its value became so low that "banana money" came to
mean useless money.
Propaganda



The Japanese used propaganda to:
Influence people so that they would show
respect to Japan.
Promote Japanese culture and values.
Propaganda
A.

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
Language, News and Entertainment
Japanese lessons were published in the newspapers and
broadcast over the radio and taught in schools.
The newspapers reported pro-Japanese speeches and the
Japanese version of the war and had very little local
news.
All the radio stations were controlled by the Japanese
and only local broadcasts could be heard.
Japanese movies and propaganda films were shown.
These often ridiculed the British and the other Europeans
and showed the Japanese might and capabilities.
Propaganda
B.

C.

Incentives
Incentives and privileges such as job offers and
allowances are given to those who learn the
Japanese language.
Culture
To promote Japanese culture, special Japanese
events like the Emperor's birthday were
celebrated.
Section 4
Fighting the Japanese
MPAJA



The Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army
(MPAJA) was an anti-Japanese group formed to
fight against the Japanese.
Members carried out secret attacks on the
Japanese officers and their men
They used the Malayan jungles as their bases
they planned sabotages on the Japanese and
grew their own crops there.
MPAJA


They also tried to arouse anti-Japanese feelings
in the people by distributing newspapers.
Gatherings were frequently organized in the
villages and small towns near the jungle to get
more people to support them.
Force 136


Force 136 was a secret British organization set
up to gather information about the Japanese and
plan sabotage activities against them.
The members were trained in India and set
secretly into Malaya by submarine to help the
MPAJA.
Force 136




One of its leaders was Lim Bo Seng, a Singaporean
businessman.
He played an important role in getting members, raising
funds and food supplies for the Force.
Unfortunately, he was captured in March 1944 by the
Japanese and was severely tortured when he refused to
give the names of those who worked with him.
He finally died in prison in June 1944 at the age of 35.
Section 5
Drawing Lessons from the
Japanese Occupation
Lessons Learnt
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The people of Singapore suffered under the Japanese
rule, but they showed the following qualities:
Resilience
Courage
Endurance
Fortitude
Thrift and frugality
Some learnt to appreciate the British rule as compared to
the Japanese rule.
Others leant that they should rule their own country and
not let another foreign power dictate their fates.
Check this Out!
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http://www.s1942.org.sg/home/index.jsp
Focus on the Japanese Occupation section,
specifically:
The massacre of the Chinese populace.
The POW diary.
Some of the photos under the Archival
Resources section.