Kempeitai East District Branch
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| Sook Ching massacre (1942–1945) |
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| See also: Timeline of Singaporean history |
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The Kempeitai East District Branch was the headquarters of the Japanese military police force, the much feared Kempeitai during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore. It was located at the old YMCA building, at the present site of Singapore's YMCA on Stamford Road. Opened in 1911, the distinctive Art Deco YMCA building was the site of interrogation and torture of many innocent civilians. In 1995, its former site was gazetted by the National Heritage Board as one of the eleven World War II (WWII) sites of Singapore.[1]
Contents |
[edit] History of Kempeitai
The Kempeitai was formed as a semi-autonomous unit on 4 January 1881 by order of the Meiji Council of State.[2] Its brief covered military discipline, law and order, intelligence and subversion, as well as policing thoughts in the civilian population.[3]
Their political influence increased when General Hideki Tojo became the Vice-Minister of War in the 1930s. From 1895 to 1945, the Kempeitai built up a large network of influence in the Great East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, that is the Occupied Territories of Japan in Asia. All POWs and POW camps came under the Kempeitai as did comfort woman and comfort houses.[3]
[edit] Training
Kempeitai officers were trained at special training schools with the main ones being in Tokyo and Keijo (now Seoul) in Korea. Kempei were trained to conduct espionage, weaponry, code-breaking, running spy networks and other subversive activities during a year long course.
Kempei could be in the usual Japanese Army uniform distinguished by the armband with the Japanese characters, 憲兵隊 (for Kempeitai) on it, or be in their khaki uniform with an armband or in plain clothes. While officers carried a samurai sword and a pistol, non-commissioned officers often went about armed with a bamboo stick which was split at the ends to make it pliable and increase the pain in a blow from it.[3]
[edit] Informers and spies
The Kempeitai made use of informers and recruited spies from within the community, and encouraged the giving of information with rewards and privileges in return. Many of these informers had dubious background — secret society gangsters, prostitutes and those of other races with criminal records who were obliged to provide information to save themselves from torture or execution.[4] As a result, many innocent people were taken away mysteriously and an atmosphere of distrust and fear ruled life during the Occupation.
[edit] Old YMCA building
In Syonan (as Singapore was called during the Occupation), the Kempeitai came under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War in Tokyo. It was led by Lieutenant-Colonel Oishi Masayuki with his headquarters at the old YMCA, which also served as the East District Branch. There were about 200 regular Kempeitai in Singapore but 1,000 auxiliaries were recruited from the army.[2] The Kempeitai jail was in Outram with branches in Stamford Road, Chinatown, the Central Police Station. A former residence at Smith Street in Chinatown formed the Kempeitai West District Branch.[2]
The YMCA also served as a prison for people suspected of being anti-Japanese. Typically, prisoners were cramped into small cells and forced to be motionless and absolutely silent.[5] Those arrested would be tortured for names of anti-Japanese accomplices; refusal to offer such names led to further punishment. Should a prisoner surrender under the torment, any person identified by him as a "subversive force" would be sentenced to death or imprisonment.[5]
[edit] Interrogation methods
The Kempeitai believed a person suspected of committing a crime had to prove his innocence, but was given no opportunity to do so. Pain and threats to life were standard methods of interrogation used by Kempeitai to obtain a ‘confession’.[4] Called "treatments" by the Kempeitai, some that were described by victims and witnesses during the Singapore Chinese Massacre Trial in 1947 were:[4]
- Water treatment—The victim would be tied down and laid flat on the ground. Water would be forced into his mouth and nose until the victim’s stomach becomes distended. Water would be forced out by jumping on victim’s stomach until he lost consciousness. He is revived and the process repeated again.
- Corporal beatings treatment—This involved metal bars, sticks, bamboo, wet knotted ropes, belts with buckles or revolver butts.
- Burning and electric shock treatment—'Live' electric wires, candles, lighted cigarettes, boiling oil or water were applied to sensitive parts of the victim’s body.
- Breaking fingers treatment—Sticks were placed between the victim’s fingers and squeezed, fracturing the bones.
- Tearing out fingernails and toenails treatment—Toothpicks were inserted under the nails before they were torn out by pliers.
- Eardrum piercing treatment—The sharp ends of pencils were inserted into the victim’s ears until they pierced the victim’s eardrums.
- Body suspension treatment—The victim’s body is suspended by the wrists or neck or hang upside down by the legs. Interrogators would then pull the victim’s joints from their sockets.
After the "treatment" was meted out, those who had 'confessed' to minor crimes were sentenced to terms in prison. Others were quickly executed. After the British surrender on 15 February 1942, heads of looters were displayed on stakes outside the Kempeitai Headquarters and Cathay Building (which was used by the Japanese Military Propagation Department then)[6], as a deterrent to looting and gruesome reminder of its power.[7] Rudy Mosbergen, aged 78, a former principal of Raffles Institution wrote a book, In The Grip of A Crisis (2007), which tells what it was like being a teenager, was just 12 during the Occupation when he witnessed such a scene at Cathay Building:
| “ | Being somewhat curious and adventurous, I decided to see one for myself... I could see the bloodied head of a male Chinese on show... After a week's exposure, the heads eventually shrank and turned blue-black... It was truly a disgusting sight.[8] | ” |
[edit] Sook Ching
During the early days of the Occupation, an extensive clean-up operations to purge anti-Japanese elements (such as the Dalforce, Force 136 and supporters of the China Relief Fund), named Sook Ching was undertaken. The massacres were executed under the supervision of the Kempeitai with the Hojo Kempei ("auxiliary military police") being employed to carry out the actual shooting under orders of a Kempeitai officer. Although the exact figures will never be fully known, it was estimated that a total figure between 25,000 and 50,000 victims were massacred according to the post-war trial testimonies in 1947.[9]
Colonel Masanobu Tsuji was fingered by Japanese army commanders as the man responsible for Sook Ching during the Singapore Chinese Massacre Trial in 1947.[10] Tsuji was appointed as the Chief Planning and Operations Officer of the 25th Army that was led by Lieutenant General Tomoyuki Yamashita's for the Malaya campaign. He had close links with the Imperial Headquarters in Tokyo and enjoyed certain privileges that officers of more senior ranks were not allowed.[10]
Over stepping his authority, he had issued orders during the massacre of thousands of Chinese civilians in Singapore and Malaya with Yamashita's knowledge but without his approval. He was also responsible for the slaughter of thousands more US and Filipino servicemen in the Philippines.[11] Tsuji was in Myanmar at the time of Japan's unconditional surrender to British forces in August 1946 and made his getaway to Thailand disguised as a wandering Buddhist monk. He later spent a short spell in China during its Civil War. He was hotly pursued by the British but they were unable to get him, as he was sheltered by the Americans for political reasons when he resurfaced in Japan in 1947.[11] He was cleared of any war crimes in 1950 and later became one of his country's most prominent post-war parliamentarian.[11] In 1961, Tsuji disappeared mysteriously somewhere in Indochina and was officially declared dead in 1968.[12]
[edit] Aftermath
After the war, only seven men were charged for their alleged role in Sook Ching in 1947: [13]
- Lieutenant Colonel Oishi Masayuki, commander of 2nd Field Kempeitai.
- Lieutenant Colonel Nishimura Takuma, commander of the Imperial Guards Division.
- Lieutenant General Kawamura Saburo, commander of Syonan Defence Garrison.
- Lieutenant Colonel Yokota Yoshitaka.
- Major Jyo Tomotatsu.
- Major Onishi Satoru.
- Captain Hisamatsu Haruji.
Kawamura and Oishi received the death sentence while the rest were given life sentences but served just 5 years till 1952 when Japan became sovereign again.[13]
[edit] Demolition
Plans to rebuild the YMCA premises began in 1969 and the new YMCA building was officially opened on 24 November 1984.[14] The old YMCA building has since been demolished in 1981 for which Elizabeth Choy, Singapore's war heroine, was very grateful. Choy was detained and tortured at YMCA for nearly 200 days for her crime of "being pro-British and anti-Japanese" during the Double Tenth Incident inquisition.[15] She said:
| “ | After my release, I avoided Stamford Road as I just could not bring myself to look at the YMCA building. It was the Japanese army's other killing field besides Operation Clean Up. It bore the blood of their victims whose lives they could never compensate.[15] | ” |
Her tormentor, Warrant Officer Monai Tadamori of the Kempeitai was sentenced to death by a military court after the war.[15]
[edit] Memorials
To keep alive the memory of the Japanese Occupation of Singapore and its lessons learnt for future generations, the Singapore government erected several memorials with some at the former massacre sites:
[edit] Civilian War Memorial
Spearheaded and managed by the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Civilian War Memorial is located in the War Memorial Park at Beach Road. Comprises 4 white concrete columns, this 61 metres tall memorial to the civilian dead commemorates the civilian dead of all races. It was built after thousands of remains were discovered all over Singapore during the urban redevelopment boom in the early 1960s. The memorial was officially unveiled by former Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew on the 25th anniversary of the start of the Japanese Occupation in 1967.[16] It was constructed with part of the S$50 million 'blood debt' compensation paid by the Japanese Government in October 1966.[16] Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Lee Kuan Yew said:
| “ | We meet to remember the men and women who were the hapless victims of one of the fires of history... If today we remember these lessons of the past, we strengthen our resolve and determination to make our future more secure then these men and women for whom we mourn would not have died in vain.[16] | ” |
On 15 February each year, memorial services (opened to the public) are held at the memorial.
[edit] Sook Ching Centre Monument
The site of this monument lies within the compound of Hong Lim Complex in Chinatown. The inscription on the monument reads:
| “ | The site was one of the temporary registration centres of the Japanese Military Police, the Kempeitai, for screening 'anti-Japanese' Chinese.
On 18 February 1942, three days after the surrender of Singapore, the Kempeitai launched a month-long purge of 'anti-Japanese elements' in an operation named Sook Ching. All Chinese men between 18 and 50 years old, and in some cases women and children, were ordered to report to these temporary registration centres for interrogation and identification by the Kempeitai. Those who passed the arbitrary acreening were released with 'Examined' stamped on their faces, arms or clothes. Others not so fortunate were taken to outlying parts of Singapore and executed for alleged anti-Japanese activities. Tens of thousands were estimated to have lost their lives. For those who were spared, the Sook Ching screening remains one of their worst memories of the Japanese Occupation. |
” |
[edit] Changi Beach Massacre Monument
The site of this monument is located in Changi Beach Park (near Camp Site 2) in the eastern part of Singapore. The inscription on the monument reads:
| “ | 66 male civilians were killed by Japanese Hojo Kempei (auxiliary military police) firing at the water’s edge on this stretch of Changi Beach on 20 February, 1942. They were among tens of thousands who lost their lives during the Japanese Sook Ching operation to purge suspected anti-Japanese civilians among Singapore’s Chinese population between 18 February and 4 March, 1942. Tanah Merah Besar Beach, a few hundred metres south (now part of Singapore Changi Airport runway) was one of the most heavily-used killing grounds where well over a thousand Chinese men and youths lost their lives. — National Heritage Board.[18] |
” |
[edit] Punggol Beach Massacre Monument
The site of this monument is located off Punggol Road in northeastern Singapore. The inscription on the monument reads:
| “ | On 23 February 1942, some 300-400 Chinese civilians were killed along Punggol foreshore by Hojo Kempei (auxiliary military police) firing squad. They were among tens of thousands who lost their lives during the Japanese Sook Ching operation to purge suspected anti-Japanese civilians among Singapore’s Chinese population between 18 February and 4 March, 1942. The victims who perished along the foreshore were among 1,000 Chinese males rounded up following a house-to-house search of the Chinese community living along Upper Serangoon Road by Japanese soldiers. — National Heritage Board.[19] |
” |
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ National Heritage Board, "World War II Sites of Singapore - In Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the End of WWII".
- ^ a b c Wong, Heng. The Kempeitai. National Library Board. Retrieved on 2007-04-20.
- ^ a b c Lee, "The Fearsome Kempeitai: Fighting The Anti-Japanese Resistance", pp. 234—8.
- ^ a b c Modder, "Kempeitai Torture/The Double Tenth Trial", pp. 112—3.
- ^ a b National Heritage Board, "Kempeitai East District Branch".
- ^ Uma, "Cathay building" p. 17.
- ^ Uma, "Kempeitai East District Branch", p. 17.
- ^ Chua, Mui Hoong. "World War II through the eyes of a teenager", The Straits Times, 13 August 2007.
- ^ Modder, "War Criminals Are Charged", p. 56.
- ^ a b Modder, "Tsuji: 'Mastermind of The Massacre", pp. 78—82.
- ^ a b c Ward, "The killer They called A God".
- ^ Lee, "Col. Tsuji Masanobu", p. 83.
- ^ a b Lee, "War Crimes Trials in Singapore", pp. 305—8.
- ^ YMCA Singapore. History of YMCA Singapore. YMCA Singapore. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
- ^ a b c Foong, "A Shameful Past in Human Memory: A Verbal Account by Elizabeth Choy", pp. 240—6.
- ^ a b c Lee, "Remembering The Hapless Victims of The Fires of History", pp. 327—9.
- ^ Modder, "Sook Ching Registration Centre in Chinatown", p. 72.
- ^ Modder, "Changi Beach Massacre", p. 69.
- ^ Modder, "Punggol Beach Massacre", p. 67.
[edit] References
- Lee, Geok Boi (2005). The Syonan Years - Singapore Under Japanese Rule 1942 - 1945. Singapore: National Archives of Singapore. ISBN 981-05-4290-9.
- Modder, Ralph (2004). The Singapore Chinese Massacre - 18 February to 4 March 1942. Singapore: Horizon Books. ISBN 981-05-0388-1.
- Major Yap & et al, Siang Yong (1992). Fortress Singapore - The Battlefield Guide. Singapore: Times Books International. ISBN 981-204-365-9.
- Foong, Choon Han (1997). The Price of Peace - True Accounts of the Japanese Occupation. Singapore: Asiapac Books. ISBN 981-3068-53-1.
- G. Uma, Devi (2002). Singapore 100's Historic Places. Singapore: National Heritage Board. ISBN 981-4068-23-3.
- National Heritage Board (1995). World War II Sites of Singapore - In Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the End of WWII. Singapore: National Heritage Board Publicity Committee.
- Shinozaki, Mamoru (1982). Syonan - My story: The Japanese occupation of Singapore. Singapore: Times Books International. ISBN 981-204-360-8.
- Ward, Ian (1992). The killer They called A God. Singapore: Media Masters. ISBN 981-00-3921-2.
