Friday, May 3, 2013

Sleeping With The Enemy

When the Memorial to the Civilian Victims of the Japanese Occupation ("The Cenotaph") was spray painted with graffiti, many were howling and baying for blood about the sacrilege of the war dead. Some of those outraged may be blissfully unaware of two living individuals who used to cosy up to the Japanese occupiers of World War II.

One answered an advertisement in the Synonan Shimbun and went to work for the Japanese propaganda department called the Hodobu. His job, deciphering intercepted cables from Reuters, UP, AP, Central News Agency of China and TASS, may have contributed to the capture, torture and death of many a freedom fighter. One of the editors, George Takemura, was pal enough to drop in in the evening and give him a packet of Japanese cigarettes from his own rations.("The Singapore Story", pg 63,64)

The other met his Jap buddy by helping him to buy fish and vegetable at the market. Soon he became errant boy of second lieutenant "Amaya-san" for pineapples and papayas (no mangoes, this was way before Michael Palmer's time). Amaya's boss, lieutenant Kokubu, treated him to miso soup and Japanese pickles. He even helped them build the Bakri memorial for Japense soldiers who died fighting there, the last major stand of British and Allied troops. Before long he was made an inspector in the Japanese police department, who hunted down the Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA).

No wonder, after the Japs were finally kicked out, and he was looking for a new job, one Major McLean made clear he disapproved of the fact he was an interpreter during the Occupation and accused him of being a collaborator. McLean explained that the MPAJA had fought side-by-side with the British, fought many running battles against the Japanese throughout the Occupation. In SR Nathan's mind, the MPAJA were the bad guys, and the Japs the nice fellows. Worse, he told McLean he would carry a gun for the Eskimo rather than carry anything for the British. ("An Unexpected Journey, Path To The Presidency", SR Nathan, page 122)
Lieutenant Kokubu is on the left.


  1. who is the mother facker?

    1. That's the world's first unelected Elected President.

    2. I am cocksure he admires LKY, and vice versa.
      Both men share the distinction of serving the Japs while Singapore was occupied and brutalised by the latter.

  2. Ja ja, but unlike the dumb one-trick pony whom Goh Keng Swee shud have fired, old fart was far more "flexible". He happily converted from jap-collaborator to socialist to instigate labour riots behind the left-wing pap which convinced the brits to cut marshall lose. Yet another transformation saw him become the "preferred leader" of the brits in the singapore delegation to the independence talks, winning independence where Marshall and Lim Yew Hock failed. Why did the brits suddenly favour him over yew hock whose party was the major political force then? Who knows, maybe ask his OCBC banker father-in-law. (btw, you know also another VVIP connected to OCBC right?). And last transformation we all know, get the brits businessmen and bankers to convince the brit special forces to lock up all his enemies. At that's how the red dot is transformed from fishing village to global metropolis, play ground of the rich and famous by a real-life chameleon.

  3. I only knew the bare bits, but these revealation and links sure would have make all my late parents and grand parents " fire boil", no?

  4. From so thin.
    Become so fat.
    Living off the fat of the land?

  5. Did Singaporean World War II hero Lim Bo Seng died because his communication got intercepted by these Japanese translators?

    1. Can the same question be asked about torture of Elizabeth Choy and/or the 5000 Sook Ching victims who died in the massacre?

  6. Is this a photo of a Traitor?

  7. Errant boys of the Japanese during the occupation are called running dogs. They should all have been hunted down and hung after the surrender - the fate of many in mainland Malaya.

  8. wow, I am going to the bookstore to buy the book An Unexpected Journey, Path To The Presidency", SR Nathan and understand how a country can have a prez who worked for the enemy when many of my ancestors died.

    The Americans have decorated soldiers fighting the enemy and later gained high office.

    I am shame faced to talk about those who worked for the enemy and later gained high office.

  9. Sinkies are unique.
    They adore and even revere traitors.

  10. Luckily history has the Fact recorded as most Sinkies have already forgotten it.
    The Fact will stay perpetually. It is stinky and hurts, especially the Chinese all over the World.

  11. Terrible shame in our country which promoted traitors to high office

  12. SR Nathan cb kia

  13. Alamak! Why everyone here is jumping to conclusions?!! Check out whether this article is a fact or pure fiction created to generate mistrust among our people?!!


  15. I know a hypocrite but did not know so much. I am going to share this article to friends.

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