Camera Defect in a "Haunted" Place

It was a former Japanese Kempeti (equivalent to the German Gestapo) interrogation centre back in the late 30's during WWII ... and many of those who were forcibly brought here were summarily executed nearby.

Here is a pic I snapped to see if this place could be haunted at daytime ... Can you see anything?

A Fond Recollection

In 1929, my great grand-uncle, Reverend Paul Chong En Siong founded the oldest school, St. Columba's School in Miri, Sarawak in East Malaysia during the reign of the Brookes. Classes were held in a bungalow belonging to a Police Officer. 13 boys and girls from ages 8 to 13 were the first batch of students.

The Japanese invaded Sarawak in December, 1941 and the school was closed. Revd. Paul Chong's beloved brother, Catechist Chong En Fui who had been a teacher in St. Columba was murdered by the Japanese. He had been betrayed by a friend who gave false information about him to the Kempeti (Jap Secret Police).

Today, the late Catechist Chong En Fei's son, Chong Yuk Hien, an honorable and well-respected former church leader, is happily retired and enjoying his golden years in beautiful New Zealand. He has also written a very interesting book entitled The Rise and Fall of the Rising Sun.

Not too long ago, he wrote to me commenting on the fact that I had misspelt his middle name in my historical book, A Time For Us. With merely an additional letter 'n' I had made his name feminine! I have apologised and remain apologetic to him for the grave commission of the error on my part.

I have fold memories of this uncle who was once awarded Sarawak's most courageous award by the last outgoing British governor of Sarawak back in the early 1960's ( He had led a small band of equally brave natives in defending Miri from an outside invasion by foreigners). He and his family members used to give us wonderful treats and ang pows (Chinese New Year red packages of money) in his home at Pujut on numerous occasions. He was also one of my mentors in the absence of my dad who could only reside and work in Sabah for over 16 years. There were also many times when I went with his family during those 16 years of Christmas caroling.

I pray the good Lord will allow me to see him someday. We have already learnt of the sad news of the demise of his brother whom I also love a lot. He passed over in Australia. I wouldn't want to miss, for all the tea in China, the chance of seeing this great hero of mine !

The picture above is of an unknown person, believed to be the long-serving school clerk, the late Tan Kheng Hee. He is seen standing in front of the Belachan (prawn paste) store which was used as a classroom right after WW11 in 1945. Today the store would be where the car park is in front of St. Columba's Parish Kindergarten.

R-rated Motor Show in Miri

...Only in YOUR dreams!!! Ha ha!!! The following pics, selected from many others, were taken at a Motor show in Japan, recently.

Hmmmnnnn... wonder if any boiling hot-blooded guy out there wanna see more-flesh, panties, gals...??? I only buy SHELL oil 'cos ...

Remembering a Great Asian Singer

What a tragedy it was for lovers of fine music and the music world when Kyu Sakemoto was killed in a tragic air accident one day. The smiling highly popular singer had one of the best number one hits in the U.S. with his hit Sukiyaki.

It was a sad Japanese love song about being jilted by a girl and recalling the wonderful moments they had had shared together...

Forgotten Non-Asian WWII Sex Slaves

One of the most astonishing discoveries any historian can find in cyberspace is news that the general public will seldom find in the mainstream press.

Imagine my amazement to find out that a guilt-ridden Japanese apologist, Tomiichi Murayama, has a blog with a digital museum embossed with the title "The Comfort Women Issue and the Asian Women Fund" dedicated to all women who were forced to be sex slaves by the Japanese Imperial Army, sexually satisfying the lusts of many Jap soldiers daily.

I was even more surprised that whereas Asians were making hell to pay over the slave issue, European women were also used as "comfort women" and they have remained silent to this day, thus very few realise the burning sensitive sex enslavement issue isn't one that is confined to Asian women.

Here is the documented evidence as found in the website:
Go to "European Sex Slaves"

What is Honour?

No, I'm not a serious academician who will go into great lengths with eloquent words waxing the most famous wise bard of all times, William Sheakspeare's literary lines. Neither am I a philosopher, and a deep thinking one least of all, to write here what I ask: what is honour?

In the old days, without taxing your patience with details, it was a virtue worth dying for and could be seen in different forms. The knights and even cowboys in the West fought to defend it with swords, lancers and colts: duels were fought throughout history. In the East, in certain societies women who have embarrassed or shamed their families were murdered in so-called 'honour killings' and the killers did not fear the arms of the law. Ah yes, the keris, kwang tau, spears and parangs were the weapons to defend this virtue.

The Japanese, with what little of their pride left intact, after the humiliating WWII defeat, display their courageous strict code of honour by resigning from public office, admitting their shortcomings or guilt publicly; others committed suicide by various methods like the drastic ultimate act of 'hari-kiri'-suicide by self-disembowelment. Remember that what's his name famous nationalist Japanese writer in the '70s who did this shocking act?

So to cut out all the big talk and get into the facts here's what Webster says about honour:
1. honesty, fairness, or integrity in one's beliefs and actions: a man of honour. 2. a source of credit or distinction: to be an honour to one's family. 3. high respect, as for worth, merit, or rank: to be held in high honour. 4. such respect manifested: a memorial in honour of the dead.... blah...blah... blah the description goes on, most fascinatingly.

Without going further, let me leave these words on honour in the ill-fated corrupted love between that famous romantic French knight in shinning armour, Lancelot and King Arthur's wife, Geneivere. The famous poet, Lord Alfred Tennyson penned, "his honour rooted in dishonour stood/And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true. Hmmmnnnnnnn my German part of the brain is wondering why these verses spring to mind...

The hour is late so I'll return to check what I write off my head and see everything is correct, correct, correct.

Learn Japanese!

Asia's Dark Past

Here's a shockingly bizzare pic I found in The Singapore Story, an autobiography by one of the world's greatest statesmen, the much respected former Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew.

It shows a World War II, occupation Jap torturer torturing his prisoner. The victim could be either an Asian or European.

Think about this-why do Asians treat fellow Asians so cruelly? The invading victorious Japs were unusually brutal in South-east Asia, torturing and killing hundreds by chopping heads, burning or shooting and even many babies were bayoneted. Germ warfare experiments were also conducted and perfected on Asians in China, maiming or killing thousands.

What else have I got? This is a pencil-traced image of a copper coin I stumbled across while I was doing voluntary work at a former dreaded Japanese Kempeti interrogation centre which is supposedly haunted as well.

The coin was in part of the building's disused old sewage system. I discovered it when I fell from my tall ladder which seemed to have moved sideways one day at dusk. I landed on top of the sewage cover.

There's an image of a dragon on one side and on the other side are the words copper coin. Do click to enlarge.

I've done an extensive search on the net on this coin but so far, I haven't been too successful. If you know anything more about such a coin, please tell me.

Looking at this coin, I guess I got paid for my work ... from beyond ...

The Tragic Comfort Women Issue

Don't get me wrong-I love the Japanese and their country, having been there twice in the past and having such a remarkable time in that expensive tourist wonderland with such warm Asian hospitality... but I have to take the side of the wronged party...The point is-the country must nevertheless correct the wrongs that were committed by it in the past, just as Germany courageously did by admitting and apologizing to the world for WW2 and having exorcised its past ghosts, moved on to be a great nation.

I have to express my heart-felt empathy for the thousands of comfort women, innocent girls who were forced to be sex slaves to Japanese soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War 2 in Asian countries like the Philippines, Malaysia, China, Korea and others. Their brutal sufferings at the hands of the soldiers were obviously an indescribable living hell and the Japanese government should have the balls and the moral courage to always admit the country bore and continues to bear a collective responsibility for what happened in those dark barbaric war years and fully compensate the few living victims and other victims' surviving relatives. Such an act of magnanimous proportions would be a just atonement for the many past sins of the army and the government for all the brutality committed on innocent civilians of the rest of the world.

Here is the excerpt from the Borneo Post dated 12/3/07 about a courageous fair-minded objective professor who is ashamed for what Japan did and wants the truth to be out and justice carried out. Do click to enlarge the pic and extract for reading.

Latest Baby Robot Responds!,

We are on the threshold of the next great thing-a robot that is more human! It's a baby with the intelligence level around 1 to 2 years old. Nevertheless, you can see how human it behaves! What would be next? More emotions and brains?

In War, Humans Become Barbarians...

The pic and story above come from the banned Sarawak Tribune, dated 8/19/95. It's all about the appalling ill-treatment and atrocities committed against captives by the WW2 Japanese Imperial Forces in the Far East, including Malaya.

Don't get me wrong: I'm not beating a dead horse (WW2 Japs & their sins) here. It's my belief that we must be reminded of the past or we'll be condemned to repeat it, to paraphrase George Santayana. Let's not hide the truth and bury the past, hoping everything will be better tomorrow. It won't be better tomorrow as history has shown us that the similar forms of bloody wars, strife, revolutions and so forth occur worldwide...

As for the Japs, the people of today are quite different from the WW2 ones and war does change humans, turning them into inhuman barbaric beasts. In every war, crimes against humanity have been and will be committed. This war may be as minuscule as the campaign against the communist terrorists, aka War of the Running Dogs in Malaysia and as widely awesome as World War 2.

I'm saying the Japs of today are different from the militant Japs 'cos I've personally been to modern Japan twice and experienced its warm Japanese hospitality. The people are polite and gracious towards visitors even though it is difficult to communicate with them due to their English language backwardness. In fact, the airport Japanese female staff in the postal outlet and elseway, despite their English handicap, were remarkably friendly, helpful and humble towards me at the Narita Airport on both occasions, giving me an excellent impression of the people there.

Unusual Tattoos!

These pics are from TIME Magazine. The girl is Japanese and the guy with the great wartime hero Churchill's image is a Briton.

My collection of TIME began in 1975 when there was a special student offer available at a really attractive discount rate.

Of course, in the early '70s, the battle for the hearts and minds of everyone was crucial as communism reared its ugly head and loomed large over Asia... and regrettably, the Americans were hastily beating a retreat from South Vietnam.

In those days, the Voice of America, or VOA as it was popularly known, besides the BBC, was the best reliable dominant news and story station out in the Far East here. There were frequent latest news updates, public affairs views, American music reviews, history of the States, and so forth... Man, it was generous with magazines and souvenir gifts such as map books and pens!

Today, I still keep a stack of its listeners' magazines, which I received regularly and a map book (Outdated!) and a pen (Unusable after all these years!) . In these mags, there were pics and advanced program info on upcoming documentaries and stories and follow-ups on some past stories. There was even a youthful pic of my fav radio/TV interviewer, the outstanding smooth-talking Larry King and the ever fatherly Ronald Reagan before and after winning the elections.

More about the VOA Mags later...

JAPS VS. UNCLE SAM AT WORK

This hilarious cartoon by Oliphant came out in the business paper, The International Herald Tribune dated March 11, 1992.

The two little fellows at the bottom are also having a conversation:

Bowing Jap: Ah so-Perhaps you have baseball team for sale?
Yank: I can get you a great deal on the Washington Senators!