If the fall of Singapore was a heavy psychological blow to the British colonists, it was a real nightmare for thousands of China people living on this small island.
Since 1937, when Japan launched a full-scale war of aggression against China, 2.3 million new Malaysians have fully supported the motherland's war of resistance. Chen Jiageng, leader of China, said that in the first five years in War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, overseas Chinese directly sent money and donations to their families amounting to 5 billion yuan. From 65438 to 0939, the national government spent 6543808 billion yuan on the war alone, which shows the great contribution of overseas Chinese in Nanyang. Many overseas Chinese returned to China to join the Anti-Japanese Front.
The Japanese military has long wanted to drive away the new Malaysian Chinese.
After the occupation of Singapore, Yamashita Tomohiro, commander of the 25th Japanese Army, Lieutenant General Suzuki Zongzuo and Jing Daole, the chief of staff, planned a "clean-up operation" against Chinese in Singapore, demanding that the Japanese army on the island clean up the following personnel within three days:
1. People who actively participate in Nanyang Overseas Chinese Relief Association;
2. Rich people who generously donate to charity;
3. Followers of Chen Jiageng, leader of Nanyang Overseas Chinese Salvation Movement;
4. Hainanese;
5. 1894-65438+ Chinese China people who came to Malaya after the Sino-Japanese War;
6. All tattooed men;
7. As a volunteer to help the British resist the Japanese;
8. Civil servants and people who may be pro-British; 9. Anyone who is armed and tries to disturb public order.
1February, 942 17, Yamashita Tomohiro ordered Mrs saburo, the garrison commander of Singapore, and the village to "eradicate the potential hostile overseas Chinese and eliminate the worries of our army". Suzuki, the chief of staff, gave clear instructions: "After the trial of hostile elements, deal with them immediately."
On February 18, the cruel "cleaning" began. The Japanese army blocked Singapore City, forcing overseas Chinese in all regions, regardless of gender, age and age, to carry food for a week and go to seven concentrated places for inspection. In less than three days, schools, factories, houses and streets in seven concentrated areas were all crowded with China people. The sun shines brightly during the day, and the cold wind attacks people at night, and the muscles are tight. China people are afraid of death, waiting for inspection. In just a few days, more than 100 people were crushed and suffocated.
Despite the help of the anti-Japanese overseas Chinese roster and traitors, it is absolutely impossible to find 50,000 to 60,000 "anti-Japanese elements" from 7.8 million overseas Chinese in just three days. The whole screening process is actually full of "children's games"-asking professionals; The person who judges a book by its cover owns a book; There are people drawing lots. In short, life and death are completely controlled by the will of the "imperial army."
Zheng Xin, a famous Japanese war maniac, was then the chief of staff of the Malay War Department, and was the main advocate of "genocide". On February 22nd, Zheng Xin visited the Japanese army responsible for "cleaning up" the area where Harlan was killed. After learning that the Daxijue detachment only found 70 people, Zhengxin was furious and severely reprimanded: "What are you dawdling about? I want half the people in Singapore! " This sentence made Da Xijue's team catch thousands of people in one breath, blocked dozens of cars and turned the picturesque Changi seaside into a slaughterhouse.
Overseas Chinese in Hainan are the main targets of murder, so the proportion of victims is particularly high. 1in April, 947, the case of "great cleansing" in the trial record of war criminals in Singapore pointed out: "The immobile area is the area where the Japanese army abused the most cruel and tragic drugs. Overseas Chinese residents, men, women and children, were all rushed to the old school lawn of Zhiluo Station. Hungry and thirsty, they camped out in the sun. Women and children must be released every two days. Men huddled in the pasture, basked in the sun, moved a little, punched and kicked, and even drove Lori away. There were 30 or 50 people on each truck and never came back. By the 22nd, all teachers, scholars, civil servants, volunteers, people who were discovered in South China for five years, people whose assets exceeded 50,000 Jin, and Hainanese were all taken to Xile, 7.5 miles away, which is the highest in all regions.
How many people were killed in China after the Holocaust?
In September, 1945, bobby jackson, a British army reporter, thought that the number had reached 50,000. Sin Chew Daily reported in June 1 1 that "Singapore reported more than 70,000 bad elements" according to figures provided by Binan Daily during the Malayan period. Saburo, a British Japanese historian, quoted the information provided by Asahi East Asia Yearbook published in 1942 in his book Pacific Ocean, saying that 70,000 overseas Chinese were screened out in Singapore. 1947, 10 In March, in the war crimes court, the prosecution accused the Japanese army of killing more than 5,000 people in China according to the registered income. However, both the Advisory Committee and the China institutions believe that this figure is more than that. The actual number of victims is much more than the registered number, because "the whole family suffers, or the victims are single, or the adults are killed just because they are naive, and they can't fill out the report, or they feel useless and don't want to fill it out." Dr. Bandera, a Sudanese doctor in Johor, asserted in his written testimony submitted to the Far East Military Court: "I believe that in Singapore, besides soldiers, more than10.5 million Asians were secretly executed or tortured to death by Japanese police."
1946, Yamashita was sentenced to death by the Manila Special Military Court; Captain Foley, commander of Malaya prison camp, participated in the "clearing" and was killed at Changi Beach; 1947, seven Japanese war criminals who participated in the Singapore massacre were tried. Finally, two war criminals, Lieutenant General Kawamura and Lieutenant General Masahiro Ishi, were hanged, and five war criminals, including Lieutenant General Liu Mo of Nishimura and Shao Zuo of Daxijue, were sentenced to life imprisonment.
After Singapore's independence, local overseas Chinese urged Japan to apologize and compensate for the "genocide", but in the end they only got $50 million in compensation. The official still refused to apologize.
Singapore's "cleansing massacre" was the largest civilian massacre in the Pacific War. Along with the Manila Massacre and the Nanjing Massacre, it was listed as the three massacres of civilians by the Japanese army in World War II. 1967 February 15 The memorial hall for the victims was officially completed during the Japanese occupation period. Every February 15, when the Japanese army occupied Singapore, thousands of Singaporeans would come to the Monument Park to burn incense and light candles to pay tribute to the dead.