THE PLIGHT of THE PRISONERS of WAR (POWs) : JAPANESE TREATMENT of THE POWs
In the early unrestricted days, prisoners were able to interact freely with those from various barracks, participate in swimming parties and enjoy leisure activities. The conditions worsened as the Japanese imposed a restrictive and strict regime upon the inmates - food rations were reduced and the inadequacy of nutrients made the POWs susceptible to all sorts of illnesses and diseases. The Japanese also discovered that the large number of the POWs could be utilized as cheap labour and be put to work for repairing damaged dockyards, roads, buildings, godowns and equipment.
1. The Work Teams
To victors, the vanquished must bow. Upon the surrender, all British troops laid down their arms and assembled at Changi. The POWs were organized into work parties to clear the dead bodies and clean up the rubble of war. These work teams were a cheap source of labour and soon their scope of work grew from working at the docks to the building of monuments like the Syonan Chureito War Memorial for the Japanese war dead, and looking into infrastructural development such as the infamous Death Railway at Kanchanaburi, Siam.
2. Social Activities
Roberts Barracks (south-east of Fairy Point and due south of Temple Hill)was turned into a hospital. The POWs restored water and power to the camp. Changi Prison was transformed into the "University of Changi" by POWs and classes ranging from languages to mathematics to Egyptology were conducted. Leisure activities such as concerts and boxing tournaments were also organized. Letters were allowed to be sent to relatives in foreign countries only after censorship. However, this process was notoriously slow - incoming letters could took up to a year or two in arriving.
3. Torture and Death
In addition to losing their numbers to malnutrition, contagious diseases, and fatigue from forced labour arising from work parties, the prisoners-of-war were subjected to several other forms of attrition at the hands of the Japanese soldiers. The Japanese were not signatories of the Geneva Convention. As such, they did not conduct their treatment of the POWs under their charge to the stipulation laid down by the Geneva Convention. Two main incidents stood out in the life of the POWs in Changi Prison. These were the infamous Selarang Barracks Square Incident and Double Tenth Incident.
3.1 Selarang Barracks Square Incident
(Selarang Barracks - south of Roberts Barracks, straddling the Changi Road about a mile from Changi Jail)
The Japanese guards tried to coerce the POWs into signing a document pledging that they would not try to escape. This had followed the botched escape attempt by four young POWs. The POWs and their commanders all refused to sign the document since it was in direct violation of the Geneva Convention which stated that POWs were allowed to take their own chance at escape. To "persuade" and "soften" the resolute POWs, the Japanese first assembled 15,400 POWs in a parade square meant to hold only 1,200 persons for about a week to pressure them into giving in. When that failed to dent the resolution of the POWs, the Japanese took their four captured comrades down to Changi beach and executed them in front of their senior officers. Still that did not weaken the will and resolution of the POWs. It was only at the threat of an epidemic outbreak because of the cramped conditions that the offensive document was signed. The POWs were told by their senior officers to sign the document with the understanding that they did so under duress.
3.2. Double-Tenth Incident, 10th October 1943
While the Allied forces may have lost the battle for Malaya and Singapore, they and some of the local resistance forces never went away entirely. These groups were reorganized and turned to guerrilla warfare. The Highland Infantry Battalion, a remnant of the Allied forces, was one such group. It bombed seven Japanese ships in Keppel Harbour on 27 September 1943 under the leadership of Major Lyon. This action, however, had detrimental repercussions for their imprisoned comrades. On 10th October 1943, the Kempeitei descended on the Changi internees. Radio sets were seized and fifty inmates were interrogated and tortured. Civilians, such as Elizabeth Choy and her husband, who were suspected of helping interned POWs to conduct espionage activities, were also captured and tortured.
4. The British Return and Emancipation
It was not until the return of the British that the POWs gained back their precious freedom. By then, scores had died under the tough work schedules and the lack of nutritious food. The stories of the POWs were reflections of strong human will and determination as seen in the brief existence of the University of Changi and various sketches, such as those exhibited in the Haxworth Collection. All these highlight the strength and zest for life that the POWs had.^^^
