Story by Victor Seow
Pix by Law Suun Ting
THE mood was undeniably solemn but the occasion, nonetheless, made everyone appreciative of the peace that we now enjoy in the country.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and members of his administration attended the ceremony held at the Chinese Anti-War Memorial in Air Itam to commemorate 70th anniversary of the end of World War II on Nov 11.
Organised yearly by SJK (C) Kong Min Pusat School Board of Trustees, which manages the memorial site, the ceremony paid tribute to the Chinese people of Penang who lost their lives during the Japanese Occupation of Malaya.
The whitewashed obelisk at the site also serves as a grim reminder of the more than 700 martyrs and members of the anti-Japanese resistance movement in China in the 1930s and 40s who were buried nearby.
While Lim, in his speech, echoed the call for peace, he also reminded all who were present that it was equally important to wage war against the negative elements which still exist in society.
“We are against the atrocities committed during the war. But we are also very much against poverty, ignorance, corruption, extremism and racism which still exist in the community we live in. We can forgive but we shall never forget. We consider not the colour of one’s skin but the contents of his or her abilities. We emphasise not on ideologies but the weight of humanitarian beliefs,” he said.
Also present were SJK (C) Kong Min Pusat School Board of Trustees chairman Datuk Chuang Keng Kung, Chinese consul-general Wu Jun and World War II veteran 97-year old Tai Pin Chuan, who was in tears as he recalled his fallen comrades during the war.
Now a naturalised Canadian citizen, Tai, who was born in Kedah, was 16 years old when he was recruited by the Chinese government as a truck driver to carry ammunition on the Burma-China Road to support the war efforts.
“I was promoted to the rank of major and served in the war for about eight years. I attended the school founded by Chiang Kai-shek and was his student for a good three years,” Tai told members of the media after the ceremony concluded.
if (document.currentScript) {