Rowland (second right) hands over to Hilmy an artwork depicting the POWs in the Batu Lintang Camp back during the WWII, as Lim (right) looks on.
KUCHING: Family members of Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (Anzac) veterans from Australia are looking to add another World War II (WWII) monument to commemorate Japan’s surrender on Sept 11, 1945.
According to Sarawak Tourism Federation (STF) Heritage Development Committee chairman Datuk Lim Kian Hock, these families with the Australia Borneo Exhibition Group would want to set the proposed monument up on a site in Pending, where the Japanese signed the documents marking their surrender more than 70 years ago.
“The Japanese signed the papers on Sept 11, 1945 at around 2.30pm. Afterwards, at about 5.30pm, the prisoners of war (POWs) at Batu Lintang were told that they were free,” he told reporters after paying a courtesy call on Kuching South Deputy Mayor Hilmy Othman yesterday, where the former brought together with him delegates from Australia Borneo Exhibition Group, led by its chairman Ryan Rowland.
The families of the Anzac veterans had expressed their hope for their proposal to be a meaningful addition to other memorial sites across the city, namely the Batu Lintang WWII Memorial Square at Batu Lintang Teachers Education Institute (IPG), and the WWII Heroes Grave at Jalan Taman Budaya.
Nine students under the Partnership of Australia, Sabah and Sarawak (PASS) programme – including two from here – were among the delegates.
It is learnt that they are here to study the history of how Borneo achieved its peace.
It is also said that the Australian group arrived here yesterday and would proceed to visit other key WWII sites across the state capital before leaving tomorrow.