65 years on, fallen Borneo defenders remembered

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LABUAN: Foreign dignitaries, families, relatives and friends gathered yesterday to attend the annual memorial service for 3,908 soldiers and resistance fighters who gave their lives defending Borneo against the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II.

Some relatives of the fallen soldiers and resistance fighters.

Some relatives came from Australia, United Kingdom, New Zealand and India for the Remembrance Day to honour the fallen Borneo defenders 65 years after the end of the war.

Among the foreign dignitaries present at the War Memorial were Deputy British High Commissioner to Malaysia Ray Kyles, Honorary Consul of New Zealand High Commissioner to Brunei Daniel Ng, Defence Adviser to the Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia Colonel Stephen Tulley and Defence advisor to the Indian High Commissioner to Malaysia Colonel Y. S Ahlawat.

Also present were Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Labuan Corporation Idris Jusoh, Labuan Chamber of Commerce President Datuk Francis Tee, Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Dahlif Singh and other local leaders.

The event saw Muslims, Christians and Hindus praying for the dead at their respective corners.

A two-minute silence was observed as a mark of respect for the dead, followed by the laying of wreaths at the main memorial monument by the dignitaries.

The service, which started at 8.30am, ended around 11.30am with the police band playing the ‘Auld Lang Syne’.