Limbo
Bo Seng Memorial Singapore
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Lim
Bo Seng was a hero of the Second World War, a Singaporean who
was a Kuomintang member and vigorously raised funds for the China
war efforts from the time of the atrocities in China in 1937 to
the invasion of Malaya. He had to leave Singapore before the arrival
of the Japanese in Singapore leaving behind his wife and children.
He was enlisted by the S.O.E. to negotiate with Chiang
Kai Shek
to recruit Chinese young men for Force 136. He was much respected
by both the European officers and his Chinese colleagues for his
integrity, patriotism, courage and selflessness. He was in one
of the first groups of Force 136 to return to Malay in May 1943.
Unfortunately on his first trip from the jungle into the town
of Ipoh he was arrested by the Japanese, possibly betrayed by
Lai Teck, the M.C.P. Secretary-General who was a double agent
working for the Japanese too. Lim was put in the Ipoh Prison at
Batu Gajah and here he was unmercilessly tortured. The Japanese
wanted the names of the Malaysian Communist Party (M.C.P.) members
and the whereabouts of their hideouts. In spite of great pain
and suffering he would not give in to their demands. Finally he
died from dysentery and was buried in a shallow grave in the jungle
near the prison. At the end of the war his body was exumed and
he was given a proper burial in Singapore after a state funeral.
Later with funds from Hong Kong, a pagoda-like memorial was built
in his memory.
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