DIARY OF A GIRL IN CHANGI, 1941 - 1945

Many of us have read the diary of Anne Frank. But how many of us are aware that there is another diary written by a girl who lived on our local shores around the same time as Anne Frank.

A Diary of a Girl in Changi is a wartime diary kept by a 17-year-old girl imprisoned during World War II. Her account is a girl's point of view about the war and Japanese occupation in Malaya.

This book is available at the Singapore National Library -- Catalog No. English 940.547252092 ALL -[WAR]

ACTIVITY

Please write a short book review below if you have managed to borrow and read this book during the holidays.

Do remember to write your name and class on your review.

ARE RIOTS ENTIRELY BAD?

Photograph (above) - 1964 Racial riots

We need to be thankful that we are living in peaceful times where riots were a thing of the past. As you have read in the History books, Singapore went through a turbulent period in the 1950s and 60s. Many riots took place at that time.

In 1950, we have the infamous Maria Hertogh riots which started when the courts in Singapore under the British government ruled that Maria Hertogh be returned to her Catholic biological parents, after she was raised a Muslim girl. The verdict resulted in a riot where the Muslim community turned violent against the European community. The riot resulted in the death of 18 people and 173 people were injured. Needless to say, the riots also affected businesses and economy with the imposed curfews.

The Anti-National Service riots took place in 1954. The riot came about when the British government in Singapore made it compulsory for males (ages 18-20) to serve National Service. The young Singaporean rioted because they were not willing to serve a foreign government. The riots made the Chinese community more political and it planted the seeds for more anti-British colonial government feelings, which the locals felt at that time that the British were not looking after the welfare of the people enough after WWII.

In 1955, a labour riot took place. Workers of the Hock Lee bus company rioted against the poor working conditions set by the bus company. It was reported that the Hock Lee Bus riot was in fact a politically motivated affair, where the bus workers and Chinese school students vented their anger against the company and the pro-British government at that time.

By 1956, the people became more political, in particularly the students in the Chinese schools. Many of them were pro-communist. When Lim Yew Hock, the Chief Minister of Singapore at that time de-registered and banned two pro-communist organisations. The Chinese students began a series of riots which started at Chung Cheng High School and Chinese High School. The rioting resulted in the death of 13 people and about 100 people were injured and had to be taken to the Singapore General Hospital.

The occurrence of riots in Singapore did not stop after the 1950s. In 1964, a more serious riot took place. This time, it involved the Malays and the Chinese. The 1964 Racial riots resulted in the loss of 23 lives and 454 people were injured. The riots came about when a breakaway group from the main Muslim possession which was celebrating the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad was told by the police to re-join the main party. The group began to attack the policeman, which sparked into a free for all riot.

Photo resource:

Internal Security Department - http://www.mha.gov.sg/isd/ct.htm

ACTIVITY TIME

Study the quote by this famous historical person.

“A riot is the language of the unheard” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Do you agree with this statement? Do you think riots are entirely bad?

Please support your response with evidence and it should have a minimum of 150 words.

It is suggested that you write your response on Microsoft Word to take advantage of its spell-checker before doing a cut and paste it into the box below.

END OF WWII IN ASIA

Photo (above) - A lunar landscape shows the total devastation caused by the A-bomb that many would later claim had saved thousands of lives by ending the war.


World War II in Asia ended with the dropping of two atomic bombs over Japan, in Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August, 1945. American President Harry S. Truman deemed it as a necessary act to protect the Americans at war in the Pacific.

Watch the following videoclip to witness the devastating effects of the A-Bomb on Japan:

Hiroshima Atomic Bomb, 1945 - A Day That Shook the World
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t19kvUiHvAE&feature=related


Photo Resource: Japanfocus.org

ACTIVITY
Seeing the effects of the Atomic Bomb on the Japanese people, do you think that US president, Harry S. Truman's decision to drop the A-bomb on Japan was justified?

Write your comments in the box below.

THE SOOK CHING MASSACRE

Photo (above) Japanese soldiers bayoneting the executed victims of the massacre to ensure that they are really dead.

The Sook Ching massacre took place three days after the fall of Singapore to the Japanese forces on 15 February 1942. It was a sixteen days campaign launched by the Japanese army to eliminate all anti-Japanese elements in the country. Many of those who were tortured and killed were ethnic Chinese who were loyal to the British or had connections to China's anti-Japanese movement (both enemies of Japan). The Japanese also routinely eliminated gang members and troublemakers in the process. In the later stage, even women and children were not spared from the Sook Ching campaign.

It is unclear as to how many people have died from this atrocity as there is a lack of accurate records. Official Japanese figures show that there are around 5,000 people killed, while the Singapore Chinese Community figures shows a shocking total of 100,000.

Till today, no official apology was made by Japan over their atrocities committed in Asia.

Click on the link below to watch a documentary about the Fall of Singapore and the Sook Ching massacre:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRS51StHJGY&noredirect=1


Photo resource: National Archives of Singapore

ACTIVITY
Do you think the Japanese should apologise for their war crimes committed in Asia, given the fact that the war took place 70 years ago? Why?


Write your answers in the comment box below.

WHAT IF RAFFLES HAD NOT FOUNDED SINGAPORE?

By Frances Ess-Ong Hock Lin



Portrait of Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles (1781-1826)
By George Francis Joseph
Source: National Museum of Singapore


Hundreds of ships crossed the Malacca Straits from the 17th century to January 1819. So why did historians decide that when Sir Stamford Raffles did so on Jan 29, 1819, it was a historic event?

This date has passed us by again without much ado. Should we, as a nation, consider once more the role of Raffles in the founding of Singapore?To answer this, consider historian Niall Ferguson's suggestion to imagine alternative outcomes, or counter factual history, as a way of stressing the contingent aspects of history.

What would have happened if he had not landed in Singapore? Would other British ships or British East India Company clerks have "discovered" Singapore sooner or later?

What would have happened if he had landed in Singapore but was not interested in the local Malay history and the quarrel between the two brothers in the Johor sultanate?

What would have happened if the governor of Penang, John Alexander Bannerman, had not written to the Dutch to assure them that Raffles was out of order and thus stopped the Dutch from invading Singapore?

What would have happened if the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 was not signed and trade could not continue in Singapore?

When I consider these questions, I realise that Raffles' interest in the history of the Malay Archipelago was pivotal in the discovery of Singapore. Without it, Raffles would have been unsuccessful in establishing a trading post.However, Singapore was still in danger of failing as a great trading post as he had envisioned. Even the creation of the Raffles Town Plan could not have ensured the growth of Singapore, as it could not continue to grow as a local trading hub.

So what would have happened if the "Highway to India", the Suez Canal, had not opened in 1869, thereby throwing a new lifeline to trade in Singapore?

Even so, what would have happened if botanist Sir Henry Nicholas Ridley, the first director of Singapore's Botanic Gardens, had not promoted the growing of the rubber tree in Malaysia, thus creating the hinterland that ensured our continued growth?

These two counter factual questions seem to indicate that Raffles was responsible for getting the ball rolling, but historical forces beyond his control must be taken into account for the development and growth of Singapore.

One final question: If Raffles had not established a trading post in 1819, sooner or later, would anyone else have, considering that the opening of the Suez Canal would demand a hub in the rich but long India-China trade route?

My conclusion is that Raffles had been there 50 years earlier, and it was lucky for Singapore that he had a deep interest in history.

A final word - speculation is free but history is expensive. Perhaps, this is why Singaporeans do not really care if Jan 29 has any significance in our collective memory.

The writer is an educator.


Source:
Today Paper (online) 30 Jan 2012
Copyright 2012 MediaCorp Pte Ltd | All Rights Reserved

Activities 1 & 2


1) The founding of Singapore was just the beginning. Read the above article and describe the "historical forces" that promoted Singapore's growth and development as a trading port.


2) In your own words, tell us what may happen if Raffles had not founded Singapore on Jan 29, 1819.


Write your answers in the comment box below.

WELCOME 2012!

Welcome to a brand new school year and your very first History blogging session for the year!

Before we begin the session, it is important to remind ourselves of some rules for using the computer labs and blogging:

On Use of Computer Labs

• I will listen carefully to all instructions given by the teacher before I begin.
• I will raise my hand to ask, if I have any questions related to the blogging session.
• I will use indoor voices in the computer lab at all times.
• I will not disturb others during the lesson.
• I will only do what I am assigned to do on the computer.
• I will not visit other websites without explicit permission from the teacher.
• I will keep the computer labs clean and in proper order when I leave.

On Blogging

• I must write only in Standard English.
• I will be mindful of the content I put on the blog - I will not hurt others and be a disgrace to myself (i.e. use of offensive words, pictures, media, etc.).
• The teacher has the right to request student(s) to amend/remove any undesirable or offensive content written without giving any reason.
• Disciplinary action could be taken against non-compliance of these rules.

Please acknowledge by typing the following sentence in the comment box below and submit:

I have read and understood all the above rules and I am ready for my blogging session!
Name (Reg. No):
Class: