"This memorial that looks more like a tombstone, was built atop a mass grave where there was a huge massacre of local Chinese by the Japanese in their cleansing operation of 1942."
This World War II memorial, located in a large clearing near a palm oil estate, is situated 20 metres off the main road to Bahau (35km from Bahau town). It is another remnant of war, evidence of how violence and cruelty can result in death and destruction of human lives, reminiscent of a time when human lives were of no value. This memorial that looks more like a tombstone, was built atop a mass grave where there was a huge massacre of local Chinese by the Japanese in their "cleansing operation" of 1942.
The Chinese villagers of Kampung Sungai Lui were accused of giving assistance and provisions to the Communist guerrillas, thus posing a threat to Japanese security. A total of 399 villagers were killed in this bloody massacre, including women and children. After the war, their descendents erected this memorial as a display of the cruelty and violence of war that trepassed the boundaries of human rights. This white memorial stands seven feet high, with a narrative of this tragic event written on it in red paint. Ironically, the group of visitors who visit this memorial annually on 23rd December are from the Land of the Rising Sun.
