The Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society on Saturday held an event to honor the thousands of prisoners of war who endured hardship, and in many cases lost their lives, at camps in Taiwan and elsewhere in East Asia during World War II.
Participants observed a moment of silence after remarks by guests that recalled what they endured.
The 2001 film To End All Wars, which depicts the story of prisoners at a Japanese camp during World War II, was screened.
The event was held on Far East Prisoners of War Day, a day of tribute to those held by the Japanese during World War II, including at 16 sites in Taiwan.
According to the society’s research, 4,373 prisoners, including British, Australian and Dutch nationals, were held in Taiwan at 14 camps and two temporary evacuation camps from August 1942 to September 1945.
More than 400 of them died in Taiwan, it said.
The idea for the day of remembrance was conceived by a group of former prisoners and their families and friends, as well as historians in the UK.
Society chairman Michael Hurst, who has studied the history of Taiwan’s prisoner of war camps for 23 years, said that the prisoners, including civilian internees such as nurses, engineers and other members of the armed forces, endured horrific mental and physical torture at the camps.
For those who made it home, many continued to suffer because no one cared for them due to the general desire among many to let go of the pain brought by the war, he said.
Hurst thanked the government for supporting his efforts to raise awareness of the history of prisoners of war and said he was glad that knowledge of wartime events was growing among Taiwanese.
“It’s been very rewarding and I think the word is spreading,” said Hurst, who initiated the effort to construct monuments at former prisoner of war camp sites in Taiwan.
He plans to establish a museum in Taiwan to educate people about former prisoners’ stories, which he described as “unique, but not as well-known as the Bridge on the River Kwai,” referencing the real-life events of the film about British prisoners of war at a Japanese camp in what was then Burma.
“One of the things I want to do is to open a POW museum either in Taipei or New Taipei City. That’s going to be a big project. We are going to need help from the central government and local governments,” he said.
Hurst is also working on a book that tells the stories of the camps, which is to be released this year.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
PLANNED: The suspect visited the crime scene before the killings, seeking information on how to access the roof, and had extensively researched a 2014 stabbing incident The suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei on Friday had planned the assault and set fires at other locations earlier in the day, law enforcement officials said yesterday. National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said the suspect, a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen (張文), began the attacks at 3:40pm, first setting off smoke bombs on a road, damaging cars and motorbikes. Earlier, Chang Wen set fire to a rental room where he was staying on Gongyuan Road in Zhongzheng District (中正), Chang Jung-hsin said. The suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits
Taiwan has overtaken South Korea this year in per capita income for the first time in 23 years, IMF data showed. Per capita income is a nation’s GDP divided by the total population, used to compare average wealth levels across countries. Taiwan also beat Japan this year on per capita income, after surpassing it for the first time last year, US magazine Newsweek reported yesterday. Across Asia, Taiwan ranked fourth for per capita income at US$37,827 this year due to sustained economic growth, the report said. In the top three spots were Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong, it said. South
RSS