CNY 1942 - Dodging the Japanese army

By: Lee Chia Chee

“To me, ‘Bang, bang, bang!’ was not the sound of firecrackers, but it reminded me of the rifles, and other deadly weapons!” exclaimed Tan Ken.

Lion dance rocked the house.

Tan Ken, a full-time housewife, was born in 1927, growing up in Banting, Morib.

Her significant memory about celebrating Chinese New Year (CNY) was frozen in the year of 1942, during the invasion of the Japanese soldiers in Malaya.

“During the time, Japanese treated Chinese in Malaya brutally while they tried to retaliate and suppress Chinese’s support against their invasion in China,” Tan recalled.

“People suffered incessantly with the Japanese army and Kempeitai (secret police) everywhere.

“From time to time, Japanese killed men who allegedly conducted anti-Japanese activities,while the girls were heard of either being raped or recruited to work as nurses and factory workers with a good salary – only to find out they would become comfort ladies to the soldiers later on.

“Everyday when I was 15, even on CNY, my parents wanted me to put on torned, patchy clothes; they also rubbed mud or ash all over my whole body! I became aggravated as I learnt that it was not to be removed, even on special occasions,” Tan muttered.

Tan and her family relocated three times within two years, from their town to a rubber estate, and eventually forced and evacuated into the jungle by the Japanese army.

“We spent CNY like any other day, taking care of each other, with only kerosene lamps to last the whole night until dawn breaks through.

“We bathed by using water we drew from the wells we found in the rubber estate and the jungle.”

No red packets during Japanese occupation period in Malaya.

“Money was useless, so, there were no red pockets for the children.

“Nevertheless, my parents would give me more homemade tapioca cookies to eat while the rest of the cookies were hidden in a pillow case and delegated to my other family members.

“Once we heard the rumbling of a truck in the distance, we all fled deep into jungle, bringing along our cookies and clothes,” Tan described.

Although uncertain of what tomorrow would bring them, they had always survived.

None died from torture or other atrocities.

Family celebrating CNY with snake zodiac t-shirts.

Tan emphasized: “We survived because we had a strong and firm bond amongst ourselves, no matter how hard the circumstances were.”

"Harmony brings prosperity to the family."

 “CNY in 1942 came with hostile planes flying overhead, bombs attacking here and there, and also the sounds of rifles going 'Bang, bang, bang!' – the war that brought death to Malaya.

“Japanese intruded Malaya during the year of the snake, and ever since then, the war extinguished bit by bit, ultimately dying, resting together with my memories.

Praying to heavenly god and goddess for prosperity.

“70 years later, again in the lunar year of the snake zodiac – I hear another ‘bang, bang, bang,’ the sounds of firecrackers, this time - blossoming, bringing blessing and prosperity to our family.

Gathering time is gambling time today.

“The most important tradition we carry on is our strong bond as one family, cherishing it together.

“Not many children know about the historical story of Morib other than it is a famous beach today – in fact, Morib was the first landing point of British Allies into Malaya who ended the Japanese invasion in September 1945.”

Tan proudly says, “I am from Morib and my children know.”