Sunday, January 6, 2013

Tale Of the 'Death Railway' Continues?

We have all heard of the infamous 'Death Railway' or at least seen the movie 'Bridge Over The River Kwai' even though many of us had not yet born then (yours truly included) or were then too small to understand much.

That was one dark chapter in Malaysian history, when about 30,000 Malaysians were forcefully recruited by the Nipponese soldiers during WW11 (World World Two) to build the railway of death in then Burma in the 1940s.

I don't know if there are any more of the Malaysian survivors left. But certainly their families are still around.

Those forced to work on the Death Railway must have suffered terribly. We have all heard of the cruelty the Japanese soldiers were capable of. The atrocities they committed are well documented.

It was only proper then that Japan made reparation for the suffering they had inflicted on those forced to work on the Death Railway.

Had Japan done so? Had the victims received reparation? Or their families?

This is news to me 

It seemed that the money had been handed over in the 1990s. That must be during Mahathir's time.

If indeed the money had been paid over to Malaysia, the government must let the people know whether and when and how and to whom the reparation had been distributed.

Not to do so is criminal, if not unconscionable and morally reprehensible.

Najib and his administration can't just bury their heads in the sand again

But if this piece of news is true, I am bamboozled.

The money paid over to the Malaysian government as 'blood money' used to set up the Malaysian International Shipping Corporation (MISC)?

And who at one time owned MISC and what happened to MISC then 

And whether MISC later helped to bailout a shipping company allegedly belonging to a son of a former prime minister?

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Kluang's Little Bangsar

Kluang's Little Bangsar
Click To Visit

Kamini's Indian Wedding - Click To Visit

Kamini's Indian Wedding - Click To Visit
I attended my neighbour's daughter's Indian wedding dinner at the Sentul HGH Convention Centre. Click for a peek

Yasmin Ahmad - Click To Visit

Yasmin Ahmad - Click To Visit
Yasmin Ahmad was arguably Malaysia's best story-teller, filmmaker and advertiser. She was well known for her Petronas commercials and had won numerous international awards including the Golden Lion award for the 'Tan Ming Hong In Love' commercial. Her feature film Sepet not only garnered her several international awards including for Best Asian Film but also drew multi-racial audiences that rarely happens for a local film.

Genting Highlands - Click To Visit

Genting Highlands - Click To Visit
Genting Highlands Is A Popular Retreat With A Casino

Batu Caves - Click To Visit

Batu Caves - Click To Visit
Malaysia's Famous Landmark. Note The Statue Of Lord Muruga And The 272 Steps To The Temple Cave In The Background

Petronas Twin Towers And KLCC Park - Click To Visit

Petronas Twin Towers And KLCC Park - Click To Visit
Petronas Twin Towers Are Still The World's Tallest Twin Towers

Some Early Morning Views Of KL City Skyline - Click To Visit

Some Early Morning Views Of KL City Skyline - Click To Visit
Some early morning views of the KL city sykline I took from the 3rd floor of the KL Court with a low-pixel hand-phone camera

Kluang Town - Click To Visit

Kluang Town - Click To Visit
Kluang was a sleepy hollow, but is fast becoming a bustling town. You can't miss the bust-shaped gunung Lambak lording over the place and the town is well known for its tv brand coffee powder

Kluang RailCoffee

Kluang RailCoffee
The Kluang railway station coffee shop, now re-branded Kluang RailCoffee, is well known for its cuppa of coffee and the charcaol grilled piping hot buns oozing with butter and kaya...It used to attract standing-room only crowds. It still does, but the last time I was there it wasn't a good experience for me. The famous coffee had somewhat lost its oomph and even the buns...The shop has a long and noted history being first opened for business in 1938 and the place is now run by the 3rd generation LIm family. I hope the next time I return, the coffee would regain its oomph. Click to read more...