KUCHING: The son of a former British prisoner of war in Bau, Colin Hygate, is in Sarawak looking for the exact location of the Japanese internment camp where his father was detained from 1942 until his release in 1945.
Colin, now 77, now began his search in February 2019 and so far, he has not found it even though he sought the help of local folk.
His father was the late Len Hygate, from England who worked as an accountant in Singapore in 1935 before he was arrested by the Japanese army in 1942 during the Second World War.
He was then transported to the prison camp in Bau where he endured years of difficult labour and deprivation.
Colin revealed this during his talk entitled “Surviving the Sword” organised by Sarawak Heritage Society in Kuching on Wednesday (March 1).
During the talk, he shared his father’s experience as a Japanese prisoner of war from 1942 until his release in 1945.
Colin explained that he wanted to find the site of the prison camp because he wanted people to know about it and remind them of what happened during the war.
“We want people to understand that this is a little part of their heritage and if it was found, we will erect an information board on that specific location.
“On that information board, the background and the history about the camp will be explained as well,” he said.
Colin believed that the camp was near near Kampung Poak (also known Kampun Puak) in Bau) and if found, it could be turned into a tourist attraction.
He pointed out that many areas around Kampung Poak were currently being developed for tourism by the government.
He vowed he would not stop search for the campsite until he found it.
