KUCHING: A Twilight Dedication Service was held at the World War II Heroes Grave Memorial in Jalan Taman Budaya here today in conjunction with the visit of Anzac Veterans and Students Exchange tour.
At the service, president of Borneo Exhibition Group, Western Australia Ryan Rowland laid wreaths on the graves of the fallen Australian heroes, while Assistant Minister for Tourism, Art and Culture Datuk Lee Kim Shin, chairman of Ex-Police Association of Malaysia, Sarawak ASP (Rtd) Benjamin Gerisik Jais and the Malaysian army represented by Datuk Stephen Mundaw, a retired Lt. General laid wreaths for the fallen Malaysian police and army respectively.
Lee, in his speech, said the occasion was important to remember all Malaysian and Australian heroes who had contributed their selfless service and had sacrificed their lives for the peace and unity of this country.
He also paid special tribute to those Australian army personnel who had sacrificed their lives, including those prisoners of war (POW) who were executed by the Japanese Kempeitai while being detained at the Batu Lintang Camp and Stapok Road here in 1944 (during the Japanese occupation) for being loyal to the cause of freedom by rendering assistance to the Allied Prison of War in the POW camp here.
“Their sacrifices gave us the peace and harmony we enjoy today,” he said, adding there should not be any war and everyone should treasure peace and harmony.
He said the huge amount of money spent to purchase expensive weapons should be used for beneficial things like food and for development purposes.
“War doesn’t help mankind but destroy mankind and why should we go to war?” he asked.
In conjunction with today’s event, the Ex-Police Association also had taken the initiative to install a Royal Malaysia Police, Sarawak component memorial plaque to commemorate and pay tribute to their fallen unsung police heroes who lost their lives in security operations in Sarawak in the defence of the country and state.
Their names are proudly inscribed in the memorial plaque comprising 77 police heroes, a majority of them were Sarawak Border Scouts, together with 26 personnel from the Police Field Force, Special Branch and General Duty.
Most of the Border Scouts were killed in action in the remote Sibu Division at the height of the Sarawak Communist Insurgency between 1970-1972. – Bernama
