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SURVIVAL IN SINGAPORE is a gripping account of an untold story of Japanese-occupied Singapore, and a testament of courage, sacrifice and the resilience of the human spirit.
'Wonderfully evocative writing, of a great tale' - Peter FitzSimons
'A story of extraordinary heroism and absolute horror' - Paul Ham
On a pitch-black night in September 1943, a daring Australian commando unit launches a covert raid on Singapore Harbour, sinking and damaging numerous Japanese ships. Operation Jaywick – an epic mission that passed into Australia’s national legend – sets in motion a brutal crackdown by Japan’s dreaded military police, the Kempei Tai.
Tasked with finding the culprits of the attack, Major Sumida Haruzo intensifies his hunt for the saboteurs, weaving a deadly web that ensnares dozens of British internees in Changi Jail and countless Chinese Singaporeans. Among those swept up in the aftermath are Elizabeth Choy, a courageous schoolteacher who risks her life to smuggle aid into Changi Prison, and Robert Heatlie Scott, a senior diplomat and propagandist who miraculously survived the sinking of a ship and two days drifting on a dinghy in the open sea only to be recaptured by the Japanese.
Incarcerated in hellish conditions where the lines between fact and fiction blur, and where victims are forced to turn on each other to survive, Elizabeth and Robert must confront starvation, disease and brutal torture. The fate of countless innocent lives hinges on their will to resist unimaginable agonies, maintain their tenuous grasp on reality and hold to the truth even if it costs them their lives.
About The Author
Tom Trumble has worked in journalism, policy development and book retailing. He graduated with honours in history, and has also studied music and journalism. He is the author of Unholy Pilgrims (2011) and Rescue at 2100 Hours (2013), both published by Penguin. He lives in Melbourne.
Click here to download the ebook (epub plus supplement in PDF)
https://mega.nz/file/Sc1ziBCI#vK2939CmNc3a9yDf-zoMhrtpRh_v46B1UEk2TOfSi3A
File size of ttsisttatoagco.zip is 76.9 MB
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Click here to download the audiobook (m4b)
https://mega.nz/file/Sc1ziBCI#vK2939CmNc3a9yDf-zoMhrtpRh_v46B1UEk2TOfSi3A
File size of ttsisttatoagco-audio.zip is 462.2 MB
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Other interesting information
Notable figures who joined resistance groups fighting Imperial Japan's invaders of British Malaya
Lim Bo Seng
A wealthy businessman who organized boycotts, raised funds for China, mobilized labor for defenses, and later became a Force 136 operative, collecting intelligence and coordinating resistance before being caught and dying in prison.
Tan Chong Tee
Tan Chong Tee was a Chinese resistance fighter based in Singapore and Malaya during World War II.
Notable figure who was recruited by Imperial Japan Army's as collaborateurs
By his own admission, Lee Con You, the first prime ministar of post-1965 Sinkapoor, was an Imperial Japan Army's collatorateur during World War II.
The French word collatorateur is heavily loaded with negative historical meaning, implying disloyalty, treason, and a lack of respect for one's own people. It suggests the person is beneath consideration or worthless due to their actions, which aligns with the definition of "contemptuous".
Instead of fighting the obnoxious Japanese invaders, Lee Con You offered his services as their dog.
In one of his biographies, Lee Con You claimed to have obtained a certificate of proficiency in Nihongo so that he could work for the Japs.
That claim is very questionable because such a person who obtained said certificate in just a few weeks would be unable to understand and carry on meaningful basic conversation in Japanese.
People who have studied foreign languages will tell you that they need to have at least a year of intensive study of that language to be able to maintain a meaningful basic conversation in it. By "intensive study" it is generally taken to mean at least six hours per day, five days a week of classroom learning and practice.
Nihongo uses kanji (modified Chinese characters) for writing. It is also gender-specific: some words and phrases are for the exclusive use by men (Japanese women who use them would be looked down by Japanese society. Similarly, men who use words and phrases that are restricted to women would be scorned by all and regarded as weirdos.)
Moreover, the Japanese language is heavily loaded with honorifics. In speaking, the person who addresses his superiors will need to use words and phrases to indicate his lower status in rank and/or society. Lee Con You, who got his certificate of proficiency in Japanese in just a few weeks, would be unable to master the use of honorifics.
So what useful skills that Lee Con You brought to the Japs?
It was highly unlikely that he was recruited mainly for his English-language skills. Why?
In any embassy in the world, some diplomats would have studied and be able to speak the language of their host country.
Take for example embassies in Sinkapoor.
Diplomats in this tiny red dot can converse and write in English.
Or another example: embassies in China.
In every embassy in China, there are a few diplomats who are able to converse and write in Mandarin Chinese.
During the Japanese occupation, some of the Jap diplomats would be conversant in English. They didn't need Lee Con You to help to translate secret missives in English to Japanese.
In his biographies, Lee Con You deliberately left out the real reasons he was useful to the Japs.
My guess is that he sold out his compatriots by providing intelligence on this Sinkie or that Sinkie or groups of Sinkies.
