Originally posted by idwar:
The Syonan Sinbun often reports that youth rushed to join these services. This was true. Most of the recruits were Malays.
If this is true then they taint the heroic sacrifice made by Lt. Adnan Saidi and his 40 other Malay soldiers of the 1st Malay Regiment. These guys fought till they ran out of ammo and continued to resist Jap attacks with bayonets. They held out for 48 hours until captured and slain by the Japs in cold blood. So much for the Japs respecting worthy adversaries. Respect does not mean they won't kill you.
But the Australians also accused some Malays in Malaysia of acting as fifth columnist spies for the Japs. One account told of a Malay farmer who dug a long ditch pointing at a Allied HQ building in the jungle. He then filled the ditch with water so that it reflected sunlight to Jap attack aircrafts. The building was demolished with a direct hit killing many officers.
I'm very curious also about how the different races fared during the Occupation.
War brings out the worst and the best of different people.