Feature Articles

• Remembrance Week 2009 - Visit To Taiwan by Peter Bowkett
• A Man Sent From God
  This is the story of a true hero of World War II - the Canadian doctor - Major Ben Wheeler, who gave himself to help his fellow prisoners of war in the infamous "Kinkaseki" Japanese POW camp on the island of Taiwan (formerly known as Formosa).
• Think About It!
  Over the past couple of years as I have gone about my daily routine of life, I have often been suddenly jolted by reality as I compared what I was doing at that very moment to how it must have been for the POWs here on Taiwan those many years ago.
• The Truth About The Numbers In Singapore !
  Not far into the film they highlighted the Battle for Singapore and I was shocked at what I heard. Once again, as so many times before, the statement was made that the British “lost” Singapore to a Japanese force that numbered one third that of the British forces defending the island fortress. I was outraged that after all this time and with so much accurate information available, such a blatant mistake would be aired.
• The Rest Of The Story
  For more than a year I had been searching to try to find out which hellship L/Sgt. Alan T. Bowman of the 125th Anti-tank Reg't. had been on when he was brought to Taiwan in mid-September 1944.
• Further Japanese Atrocities on Taiwan During WW II Recently Come to Light
   In a letter we received in the autumn of 2000, we learned of further atrocities committed against prisoners of war on Taiwan by the Japanese in the closing days of the war.
• Japan’s Unwarranted Criticisms
  We recently received an article relating to the news that Japan had condemned the atrocities committed by American troops on some of the Iraqi prisoners of war. While these acts are certainly not right and should be condemned, as the following article points out, Japan is hardly in any position to criticize the actions of a few soldiers when their entire military was responsible for the slaughter of tens of thousands of prisoners of war held under their jurisdiction during World War II.
• Forgotten Nation . . . Forgotten Heroes – A South African Remembers
  Among the more than 4300 allied prisoners of war held on Taiwan during World War II there were two South Africans. Mark Wilkie, a South African, has given us a message on remembrance with regards to South Africa’s involvement in the War against Japan – little of which is known or remembered today. We must never forget the contribution given by ALL those who fought and died for our freedom!
• The Other Commonwealth POWS
  In addition to the British, American, Dutch and Australian POWs who made up the majority of the prisoners held by the Japanese in Taiwan during World War II, there were three Canadians, two South Africans and one New Zealander who were held in camps in Taiwan for various periods of time.
• Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society Director Awarded the M.B.E.
  Michael Hurst, the Founder and Director of the Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society, traveled to London England in October 2002 to receive a very special award - Member of the Order of the British Empire.

Standing up to Japan...

The following group of articles deal with the need for the Western World’s leaders and true freedom-loving, democratic people to stand up to Japan despite its economic might and its blatant arrogance and disregard for its past deeds in World War II.

• Op-ad in New York Times to object to Japan’s UN Bid Stern demand on the eve of the UN’s 60th General Assembly for Japan to sincerely apologize for war crimes and redress victims
  To call for the international society to make a concerted effort to pressure the Japanese government to apologize for the war crimes Japan committed during the Second World War and to redress victims, organizations worldwide such as the Global Alliance for Preserving the History of WWII in Asia will organize a series of events in New York City on the eve of the inaugural meeting of UN’s 60th General Assembly (Monday, September 12th).
• History Groups Demand Japan to Fully Accept War Responsibilities
  The Rape of Nanking Redress Coalition and several affiliated World War II Truth in History groups – including the Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society, are demanding that Japan bring proper closure to all pending WW II issues on the 60th anniversary of the end of the war this V-J Day. 
• It's Time to Say No to Japan...
  Recent anti-Japanese protests in China and South Korea attest to the bitterness that still exists in much of the Far East today – after 60 years, over Japan’s failure to own up to its past. It is time for Japan to come clean - to acknowledge and admit and apologize for its wartime atrocities. Japan is trying to get a seat on the Security Council at the United Nations but a great many people – more than twenty million so far - all over the world, are saying an emphatic “NO” to this. Please click on the additional links to sign the petition to stop Japan from obtaining this world position and also to take part in CNN's online survey.
• More on the Issue - CNN ceases poll...
  It was noticed on Monday April 18th that CNN had ceased its worldwide poll on whether people thought Japan should have a seat in the new UN Security Council. Up to that point – with almost 6 million ballots cast, the result showed 98% of those who responded saying an emphatic “NO”.
• Koizumi’s Apology...
  OK – so Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi makes an apology in Jakarta before the representatives of many countries’ governments – so what! Firstly, it was purely a “personal” apology and not endorsed by the Japanese Diet, and secondly it was most likely just a ploy to try to smooth relations with China and Korea at a time when Japanese business interests in China are in deep jeopardy. It was also done to try to FOOL the western governments and media into thinking that this is an official apology and that everything should now be alright between Japan and its neighbours.