大象传媒

In 1940 I was one of the 2.5 million people from the Indian Sub Continent(India,Pakistan and Bangladesh), who volunteered to join the british army and help in the war effort against the japanese forces in the Far East.
While I was stationed in Singapore as a soldier in the british army and as the advancing japanese army attacked Singapore, our superiors decided to surrender to the japanese armed forces.
We were captured by the japanese army and transported to 'changi' pow camp, where I stayed for one year in terrible conditions!
In 1942 we were transferred by the the japanese army to a new location at a pow camp in New Guinea( where I stayed for 3 years). We worked day and night constantly cutting down trees and bushes in the jungles for the construction of the roads and bridges and other hard tasks!
We were treated very badly and held in terrible conditions by the japanese army,
until we were liberated by the Allied forces in 1945.
Recently in 2001, I applied for pow compensation from the british governent, but was refused, because I was not a 'british citizen' at the time of the conflict,even though I gave my blood sweat and tears to this country!
Thank you.

Mr. M.H. Khan

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.