Untold DE Death March working paper
Published on: Sunday, August 01, 2021
By: Kan Yaw Chong
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The Zudin Platform atop Taviu Forest Reserve in honour of the Death March direct witness.
To cut the story short, they are the direct impact of a Daily Express nine-part series Special Reports on two amazing direct witnesses of Sabah’s infamous 1945 Death March.
I say “amazing” because 70 years after the Death March, two direct witnesses were found to be still alive in late 2016 right up to 2018 when both died! Tuaty was a mid-track Death March track cutter, Zudin was a mid-track ammunition porter, both recruited by the Japanese Imperial Army.
So who would know better exactly where the long lost mid-track went.
The beauty was Tuaty and Zudin were discovered at a time when Lynette Silver and the late Dr Kevin Smith were locked in a heated dispute through their own articles in the Daily Express.
Dr Smith insisted the mid-track went to Labuk Valley.
Lynette insisted it went through Taviu Valley.
On the basis of a 1947 mud map drawn by the Australian Body Discovery team, the evidence pointed in favour of Taviu Valley argued by Lynette and Daily Express took that mud map as true.
When Dr Smith suggested Daily Express erred thereby pulling the paper into their dispute, I asked Tham to arrange a meeting with Tuaty and Zudin to hear straight from the horse’s mouth.
Tham must have driven me four times to Telupid and as far as Beluran to meet the duo.
Two direct witnesses for historical accuracy
To cut a long story short, both Tuaty and Zudin confirmed Taviu Valley was the correct Death March mid track.
It never went to the Labuk Valley.
When I repeatedly asked Tuaty Akau: “Are you sure you didn’t cut the track to Labuk Valley?” He got impatient and raised his voice, “No”.
A supremely important point here is accuracy. Daily Express did everything it could to ensure historical accuracy.
And so Tuaty Gallery and Zudin Platforms marked the accurate entry and exit points of Death March mid track, about 25km apart!
But what was interesting was Daily Express Editor-in-Chief James Sarda took a keen notice of the tussles between the two Aussie war historians fought in the paper and my subsequent nine-part series on the interviews with Tuaty and Zudin.
So James picked up the phone one day in 2017, called then Chief Conservator of Forest, Datuk Sam Mannan, and said since the mid-track passed through two major forest reserves, why not exercise his jurisdictional power to “demarcate the accurate Death March route for posterity.”
Mannan saw historical sense in this unusual proposal and asked James to do a “Working Paper”, which James did, entitled “A Working Paper on Establishing A Proper and Accurate Death March Route For The Benefit of History, Tourism in Sabah”, dated 2017.
Bear in mind that this working paper was written in 2017, way before the Covid-19 pandemic and read it in that context some of which are not implementable now. Here it goes:
“This working paper hopes to show how the Death March can help reap dividends for Sabah as a new tourism product that encompasses three tourism aspects all of which have a wide following.
“They are War Tourism, Eco-Tourism and Sports Tourism.”
An explanation follows:
War Tourism
“The creation of a living historical adventure trail would attract those willing to know and experience what some 2,000 Allied troops went through during the closing stages of the war when they were forced to mark 260km in the state of sickness, disease and starvation during that resulted in deaths of all but six who managed to escape from their Japanese captors.
“It will serve as permanent connection for all those who had family members and friends who died in the march, especially the allied troops who may be encouraged to visit and experience the route in years to come, thus becoming a meaningful War Tourism product.
“Also those not connected to the victims but who sympathised with what they went through.”
Ecotourism
“The trail because it cuts through forest reserves will offer a great jungle experience for those who wish to experience nature and its diverse flora and fauna.
“It will also take some pressure off the other two destinations like Danum Valley and Maliau Basin.”
Sports tourism
“Extreme sports that test human ability is the trend the world over and many participants are well-heeled executives who go all over the world in search of new challenges. It is sure to attract extreme sports enthusiasts from all over the world as with the Spartan Race etc. Because it involves crossing various terrains and across rivers on a route steeped in history, it may become an event of global significance. I suggest it be named Borneo Death March Run and cover the entire actual route over two days,” James noted.
Things to look into
1. The entire trail must be clearly marked and maintained with notices along intervals of every kilometre which will have resting areas made from belian or other hardwood and a gravity pipe plus separate private Balinese-style baths using gravity water for men and women.
2. Part of the trail, perhaps the route that was earlier in dispute, could be named after key persons connected to the Death March. I suggest those six survivors be among them with a trail of one kilometre named after each. In addition, the trail should also honour the locals who helped the escapees as well as the two gentlemen (Tuaty Akau and Zudin) who despite their advanced age helped to confirm the actual route that was almost lost to debate. Also a kilometre each to be named after the Chief Minister (Musa’s Trail), Forest Conservator (Sam’s Trail), Tham Yau Kong (Tham’s Trail) for his tireless efforts and locating the two last survivors, Lynette Silver (Lynette’s Trail), who has done so much work on war history in this part of Borneo and Daily Express (Daily Express Trail) for being a strategic partner from the beginning.
3. Every kilometre stop should have life size engraved copper replicas of a group of five or six allied troops in their decimated state being followed by a Japanese soldier with bayonet rifle. This was to give an idea of how the March was conducted as well as an identity for photographs and souvenirs (T-shorts etc).
4. The trails must be well maintained by Parks and Forestry Department where its course enters these areas. The fees for maintaining it could be included in payment by tourists and runners.
5. A historical narrative erected at the start and end of the route as well as in the areas that the six escaped and shorter explanation of the route at 1km intervals.
6. There will be a Mini Museum with café at the start and end of the trail with the relevant pictures and important reading materials related to the event. The impression this should leave on the visitor should be one of “how come I did not know this or taught about it at school”.
“There should also be information on those who died at the hands of the Japanese although not part of the Death March. These brave people should also be remembered and I believe the grandfather Datuk Sam was among them,” James opined.
“The relevance of this is for the public to realise that it took the courage of different nationalities to resist the brutal occupation of this land. There is a group of locals who are of the view that the lives of those who were brought here by the British and were killed by the Japanese does not matter because they were not Sabahans,” James wrote in 2017.
Mannan acted on DE Working Paper – built Tuaty Gallery & Zudin Platform
Upon this proposal from James, Mannan clearly sought Lynette’s opinion who did a Working Paper of her own.
I remember Mannan chaired the meeting in May 2017 at Forestry Department Headquarters Sandakan, to discuss Lynette Working Paper, attended by Tham, myself, Fred Kugan, an architect, Lynette and husband Neil. Another meeting was held at the Telupid District Forestry Training Centre Chaired by Indra, followed by two field visits, one to Bauto, with some trees along a trail being marked inside Tawai Forest Reserve and next, a dash to Lolosing Taviu Forest Reserve, where in both cases, drones were used to map the areas.
The next thing I knew months later was a posh Tuaty Gallery was built in late 2018, followed by a magnificent Zudin Platform atop Taviu Forest Reserve overlooking Lolosing but sadly by then, Zudin had died in April 2018, and Tuaty had died in September 2018. Both never saw the monuments built in their honour.
For reasons unknown, the two monuments were never officially declared open since their completion in 2018.
Tham drove me to Tuaty Gallery in mid 2018 before the information panels were filled 2018. I have not seen it since.
But even with the mud map drawn by the Australian Army Body Recovery team, Tham and his band of local boys from Kiau spent nearly 10 years between 2005 to 2016 to pinpoint the precise track between Bauto and Lolosing, especially where the infamous deep gorge and big climb is covered hidden in thick jungles in Taviu Forest Reserve.
A tribute to this determined marathon search for the accurate long lost mid-track path should be a must information display in Tuaty Gallery, naming all the dozen or so individuals, before it is opened. But Daily Express heard no such dedicated piece is up.
DE Chief Editor reopened case for Death March history with Mannan
For some reasons, James reopened the case last week with Mannan who is now the Technical Advisor (Forestry) to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, and Mannan replied with a letter addressed to Current Chief Conservator of Forests, Fred Kugan entitled “Upgrading of Death March Train And Facilities: Forestry Historical Tourism”.
“Please find herewith, a proposal from James Sarda, the Chief Editor of Daily Express. We have the Sibuga Forest Reserve facilities at Taman Rimba, the original Prisoner of War Camp, and the other two facilities along the route that I had commissioned, before I left. I believe the two newest facilities are complete, along the Telupid Road.”
“In my opinion, with the assistance of knowledgeable and passionate people, the facilities can be upgraded. They will be especially so, once Covid is controlled as ‘flu’ etc. The Governor-General of Australia can also be invited as the guest of honour, to open the facilities. The tourism values are immense.”
Please gather your people to look at every aspect James has suggested and additions, and the cost. We shall be creative in getting finance. Plan for the future. Time is important,” Mannan concluded.
Demarcate the accurate epic Death March route for posterity
In his background note, James cited what drove him to secure the support of then Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman and Mannan to demarcate the accurate Death March route for posterity to become a real possibility.
“It not only provides an opportunity to finally commemorate this epic event that right now is only privately acknowledged but not found in the history books,” he said.
“To continue to give it scant notice despite it being the single-most event that caused the greatest number of deaths through a single act that befits the definition of a War Crime will result in questions being raised in future on a great failing and/or oversight on the part of State leaders in spite of the Education Ministry’s of this and other pivotal but factual and historically important events in the prelude to the formation of Malaysia.”
When M’sian history books hardly have anything on Bornean states
“As a Peninsula Malaysian journalist who began to love Sabah gradually since coming here at the invitation of the late Tan Sri Yeh Pao Tze in 1984, I often wondered why Malaysian students learn what happened in Peninsular Malaysia but hardly anything about what historically shaped the outcomes of the Bornean states, when the latter is why Malaysia exists.”
For instance, one is taught virtually nothing about the Brookes in school or the assassination of the Sarawak colonial Governor by a Sarawak Malay nationalist. Yet a STPM History student is required to learn and answer questions about the assassination of British Resident James Birch by Maharaja Lela in Perak, the latter also now viewed as a Malay nationalist.”
“To me, the students should learn about both murders and not just one. To not do so is consciously relegate the importance of history of the Bornean states.”
Another example of Malaysians not told of bravery, Petagas mass execution
“To cite another example, I took history as an additional subject for my HSC, I knew everything about the anti-guerrilla movement in the peninsula Malaysia but nothing about the sacrifice of Albert Kwok and his band who paid with their lives for trying to liberate Sabah on their own until I came to Sabah, heard about the Petagas Memorial and became curious what it was set up for.
“It was sad that Malaysian are not being told about their bravery and the site of mass execution being only such spot in the world after Pearl Harbour, where a war memorial was erected right above the very spot where the fighters were martyred,” James noted.
“If visiting the Petagas Memorial made me want to know about what else the school history books failed to provide, it is in the same context that this Death March Trail Project will become important to the generations of future Sabahans – and Malaysians by extension , besides domestic and international tourists.”
Out to ensure ‘living markers’ of Death March when schools don’t teach it
“It is futile to influence how history should be taught in schools but we can do something bigger, that is, to ensure that future generations of Sabahans – and Malaysians by extension – will know about the Death March and the great sacrifices of 2,000 Allied soldiers involved in the liberation of this part of Borneo.
“My explanation above is merely to situate the historical context of why establishing the Death March Route is both important and necessary as living markers of history, so that regardless of whether it is included in the school syllabus or not, the significance of the tragedy will assuredly never fade from memory.
“What seems to have been sadly and seriously overlooked until now is also that it is probably the only such march to their deaths that had occurred anywhere in the world during war time,” James concluded.
Death March witness, the late Tuaty Akau – track cutter.
Death March witness, the late Zudin, formerly an ammunition porter, pointing at the Big climb in Taviu Forest Reserve which was part of the Death March route.
Sam Mannan
Tham Yau Kong – the ground man behind marathon search of Death March route with Sabah Society first and then Lynette Silver.
The Tuaty Gallery commissioned by Mannan to be built in Bauto – located at the entrance of Tawai Forest Reserve, after a 9-part series special reports in the Daily Express in 2016-17.
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