Kota Kinabalu: The marathon effort since 2005 to uncover and preserve a key episode of Sabah’s war history around the 1945 Sandakan-Ranau Death March has not gone to waste as two MBE awards had been generated as a result.
The latest came on June 12, 2024, as Lynette Ramsay Silver, author of “Sandakan – A Conspiracy of Silence”, received her MBE from Princess Anne at Windsor Castle, London, in an Investiture held at the Grand Reception Room.
Lynette’s award came after Sabah Adventure Guide, Tham Yau Kong, was presented the MBE by the British High Commissioner, Charles Hay, for his role in preserving the route and history of the Death March, in a solemn ceremony held at the Sabah Tourism Board Headquarters on Jan 4, 2023.
Tham also later received the highest honorary award, Medal of the Order of Australia, from Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia, Dr Justin Lee, at Sandakan Memorial Park, on April 24, 2023.