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THE generations born after World War 2 (WWII) – baby boomers, Gen X and millennials – in Sabah would occasionally hear “ghost stories” centred around the brutal Japanese Occupation from their elders.

Due to the one-sided accounts of the Japanese atrocities in the national history schoolbook syllabus, most Sabahans are in the dark about the depths of the cruelty inflicted on the Allied forces, civilians and missionaries in British North Borneo (now Sabah) under the hands of the Japanese military, at the time led by Lt Gen Masao Baba, sometime in 1945.

Like most countries, the Malaysian government opted for a cordial relationship with the Japanese government, after the war, hence, downplaying the need for a sincere apology from the Japanese side towards the war victims and their families in British North Borneo. 

For the victims, retelling their traumatic past in the form of “ghost stories” was probably their coping mechanism. In this context, it was not uncommon to hear the WWII generation telling stories about “encounters” with restless spirits of fallen Japanese soldiers or their victims. 

But as the generation that experienced or witnessed the Japanese atrocities firsthand are quickly fading into history themselves, so do the echoes of Japanese “ghostly encounters”.

That is, until an unlikely advocate for the wartime voiceless spoke up in the form of a book, aptly-titled, “Ultimate Sacrifice: The Tragic and Unaccounted Death of Catholic Missionaries in North Borneo Towards the End of WWII”.  

Dubbed the priest with the skill of a detective and determination of an advocate, the globe-trotting Rev Fr Cosmas Lee took 15 years to uncover the untold truths of the war crimes and what really happened to the victims. 

According to the author, while “Ultimate Sacrifice” focuses on Monsignor August Wachter, his eight colleagues and their three local aides’ last hours, it also provides information “on the top Japanese military and civil leaders involved in atrocities against civilians in North Borneo” and “helps the general readers to know the why, and how illegal orders for executions were taken and carried out during the last three months of the War”.  

As a 48-year veteran priest, the rector of St Simon Catholic Church Likas launched his book on March 15, this year, in the company of friends, family and distinguished guests at the Likas parish hall. 

The moniker, “detective priest”, was coined by historian Datuk Prof Danny Wong Tze Ken, who himself has authored many books in Malaysia. He called the “Ultimate Sacrifice” a “page-turner” and reading it is like following the detective on a journey to unravel a “crime investigation”. 

The books sold out in two days. The public can expect 500 copies in a month or two, according to the author. 

Prof Danny, addressing the 155 attendees in his speech, candidly told Archbishop Datuk John Wong, the head of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu, that if Fr Cosmas didn’t answer his call to become a priest, he would have been a “great detective and rights advocate”.

In this second part of the Special Report on the “Ultimate Sacrifice”, Daily Express got up close and personal with the author himself. 

Below is the interview with Fr Cosmas:

DAILY EXPRESS (DE): In your presentation during the book launching ceremony, you listed several reasons behind the motive of writing “Ultimate Sacrifice”. Do you remember the lightbulb moment when you first felt the pull towards the idea of writing it? What triggered you and do you think it’s a mission “from above”? Like many great saints that have passed, they, too, were known to pen many bestsellers that are still well-read among today’s generation.

Fr Cosmas: I had always felt strongly that it was not fair that we knew next to nothing about how the missionary victims vanished. Then, not too long ago, there emerged a written account that stated categorically that the victims were killed by an Allied bomb.

That was the last straw. I set off on the gruesome journey to find the truth.     

DE: How do you think the book will help Sabahans in general, not just the Catholics?

Fr Cosmas: The book is important for providing information, much of which, for the first time, on the top Japanese military and civil leaders involved in atrocities against civilians in North Borneo and their rationale for it, and so helps the general readers to know the why, and how illegal orders for executions were taken and carried out during the last three months of the War.  

DE: When Sabahans (especially Catholics) are more aware of the unaccounted brutality of the Japanese military during WWII in North Borneo, some people may feel a certain way towards the Japanese. For those unaware, what were some of the measures taken by the Japanese government to express remorse for the suffering caused on the victims and their families during the Japanese Occupation?

Fr Cosmas: As far as I am aware, the Japanese government has not made any public apologies to the British North Borneo government, or the Malaysian government, or to family and friends of victims of Japanese atrocities.

However, I have heard from several families who were visited by Japanese veterans after the war, who brought small tokens and gifts to families of victims they visited.

Many Borneo veterans were deeply involved in propagating against war in Japan after the war.

The most outstanding was Yamada Setsuo. He was elected to the Upper House of the Diet, and eventually became the Mayor of Hiroshima from 1967-1975. As a zealous proponent of world peace, he addressed the world and strove for lasting peace by working for the abolition of nuclear arms and the complete cessation of nuclear testing.

In 1969 he received the Hammarskjold Memorial International Peace Award. Having himself experienced the horrors of war, he seems to have spent the last half of his life working for world peace

DE: Despite having an example of WWII, why do people not learn from history – that no party win in wars? Just look at the ongoing wars in Ukraine, Russia, Gaza and Israel. Not to mention the almost-forgotten civil wars or sectarian violence in the Africas, Middle East and closer to our shores, Myanmar, Thailand and Philippines.

Fr Cosmas: Sadly, it seems human beings need war in the sense that they will not learn that there are no winners in any war, unless they are actually shattered in a war, no matter on which side they stand.  

DE: Did you come up with the title and subtitle of the book? Did it come naturally or was it a painstaking process? Did you have other titles in mind? Can you name some of them and how the book title made the final cut?

Fr Cosmas: When the draft of the book was nearly completed, it took me a while to decide on its title and subtitle. There were no other alternatives to consider seriously.  

DE: Speaking of “ultimate sacrifice”, do you feel like you’ve sacrificed much throughout the making of the book as well?

Fr Cosmas: Nothing compared with what the victims sacrificed, but it did give me the privilege to journey with them and to feel with and for them.

DE: If you believe it was a “mission from above”, did you find you were spiritually challenged? Christians believe that in the events culminating to Good Friday, Jesus Christ faced many temptations from the devil to stop Him from fulfilling His mission. Did you feel the same way in the process of writing the book?

Fr Cosmas: I only knew that nothing would stop me from completing the task of finding the truth. I believe this call is from above.

DE: How difficult was it to source the resources for your book? Can you describe briefly what were some of the challenges that you faced?

Fr Cosmas: This was my first book. Just to have a clearer idea of where the relevant documents could be found in Japan, Australia, the UK, Austria, Italy, and South Tyrol, took some reading and research. I wrote to most of these archives directly, but many of my learned friends from all over the world generously assisted.  

DE: Some of your sources were through interviews with witnesses or the victims’ descendants/relatives. How receptive were they when you took the time to interview them? You also interviewed the Wachters and visited their family home. Were they aware you’re writing a book about the late Monsignor and how you’re investigating his and his peers’ untimely demise? What did they think of it? 

Fr Cosmas: Most of those I interviewed, including those overseas, were done at the very early stage of my plan to write a book. Those overseas, including relatives of Msgr. Wachter and other victims were very helpful, wanting the story of their beloved ones to be better known.

Of course, I was persistent, often emailing them after the interview, asking for more details on some of the information. In Sabah, I interviewed the same persons several times, often repeating the same questions, just to be sure they were not giving me a “spiced-up” or hearsay version of their accounts. 

DE: If yes, did they also receive a copy of the “Ultimate Sacrifice”? Have they given a feedback on the book yet?

Fr Cosmas: The key persons interviewed received a complimentary copy of the book. A number have read the book from cover to cover, and given very positive comments.  

DE: Prof Danny Wong mentioned in his speech during the “Ultimate Sacrifice” book launching ceremony that for the average person, they would have already given up if the writing process took them 15 years to complete. Besides your “stubborn” trait, what other factors urged you on to finish the book, besides to unravel the mystery surrounding the possible “coverup” of the real cause of death of the victims?

Fr Cosmas: Having struggled to be a faithful priest for 48 years, perseverance in doing what I believe is a God-given gift and a formed habit. 

DE: Prof Danny called you a “good detective”. Do you consider yourself as such? 

Fr Cosmas: I think I was simply being strictly scientific and thorough in my investigation. Professor Danny Wong captured that, and aptly called me a “good detective”. I am grateful he used the term. It sticks in people’s mind.  

DE: Prof Danny mentioned that you should also try editing the late Monsignor August Wachter’s diary. Are you considering it? 

Fr Cosmas: I am. I only pray I will be fit enough physically and mentally to complete it.

DE: What are some of the interesting entries that you’re aware of that are in Monsignor Wachter’s diary? 

Fr Cosmas: Too many to mention here, but the Diary reveals a lot of the inner person of Msgr. Wachter.

DE: The first printing of your books sold out by the next day of the book launching. It was very well-received by the community. When do you expect the second batch of books to be ready for those interested to have their hands on it? 

Fr Cosmas: A reprint of 500 copies is in progress. We expect to receive them in about a month or two.

DE: How did you come across the story of Ain and Yamazaki Kenji? In your book, you mentioned that their memoir even hit the big screens in Japan. Why were the Japanese so entranced by the couple’s story? Yamazaki, the former District Officer of Keningau and Jesselton during the Japanese Occupation, claimed in the “Southern Cross Never Deceives” memoir that the Japanese military executed the missionaries. Why should readers believe this allegation? Since it was a bestseller among the Japanese, is it safe to assume that they believe his side of the story as well?

Fr Cosmas: Most Japanese readers read Yamazaki Ain’s memoir as a romance novel, and wouldn’t be bothered to know where North Borneo was. I think virtually all Japanese North Borneo veterans would have read it too.

I have not been able to find out what their reaction was, if there was any. I would think they chose to be silent and not open wider the big can of worms. Yamazaki Kenji and Ain emigrated to Brazil soon after the publication of the book. 

DE: How did you find your Japanese translator who helped you make sense the rest of the memoir, which is in a language completely foreign to you? 

Fr Cosmas: My Japanese friend and I worked on the book for over 15 years. We were constantly emailing each other, often a few times a day during many periods.

The main story of the book didn’t take long to get across to me since we were constantly seeing how Ain/Kenji looked at so many other events during the war. 

DE: Any words of advice to aspiring writers in Sabah? 

Fr Cosmas: Read the book. You can be a writer, too.

Note from the Editor: All photos republished with permission from Rev Fr Cosmas Lee