Sook Ching Massacure

What happened during the Sook Ching Operation?

On February 18th, 1942, four days after the Japanese officially conquered Singapore, the Imperial Japanese Army with the help of the Kempeitai, began a genocide of the Chinese people there. The atrocities committed came to be known as the Sook Ching Massacre (肅清). In Chinese, Sook Ching means “to purge through cleansing.” The Japanese alternatively deemed their efforts, Kakyo Shukusei (華僑 粛清), meaning “purging of Overseas Chinese” in Japanese. The purge was only meant to last two days, but it was extended for more than a week, and it finally ended in March 4th. Some experts estimate that 10 to 20 percent of the entire Chinese population in Singapore were killed during the mass murder, devastating the overall population.

How did Japanese charge guilt toward Chinese civilians?

The operation of screening civilians was often haphazard and unorganized. The charge of guilt for being pro-Chinese or anti-Japanese was up to the interrogators and not based on any formula or evidence. At some screening centers, one might be sent to their death just because they wore glasses and others were punished because they had tattoos. In other cases, one passed the test because the interrogator simply could not connect them to anti-Japanese sentiments.​

The Changi Prison

Allied Prisoners of Wars after the liberation of Changi Prison

Changi Prison was built with the capacity to hold 600 prisoners. However, after the Fall of Singapore, they detained about 3,000 civilians in the Changi Prison and formed it into an internment camp. These prisoners included Allied soldiers and innocent civilians, who were lucky enough to not be killed during the massacre. 

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Fall of Singapore: 
The Undefeatable British Fortress Conquered

The fall of Singapore is the greatest defeat of the British empire in the Pacific.
​On February 15, 1942, the British surrendered to the Imperial Japanese Army and handed over Singapore and surrounding Malaya countries. The conflict began on December 8, 1941 when Japanese forces bombed Singapore and continued to make their way through the treacherous Malayan jungle. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill stated during the attack, “the worst disaster and the largest capitulation in British history”. Singaporeans were immediately ordered to come in for questioning after the Imperial Japanese Army took over. During the interview, their homes were looted and destroyed by the Kempeitai, the secret Japanese police. 
During the occupation, there were many tragedies. An example is the Sook Ching Massacre. Sook Ching Massacre, literally meaning “purge through cleansing”, began on February 21, 1942. The mass murder of Singapore residents ages 18 to 50, was targeted at eradicating anti-Japanese sentiments. Victims of the massacre were either Chinese, suspected of being pro-Chinese, anti-Japanese, or Communist. Men and women were questioned and if found guilty, they were taken to one of Singapore’s beaches and murdered. The death toll shows less than 5,000 according to the official Japanese record, while Singaporean officials claim the number of victims was at least 50,000.​

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