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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

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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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​​Double Tenth Incident


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  • Home
    • Projects you can support! >
      • Distributing Books
      • Presenting at 112th Annual Meeting of Pacific Coast Branch
      • Summer Research Relocation Fund
    • Sign Up as a Vendor
    • Support us! >
      • Buy Us a Coffee
    • About >
      • FAQ's - Frequently Asked Questions
    • Contact
  • Blog
    • Boba Talk Podcast
  • Events
    • Events Recap
  • Internship
    • Summer 2020 Internship Program
    • Fall Internship 2019
    • Summer 2019 Internship Program >
      • Public History Night
    • 2018-2019 School Year Internship Program
    • Summer 2018 Internship >
      • 2018 Summer Showcase + Fundraiser
    • Fall 2017 Internship
    • Summer 2017 Internship >
      • 2017 Summer Showcase & Fundraiser
  • Books
    • Publications >
      • Pinay Guerrilleras: The Unsung Heroics of Filipina Resistance Fighters During the Pacific War
      • Unit 731
      • The Undrowning Lotus: A WW2 Historical Novel, Based on a True Story of a Sexual Slavery Survivor
      • Taiwan- The Israel of the East: How China, Japan, and the United States Influenced the Forming of a New Nation
      • Three Years Eight Months
      • Philippines' Resistance
      • Siamese Sovereignty: Thailand's Strategy of Political Duality During World War II
      • Cannibalism Culture: The Bushido Horror of World War II
      • Fall of Singapore
      • Rising Sun
    • Audiobooks >
      • Unit 731
      • Cannibalism Culture: The Bushido Horror of World War II
      • Fall of Singapore
      • Rising Sun: The Innocent Fascist Symbol
      • Philippines' Resistance
      • Pinay Guerrilleras
  • Resource Page
    • Unit 731 - Supplementary Resource Guide >
      • Background of Biochemical Warfare Development
      • Imperial Japan's Chemical Warfare Development Program
      • Map of Unit 731
      • Personnel of Unit 731
      • Duties of Unit 731
      • Human Experimentation
      • [GRAPHIC] Germ Warfare Attacks
      • Cover Ups After the War
      • [OLD] Cover Ups After the War
    • Philippines' Resistance - Supplementary Resource Guide >
      • Philippines World War II Timeline
      • The Japanese Invasion & Conquest of the Philippines
      • Bataan Death March
      • Formation of Underground Philippines Resistance
      • Supplies of the Guerrilla Fighters
      • The Hukbalahap
      • Hunter's ROTC
      • Marking's Guerrillas
      • United States Army Forces in the Philippines of Northern Luzon (USAFIP-NL)
      • The Aetas
      • Chinese and Filipino-Chinese Nationalist Guerrilla Units
      • The Female Faces of the Philippine Guerrillas
    • Rising Sun Flag - Supplementary Resource Guide >
      • History of the Rising Sun Flag
      • Atrocities Committed Under the Flag
      • Rising Sun Flag in Pop Culture
    • Pinay Guerrilleras - Supplementary Resources Guide >
      • Japanese Occupation of the Philippine Islands: Pinays Answering the Call to Arms
      • The Fierce Heneralas and Kumanders of the Hukbalahap Guerrillas
      • Amazons of the Pacific Theater
      • Filipina American Veterans: Recovering the Extraordinary Feats of the Ordinary Pinays
      • The Legacy of the Asian Women Soldier
    • Fall of Singapore - Supplementary Resources Guide >
      • Singapore World War II Timeline
      • History of World War II in the Pacific
      • History of Singapore
      • Japan's Conquest in Asia
      • Japan's Invasion of the Malay Peninsula
      • Sook Ching Massacre
      • Double Tenth Incident
      • Social Changes and Challenges in Singapore
      • Voices from Syonan
      • Return to British Rule
    • Three Years and Eight Months - Supplementary Resources Guide >
      • Hong Kong before WW2
      • Buildup to World War 2
      • The Battle of Hong Kong
      • Life during 3 Years and 8 Months
      • Prisoners of War Camps
      • End of Japanese Occupation
      • War Crimes Trials
    • Siamese Sovereignty - Supplementary Resources Guide >
      • The Land of Smiles
      • The Thai-Japanese Relationship
      • Phibun’s Domestic and International Policies
      • The Free Thai Resistance Movement
      • Post WW2 Aftermath of Thailand
CONTRIBUTE