KOTA KINABALU: It took 73 years after World War 2 ended but the family of the late Lim Hock Beng beamed with pride as he was inscribed among other fallen heroes during the Japanese occupation.
Lim’s son, Richard, 81, said family members knew what he did and they were proud of him.
Lim was among eight individuals whose names were the latest to be inscribed on a plaque for fallen heros at the Petagas World War 2 Memorial Park, joining 176 others.
The others were Mohinder Singh a/l Harnam Singh Kalsi, Lothar Wong Manjaji, Vitalianus Joseph Lim @ Ubing, Paul Lee Fook Onn @ Paul Lee Onn, Simon Thien, Bung Ah Tee @ Stephen Pan Tet Liong and Chong Pin Sin.
The eight who were aged between 19 to 49 at the time were denied trial, tortured and unlawfully killed between June to July 1945 for their resistance against the Japanese. Those killed also include members of the Kinabalu Guerilla led by Albert Kwok.
Their names were unveiled during the annual memorial service here organised by the Kota Kinabalu City Hall.
The solemn yet meaningful service was held before a crowd made of family members of the fallen heroes, State government representative Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, the armed forces, police as well as dignitaries from the Australian High Commission and Kota Kinabalu Chinese Consulate General Office.
According to historical records, Lim, was working as a wireless operator at the Jesselton Post and Telegraph Office, was considered as ‘the Chief of the Rebellion’ as he was reported gathering intelligence against the Japanese army.
With the help of Mohinder, who hails from Menggatal, they checked enemy planes with binoculars, made plans to assemble comrades and native residents to coordinate attacks on the Japanese forces.
However he was taken for questioning and imprisoned, where Richard himself witnessed how his father was badly beaten and shrunk in size during two permitted visits.
Stating that his mother knew about her father’s intelligence work, Richard said he knew what his father did back then, despite being young.
“During our last meet, he only spoke to my mother but we all got a good hug from him. Things were only said to my mother and it think it was to convey what to do to care for us five siblings after he was taken,” he added.
According to historical records produced at the memorial service by family members of the eight, Lim and Singh were both shot with ‘three rounds’ each by Sergeant Major Uchiyama Chokichi in mid- 1945.
“My mother collected his remains after the war about a year later as told by friends from prison (on the body’s location), from a trench in a rubber plantation in Menggatal,” Richard said, adding that a special burial was done for him here which was then known as Jesselton.
“At that time she was suffering, the whole family was very upset because we had to start our lives all over again without our father. But she has done a tremendous job in taking care of us,” said Richard adding that his mother died when she was in her fifties.