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A true story that took place on the eve of Chinese New Year in 1942 when Singapore was still a British colony.

LOCATION SCENE:

Peaceful and tranquil Chinese Kampong and Malay Kampong flanked by South Buona Vista Road, Pasir Panjang Road by the sea, Jalan Mat Jambol, Chwee Chian Road & Chwee Chian Hill facing Kent Ridge Park (formerly known as Bukit Chandu).

On Chwee Chian Hill [on which Poh Ern Shih 报恩寺 currently stands] our Colonial masters had placed heavy artillery guns facing the sea in anticipation of a naval attack by the Japanese from the sea off Pasir Panjang Road.

Facing Chwee Chian Hill was Bukit Chandu (which means "Opium Hill” in Malay) [currently known as Kent Ridge Park] where our Colonial masters had an opium factory that processed raw opium from the Golden Triangle for sale to China, the Far East, South East Asia and Indonesia. The sale was through licensed retail outlets owned by citizens of the British Empire and the British-owned East India Company. This factory made major contributions to the coffers of the British Empire and was therefore a very valuable asset to them.

Behind Bukit Chandu was Normanton Park, an oil depot , where the British stored fuel for their war machinery. Beside Normanton Park was a luxurious estate consisting of lavish homes for the British officers and their families.

Down the road from Normanton Park was Alexandra Hospital, which was a military hospital for British soldiers injured in battle.

Furthermore, this location was the gateway to the very heart of Singapore City at Collyer Quay and its valuable port facilities and to the one and only airport at Kallang.

Therefore the location was very strategic and important to the British.

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DEFENCE DEPLOYMENT IN THE LOCATION:                                                                            

The British deployed 800+ Muslim Malay soldiers of the 2nd Battalion of the Malay Regiment on Chwee Chian Hill, Pasir Panjang Hill and Pasir Panjang Road. Most of them were in their late teens and recruited from Kedah and Kelantan in north Malaya who were attracted by the spunky looking uniforms, army boots, army pay, and rifles. BUT most of them had no more than 2 weeks’ training when they were shipped out of Malaya to Chwee Chian Hill & Bukit Chandu. Their Commanding Officer was an Australian Army officer. They were told that Singapore was a fortress and could not be impregnated by the Japanese in any way.

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THE REALITY:                                                                                                                                 

The Japanese had already marched through the jungles of Thailand, the Malay Peninsula and were already in Johor, Malaya, before Chinese New Year’s Eve in 1942!

The British were evacuating their families and diplomats via the backdoor from Collyer Quay and Kallang Airport well before Chinese New Year’s Eve.

The Japanese crossed the Straits of Johor and marched openly down Jurong and met resistance from the 2nd Battalion of the Malay Regiment at Pasir Panjang Hill and Chwee Chian Hill. Not being able to stop the Japanese, our Malay brethrens retreated to Bukit Chandu. In this fierce battle at Pasir Panjang many of the Singaporeans living in the Malay Kampong and Chinese Kampong died in the cross-fire.

The Japanese dropped leaflets from the air telling the Malay soldiers to lay down their arms as the British were already evacuating from Singapore but when they asked London for orders, they were told to stand their ground – which they bravely did without any hesitation.

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THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE BY ALL CONCERNED:                                                                    

The Japanese under their marching orders had to assault the steep slopes of Bukit Chandu and were therefore sitting ducks for the Malay Regiment soldiers – as a result, the Japanese lost many of their comrades.

In the meantime, the Malay soldiers were running out of ammunition and in the final assault by the Japanese they had to face them in hand to hand combat. Only a handful of Malay soldiers managed to escape with their lives.

After the battle, not a single body of our Malay soldier brothers could be recovered and it is believed that the Japanese threw all the Malay soldiers into the fiery oil inferno flowing out of the Normanton Park Oil Depot.

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THE SAVAGERY OF WAR:                                                                                                              

The Japanese soldiers were so enraged by the loss of their comrades that they immediately rampaged towards the Alexandra Hospital and wreaked their revenge on the wounded soldiers and medical officers and nurses. More than 250 people were executed outside Alexandra Hospital.

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THE VERY NEXT DAY:                                                                                                                 

Our Colonial Masters surrendered to the Japanese the very next day, on Chinese New Year’s Day in 1942.

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THE SEQUEL:                                                                                                                                  

After the war, Poh Ern Shih’s benefactor, Mr. Lee Choon Seng (deceased) purchased Chwee Chian Hill and from his personal funds erected Poh Ern Shih (which means "Temple of Thanksgiving"). He named it Temple of Thanksgiving, to remember the ultimate sacrifice of the soldiers (both Malays and Japanese) as well as all the Kampong folks who perished in the killing fields of Pasir Panjang. He also placed KSITIGARBHA BODHISATTVA 地藏王菩薩 as the guiding light for all of us to mourn for the war dead and to dedicate merits to them in the hope that they will be able to eradicate any thoughts of revenge and hate and rest in peace. Poh Ern Shih was officially opened on the 9th day of the 3rd Lunar month in 1954.

He registered Poh Ern Shih as a limited company without shares to ensure that NOBODY (EXCEPT THE TRIPLE GEM i.e. The Buddha, the Dharma & the Sangha) can claim the temple as his or hers and it also ensured that the financial statements of the temple would be AUDITED EACH YEAR.

He also registered Poh Ern Shih as a charity (Charity Registration Number is 009) so that NO DIRECTOR OR OFFICER of the temple can receive any salary (direct or indirect) for managing the temple. This means that ONLY VOLUNTEERS could be on the board of directors. This registration also ensured that there was another watchdog for the temple coffers as the Commissioner of Charities would examine the audited accounts each year because the temple MUST DONATE 80% of its net dana (Pali word meaning generosity or giving) to registered charities in Singapore under the terms of the Charity Act.

He also started the tradition of donating to charities run by all four major religions for the old and dying and for the very young born into suffering . This tradition is scrupulously followed to this day.

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TODAY:                                                                                                                                      

In recent years, Poh Ern Shih, has held prayers each year for all our multi-religious soldiers who died to protect our Republic. This included one puja with the IRO (Inter-Religious Organisation) at Bukit Chandu (entry via Pepys Road) on which stands a fitting memorial erected by our National Archives in tribute to our Muslim brothers who died for us. The Memorial with its multi-media presentation is worth a visit. Your visit should include a spiritual walk through the Tree-Tops of Bukit Chandu located beside the Memorial created by our National Parks Board while silently chanting a prayer according to your personal faith.

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