Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Escape from the Inspection Gate

After spending the night in Zhonghu's small room, I decided to go to the exit and go out after undergoing inspection, but the Japanese soldiers on duty waved me to stand with a group of Chinese youths.I instinctively felt that something was wrong, so I asked the Japanese soldiers to allow me to go back to the room to pack the things I left in Zhonghu's room.The Japanese soldiers agreed.I went back to Zhonghu's small room and hid for another day and a half before trying to get out through the same checkpoint... I walked from Telok Kurau to Nafu Road. After walking for two hours, I found that the law and order in Singapore suddenly changed.British troops have surrendered.The local police, including low-ranking Chinese and Indian officers and Malay rank-and-file officers, disappeared without a trace, fearing that the Japanese might consider them part of the British army.The Japanese army has not yet entered the urban area to perform tasks.Lawless people can do whatever they want.

Most people live according to old habits, obey the law, and dare not do anything wrong.But with the white bosses gone, the daring or the desperate took the opportunity to rob the warehouses, department stores, and firms of British companies.They believe that it is only natural and understandable to rob white people of their property.They broke into warehouses, department stores, and businesses, looting food and valuables, taking whatever they could get.After several days of looting, the Japanese army came out to maintain order.In order to deter them, they randomly shot several looters, chopped off their heads, and displayed them at the bridgeheads of several major bridges and at the intersections of several avenues.

In fact, the Japanese themselves robbed everywhere.In the first few days, no matter who walked on the street, their pens and watches would be taken away by Japanese soldiers.Japanese soldiers also entered the house under the pretext of searching, and took the opportunity to take away those small objects that could be hidden on the body.At first they pushed away the best bikes too, but after a few weeks they stopped.It turned out that they only stayed in Singapore for a short time, and they would be transferred to Java or other Indonesian islands to fight at any time in order to invade and occupy more land.They couldn't possibly take the beautiful bike with them.

Although the Japanese and Chinese share a common cultural tradition, this does not help the Chinese.On the second day after I returned to Nafu Road, I saw several Japanese soldiers knocking on the gate of a house on the other side of the road.This is Li Shaomao's home.Li Shaomao is a science graduate of Raffles Institution and formerly worked in the Civil Service Department of the Straits Settlements.His nephew opened the door, and the Japanese soldier went straight to the garage.What they wanted was the glossy black Ford V8, polished and shiny.Li Shaomao cherishes this car very much, and he cleans it every day and polishes it brightly.He rushed from the house, hoping to save the car.He is cautious and meticulous in life, and he is very proud of the house and car he owns; he is also proud of being a Chinese scholar.He doesn't understand Japanese, and he can write Chinese.Since many Chinese characters are used in Japanese, I saw him scribbling on a pad, perhaps telling the other party that he is a senior civil servant and needs a car to perform official duties.But the Japanese military officer who took the lead simply ignored it.I saw the officer get into the car, reverse the car out of the garage, and drive away.

rough treatment for the first time The first time I was treated roughly by Japanese soldiers was when I went to visit my aunt.Auntie lives on Kampung Java Road, just opposite the Red Bridge across the Bukit Timah River.When I approached the Red Bridge, I saw a Japanese sentry pacing up and down at the head of the bridge, and four or five Japanese soldiers were sitting nearby.They may be members of the Sentinel's squad.I wear a wide-brimmed Australian Army cap.I picked up one of the many Australian caps which had been thrown away in the days before the surrender of the British, thinking that it might be of use to me in the hard days to come in protecting me from the sun.

When I passed in front of these Japanese soldiers, I tried my best not to attract others' attention and walked forward quietly.However, I couldn't escape their eyes.A Japanese soldier shouted "Come here, come here" and beckoned me to go.So I walked towards him.Just as I came up to him, he swung the bayonet on his rifle, pierced the brim of the cap I was wearing, and dropped it to the ground.He then slapped me hard, pushed me to my knees, and kicked me hard in the chest with his booted right foot, knocking me down.When I got up, he gestured for me to go back the way I had come.I had no choice but to obey, and finally escaped doom easily.There are also many people who did not bow to the Japanese sentry when they walked to the crossroads or bridges because they did not understand the Japanese rules. Couldn't hold it anymore and fell to the ground.

One afternoon, I was sitting on the porch of my house on Nafu Road when I saw a Japanese soldier paying the fare to a rickshaw driver.The rickshaw driver was dissatisfied with the underpayment of the fare by the Japanese soldiers and demanded more.The Japanese soldiers grabbed the rickshaw driver by one arm, pulled him over his right shoulder, and then, judo-style, threw him into the sky with all his strength, and then let him fall face down on the ground.Afterwards, the Japanese soldier walked away as if nothing had happened.His brutality astounded me.After a while, the rickshaw driver got up, staggered and pulled the car away.

The next day, I had another lesson at Red Bridge.A car snatched by Japanese soldiers, with a small blue flag on the front of the car--this is the lowest of the three military ranks in Japan: the yellow flag represents the general, the red flag represents the school officer, and the blue flag represents the lieutenant officer-- when passing the outpost , the sentry was a little late to stand at attention and salute, and the car suddenly braked and backed up after passing the sentry.An officer got out of the car, walked towards the sentry, slapped him three times, grabbed his right arm, pulled it over his shoulder, and in the same Judo style, threw him into the sky and turned him face to face. fell to the ground.The sentry suffered the same as the rickshaw driver.This time I was not so surprised.I came to understand that inhumanity was part of the Japanese military system, and that it was caused by officers punching and kicking soldiers for minor offenses.

On this day, a Japanese sergeant and some soldiers came to my house.They took a quick look and found that there were only me and the gardener Zhonghu in the house, so they decided that this house could be used as a dormitory for their platoon of soldiers.This is how a dream begins.I had my teeth seen by Japanese dentists and nurses at Bras Basah Road, and their clothes were clean.The Japanese male and female clerks in the small grocery store on Middle Road are also neatly dressed.But the Japanese soldiers who came to my house exuded a disgusting stench because their clothes were not washed and changed frequently, and they did not take a bath frequently.I never imagined that I would smell this stench in my own home.They walk around the house and yard looking for food.The food stored by the mother was finally discovered.The Japanese soldiers lit a fire in the yard to cook, and ate everything they wanted.I don't know Japanese, so I couldn't communicate with them, so they just gestured and made rough noises.If I didn't catch their demands right off the bat, I'd be scolded or slapped.They were a strange bunch of Japanese soldiers, with unshaven beards and shaggy hair, who spoke a language that was both offensive and offensive.The sight of them frightened me so much that I could not sleep peacefully at night.Fortunately, they left after three days of messing around.

While the platoon of Japanese soldiers was stationed in my courtyard, the captured British, Indian and Australian soldiers were ordered to walk to Changi Concentration Camp.From February 17, 1942, for two consecutive days and one night, they dragged their heavy feet and passed the Red Bridge.Each time I would sit in the corridor for hours watching them, with a heavy heart.Many of them appeared very discouraged and frustrated, and seemed to be puzzled by their sudden defeat.It is very sad to see these remnants and defeated generals. Some are admirable, and plateau soldiers are one of them.I recognized the Scotch soldiers from the caps they wore.Even though they were defeated, they still held their heads high when they lined up, and walked forward neatly in accordance with the command issued by the sergeant major, "left, right, left, left".Like the plateau soldiers, Gu Jiabing walked with his chest upright, not depressed by defeat, and still showed a brave spirit.I applaud them secretly, they made an impression I will never forget.Because of this, the Singapore government has hired a company of Gujia soldiers as riot police since the 1960s.Many British troops also remained soldiers, while others wandered about.

The ones who looked the most depressed were the Australian soldiers.They were tall and slender, and walked listlessly, many of them shirtless and naked.In the British Army, if the coat is missing, the sergeants will generally wear armbands.Not so with the Australian Army.Whether they had taken off their jackets because of the heat and humidity, or had lost or torn their jackets in battle, they all looked downcast and helpless.I understand their despair. The morale of Indian soldiers is very low, I think maybe they think this war has nothing to do with them.A few days after the British surrendered, the Japanese gathered all the Indian prisoners of war in Happy Valley, Farrer Park.Mobilize them to join the Indian National Army to fight the British and fight for Indian independence.Half of the prisoners of war were willing to participate, and their military pay and living conditions were immediately adjusted and improved.Those who refused to participate were treated poorly. Not long after the Japanese soldiers left my house, news came that the Japanese wanted all the Chinese to gather at the Jalan Besar Stadium for inspection.I saw Li Shaomao and his family leave, and thought it would be best for me to follow.If I was later found by the Japanese military police staying in the house, I would definitely be punished.So Zhonghu and I went to the Jalan Besar Stadium.It just so happened that the "juli room" where Zhonghu lived with other rickshaw drivers was within the barbed wire fence.Tens of thousands of families crowded into this small area, and military police stood guard at all exits. After spending the night in Zhonghu's small room, I decided to go to the exit and go out after undergoing inspection, but the Japanese soldiers on duty waved me to stand with a group of Chinese youths.I instinctively felt that something was wrong, so I asked the Japanese soldiers to allow me to go back to the room to pack the things I left in Zhonghu's room.The Japanese soldiers agreed.I went back to Zhonghu's small room and hid for another day and a half before trying to get out through the same checkpoint.This time, I somehow passed the checkpoint safely.The Japanese soldiers stamped a "check" on my left arm and the front of my jacket with offset printing, which means I have checked and can go out.I went home with Zhonghu, and I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.I have reason to be relieved. Settle accounts with Chinese I never understood that a matter of life and death could be settled in such a capricious and careless manner.I narrowly escaped the Japanese army's verification operation.This action was ordered by Lieutenant Colonel Qianmasa (Lieutenant Colonel) who planned the Malaya Campaign.He obtained the consent of General Yamashita, the commander-in-chief of the Japanese army in advance, and punished the Chinese in Singapore for raising funds to support China's resistance against Japan and boycotting Japanese goods. What we know about the victim's suffering during the forensic investigation is often simple and sporadic.Later, I learned that at the checkpoint I passed, those Chinese who were randomly taken away were sent to the playground of the Victoria School and detained until February 22.With their hands tied behind their backs, they were driven to Tanah Merah Besar Beach in 40 to 50 different Lorry vehicles.It's near Changi Prison and about 10 miles from the east coast.After they got off the car, they were tied together, and the Japanese soldiers forced them to go to the sea.As they walked toward the sea, Japanese soldiers fired at them with machine guns.To make sure they were dead, Japanese soldiers also kicked and bayoneted each corpse, among other brutal methods.They didn't plan to bury the bodies and let the sea wash them up and down the beach, leaving them to rot.Several people who miraculously escaped described to people the thrilling process of escaping from the gate of hell. The Japanese admitted that they had killed 6,000 young Chinese during the inspection operation from February 18th to 22nd, 1942.After the war, a committee of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry discovered and excavated many large graves in Siglap, Punggol and Changi. It was estimated that as many as 50,000 to 100,000 Chinese were killed by the Japanese army. On February 18, 1942, the Japanese posted a notice and sent soldiers to every corner of the city to inform the Chinese through loudspeakers that anyone aged 18 to 50 must go to five concentrated locations for inspection.The frightening military police also brandished bayonets and drove the disobedient Chinese to the above-mentioned places from house to house, even women, children and the elderly. In theory, the Japanese military could justify its actions on the grounds of restoring law and order and suppressing anti-Japanese elements.But in fact, they did it purely as a revenge, because they did not take the forensic action in the heat of battle, but only after the surrender of Singapore.Even after this operation, Japanese troops continued to sweep through rural areas, especially in eastern Singapore, killing hundreds of Chinese.These people are young and strong, and in the eyes of the Japanese, they are a group that may cause trouble. When I returned to Navre Road, I found that the house had been messed up by the Japanese soldiers, but fortunately it had not been looted and some food was still preserved.In the "shack" of the Buyang coachman who was only two houses away from my home, there was no room for other things because of the piles of looted furniture, clothes and knick-knacks.A few days later, mother, father, three younger brothers and younger sister returned from Telok Kurau.Let's clean the house together.We slowly began to feel the hardships of the impermanence of life in the days of Japanese occupation.This is the fate of the people of Singapore for the next three and a half years. Two weeks after the British army surrendered, I heard that Japanese soldiers surrounded the houses along Jingxi Road in the urban area with wooden boards.The owners of the houses, European and Asian businessmen, and their families either left Singapore or were thrown into internment camps.It was originally an upper middle class residential area.When I passed by on my bicycle, I saw a long line of Japanese soldiers winding along the fence outside Jingxi Circle.I heard from nearby residents that there were many Japanese and Korean women inside, who came south with the army to serve the Japanese soldiers between battles.The sight in front of me was astonishing, but I saw a long line of one or two hundred Japanese soldiers waiting there.I didn't see a single woman that day.However, there was a notice board with a few Chinese characters written on it, and the neighbors said it said "comfort station".Such "comfort stations" were once set up in China and are now in Singapore.In the local area, besides this one, there are at least four other ones.I remember one time when I passed Tanjong Katong Road by bicycle, I saw a huge house with 20 or 30 houses surrounded by wooden boards. At that time, I didn't know that the Japanese government abducted and forced women from Korea, China, and the Philippines to go to the Chinese and Southeast Asian fronts to meet the needs of the Japanese army.Some Dutch women and captured enemy female civilians were also forced to serve Japanese officers. A few months after the fall of Singapore, I watched a Japanese documentary on the invasion of Singapore at the Beach Road Entertainment Cinema.Footage shows Japanese troops on bicycles effortlessly breaking through British lines, while using small boats to weave around British strongholds.In the air, the strength of Japanese aircraft far exceeds that of Britain; on the ground, British artillery is not Japan's opponent.I know this is a promotional film, but it's still hard to avoid being impressed.At the end of the film, Lieutenant General Bai Sihua, the commander-in-chief of the British army, was seen wearing shorts, not a soldier at all.On either side of him are British soldiers, holding a British and a white flag.Accompanied by the staff officer of Fufumi Yamashita, he walked to the Ford Motor Factory on Bukit Timah Road.This is followed by a shot of him sitting at one side of a table, face to face with Yamashita. Lieutenant General Homoni Yamashita, the "Tiger of Malaya", is short, stout and stocky, with short, crew-cut hair, giving him the appearance of a Japanese samurai.He looked down upon a group of British generals in front of him.Bai Sihua was as skinny as a stick, and his collar looked very wide compared to his neck.After his defeat, he did not show a mighty and unyielding spirit.Every twitch of his cheeks and every movement of his body reflected the tension and anxiety in his heart. I feel very sad for the British.It was one of their most humiliating moments in military history.However, in this war, the military strength of the two sides was not balanced.The British had no aircraft to protect their warships, no aircraft comparable to the Japanese Zero fighters, and no aircraft to protect their vital installations.Japanese aircraft could bomb British airfields and destroy British aircraft parked on the ground at will.The morale of the British army was low and they were forced to abandon their armor and flee.They managed to hold their positions at only two places, the Pereslim River and Muar, Johor, before quickly retreating towards Singapore.The Japanese army besieged Singapore for only two weeks before the British army surrendered completely. Those of my generation who have seen Japanese soldiers in their true colors will never forget their almost inhuman attitude to death while fighting.They are not afraid of sacrifice and are formidable opponents.They can survive on very little food.In the iron box they hung on their waists, they only kept some white rice, some soybeans and salted fish.During the Japanese occupation, we often saw Japanese soldiers performing chopping drills in open fields.The screams they made as they stabbed at human targets made of sacks were eerie.I firmly believe that if the British counterattacked, they would suffer heavy casualties when they fought all the way from Malaya to Singapore. they are not clowns The appearance of the Japanese officer is very funny.Their legs are short, some are bow-legged, but they wear knee-high leather boots; when they walk, they drag their feet as if they are wearing slippers, which is completely different from the swagger and imposing manner of German officers.They walk in slippers as children, and it defines the way they walk throughout their lives.What makes people even more ridiculous is that the samurai swords they wear are too long compared to their height, so even though the sabers are fastened with leather straps and belts.They also had to hold the sword with their left hand so as not to drag it on the ground.They looked funny at first, but after a few months, I saw them differently.They are not clowns, but outstanding soldiers.Their body shape is different from that of Europeans, and their uniforms and weapons are from the West, but their combat qualities cannot be doubted.The ferocity with which they fought dispelled the preconceived impressions my friends and I had.They thought they belonged to a nation half shorter than a human, and they only knew how to play army games.After careful observation, I am sure that in terms of fighting spirit alone, they are undoubtedly among the most outstanding soldiers in the world.And they were undoubtedly tyrannical and murderous to their enemies. I am not at all ambivalent about whether the atomic bombs needed to be dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.Without them, hundreds of thousands of civilians in Singapore and Malaysia and millions of people in Japan would probably die in the flames of war. What made the Japanese become such warriors? The Japanese call it the "spirit of bushido" or "the spirit of Japan."I believe this is the result of the systematic indoctrination of emperor worship and national superiority.They consider themselves a chosen people, capable of conquering the world.They believed that if they died for the emperor in the war, their souls would ascend to heaven and become gods; their ashes would be enshrined at the Yasukuni Shrine in the suburbs of Tokyo. Life had to go on under Japanese occupation.At first everyone was overwhelmed.My father has no job, I have no college to attend, and my three younger brothers and younger sister are out of school.Social activities are few and far between, and we feel threatened.But if you know someone in power, whether he's Japanese or a Taiwanese translator who has ties to the Japanese, it's much more beneficial.This man may give you a note bearing his signature and seal, certifying you as a law-abiding citizen and vouching for you as a man of good character.Every time a sentinel asks you to stop for an inspection, this note will prove invaluable.But the safest thing to do is to stay at home and avoid contact and disputes with the authorities. Once I went to the street and walked two miles to a used bookstore on Bras Basah Road.These bookstores specialize in buying and selling school textbooks.On the way, I saw a group of people gathered near the gate of the Cathay Theater (where I had seen a comedy film mocking Japanese "cheat" not long ago).So I walked over.It turned out that they were looking at the head of a Chinese.The head rested on a small wooden board nailed to the top of a pole, with a notice written in Chinese next to it.I don't understand Chinese, but someone who understands Chinese said that the notice says that no one is allowed to rob, otherwise they will end up in the same end.That man was caught and beheaded for robbery.Whoever fails to abide by the law will be subject to the same punishment.I left feeling terrified of the Japanese, but at the same time, I thought it would be an excellent photo if I took a photo of it, and it would be a good photo for Life magazine.The U.S. weekly would surely have spared no expense for this dramatic photo of old and new, showing a medieval-era punishment scene in front of what was then Singapore's most modern building.However, the experience of the photographer himself is likely to be the same as that of the beheaded robber.And I didn't have a camera with me.Even if someone has a camera, they dare not take it out. I happened to see this bloody scene on my way to Bras Basah Road.So I decided to learn Chinese, hoping that one day I would be able to read and understand such notices.Under the new rulers, my knowledge of English is of no value.It is better to learn Chinese than Japanese, at least Chinese is my own language and not that of the hated conqueror.I bought a copy of "Guoyu Yijie" edited by Jiang Keqiu.This is a thin booklet of only 30 pages, teaching people to learn 700 basic Chinese characters, including how to write and how to form phrases. I devoured the book in two weeks, and then went to the bookstore to buy the second volume.Later, I bought a set of four-volume readers published by the Chinese School in Briens Street, which was of a higher level than the first two.I studied every day, and over the next few months, practiced writing 1,200 to 1,500 words and trying to stick their meanings in my head.However, I have never learned their pronunciation.Every syllable in Chinese can be pronounced into four tones, and the phonetic notation of each word in my reading book is marked with tones, but I don't know how to pronounce four tones, and no one guides me. Faced with the above difficulties, my resistance to Japanese gradually decreased month by month.I found out that Japanese is not only composed of Chinese characters, it has 50 syllables and can be written in katakana (regular script of Japanese alphabet) and hiragana (cursive script of Japanese alphabet).If in the next few years the Japanese will remain in Singapore as my masters, I will have to learn their language in order to avoid trouble and make a living.So, in May 1942, I went to the Japanese language school run by the Japanese authorities on Quinn Street to enroll and became the first batch of students.The duration of the course is three months.The students were of various ages and learning abilities, some of them were from secondary school, some like me from college, others were young workers in their 20s.I passed the exam and was awarded a diploma.I think learning Japanese is much easier than learning Chinese because it doesn't have four tones.But in terms of diacritics and grammar, Japanese is more complex. The graduation ceremony of the Japanese class was held on Sunday, August 2, 2602 (1942) in the imperial calendar.The Japanese imperial calendar is counted from the founding of the legendary first dynasty in Japan.The Japanese also set all the clocks forward by an hour and a half to Tokyo time.We bowed deeply in the direction of the Japanese Imperial Palace in Tokyo and sang the Japanese national anthem "Kim no Dai". Then, Professor Jinbo spoke on stage.He said: "Japan has a long history of 3,000 years, and the Japanese nation has worked tirelessly for generations... There are still many ignorant people who still admire British culture. You should try to guide these people to familiarize them with the great history of Japan, while turning their backs on Britain culture." At the second graduation ceremony held in October, Lieutenant Colonel Okubo, director of the Military Propaganda Department, delivered a speech that affirmed the superiority of the Japanese even more unequivocally. "Some people have delusions that the British and Americans will one day attack Chaonan Island (Singapore) and reoccupy the place. They are delusional because of ignorance. You should know that such a thing will never happen. Japan will never withdraw from this place and will not be defeated in this war. Even if the sun loses its light and Shonan Island is covered with ice and snow, it will not change." The Japanese have never believed in the need to leave room for speaking. This year? Months, my grandfather was seriously ill.He passed away just three weeks after my Japanese class graduated.Before his death, I visited him many times at Bras Basah Road.He lives on this street with his adopted daughter.His situation makes me sad.Not only because he was sick, but because he lived to see how the world crumbled and disintegrated before him: the British, and all they stood for, at the hands of the Japanese.The British navy, with its captains, their discipline, excellence, and supremacy at sea, were all destroyed by the odd-looking Japanese.He couldn't understand why such a slovenly and unremarkable nation could defeat the handsome British dignitaries.As I watched him slip into a coma, I thought it would be a good thing if he died before all this happened. The relationships my grandfather built in the British colony of Singapore before the war are now lost.However, he did have a Japanese friend, and just a few days after his death, his father came to visit.The hard times during the Japanese occupation made my father serious.He becomes more responsible.He found a job in the Japanese military, managing oil supplies.At his request, and out of respect for my grandfather, his friend Shimoda offered me a job in this new world where the Japanese ruled. When war broke out, Shimoda was imprisoned by the British and sent to India.But he returned to Singapore when the two sides exchanged civilians and restored the pre-war company.This is Shimoda Corporation.He moved the company to a large office left by the British, facing Raffles Place, which is the golden area of ​​trading houses.I work as the secretary of Shimoda Company, and my daily job is to transcribe internal documents and to communicate with other Japanese companies.I learned how to write Japanese letters and kept copies of them on carbon paper.I also learned English sketch typing according to Pittman's English typing guide. The continuation of the war meant that textiles were no longer a basic commodity, and freighters were hard to come by.Six months later, Shimoda faced a shortage of textile supplies.Due to the lack of textile sources, the Japanese established a guild called "combination" to control the rationing of textiles.As a result, Shimoda had to close its business.He dismissed the staff, but his heart was always resentful. After Shimoda closed, I found a job on the other side of Raffles Place.This time, I worked as a secretary and typist in a "combination" that controls rice oil, sugar, salt and other grains and oils and condiments, as well as tobacco and cigarettes.My salary is paid in military tickets.This kind of Japanese banknote is printed with the pattern of coconut and banana trees, and later it was called "banana bill" ② Since there is no number on the face of the banknote, it depreciates month by month.My treatment is equivalent to real goods, which is equivalent to 10 catties (about 15 pounds) of white rice, as well as sugar, oil and cigarettes. Cigarettes are the most valuable.These rations are much better than Japanese banknotes.Because as the days go by month by month, the supply of these things is getting less and less, and the "banana ticket" that needs to be paid when buying is getting more and more. became an editor I worked in this "portfolio" for about eight months. At the end of 1943, I saw a recruitment advertisement published by the Japanese "Reporting Department" (that is, the Japanese News or Propaganda Department) on "Shaonan Shimbun", and wanted to hire several English editors.At that time, the "Reporting Department" was located in the Cathay Building.I went to apply and was interviewed by George Takemura, an American-born Japanese.He is tall, thin, fair-skinned, and speaks American English.The Japanese who worked under him called him Ji-oh-ji.He does not wear the uniform of a Japanese officer.It turned out that he was a civil servant in the Japanese military government, with the rank of five blue stars, equivalent to a captain (captain). He talked softly, but he was a decent person.He was satisfied with my English and decided to hire me.I'm glad I finally found a place where English can be useful.My job was to handle cables from the Allied news agencies, including those from Reuters, U.P., Associated Press, Central News Agency, and TASS.They were sent in Morse code and received by Malay radio operators. In the evening, the radio signal was not clear.Due to the poor reception, many space is either blurred or invisible.I had to identify the words and fill in the missing words according to the context, like a crossword puzzle.Then, I sorted out the telegrams sent from each front into press releases, and then sent them from the top floor of the Cathay Building to the bottom floor, where the staff revised them and sent them to the broadcast.I started working at the end of 1943 and worked for about 15 months until the end of 1944. During this period, I lived a rather abnormal life.My work starts at 7pm Tokyo time (5:30pm Singapore time) and continues until dawn.Radio reception doesn't get better until around 12 midnight Tokyo time, so the first shift from 7 pm to 12 midnight is hard work but can go home early and go to sleep.From 12:00 midnight to 9:00 the next morning, the work is divided into two shifts, with two or three hours of rest in between.During this period, the radio reception is better, so it is less troublesome to miss or blur words, but the sleep time is not normal. Even more incredible than the work schedule, however, is the psychological impact of it.For several hours my head was filled with news of the war, and it was all bad for Japan, Germany and Italy.However, if I dare to talk to outsiders, I will run great dangers.There is a gendarmerie stationed on the ground floor of the Cathay Building, and every employee who works in the "Reporting Department" has a file in the gendarmerie.The job of the gendarmerie is to make sure that no one leaks the news. Note: ①The dormitory or collective living place for single Chinese laborers in the early years. "Jian" means "labor" in dialect, and "jian" means house. ② During the Japanese occupation of Singapore and Malaya, banknotes issued by the Japanese military government and circulated in Singapore and Malaysia.It is called banana ticket because of the banana pattern on the ticket.