Preserving the past: Future tourist guides explore Batu Lintang’s WWII legacy
KUCHING (March 16): The echoes of the past came to life as 35 aspiring tourist guides from the Saujana Hospitality and Tourism Academy (SATT) embarked on study tour of the histories Batu Lintang Camp, which was once a World War II (WWII) prisoner-of-war (POW) and internment camp.
Organised as part of their syllabus on WWII history, the visit provided trainees from the Sarawak Tourist Guide and Regional Specific Tourist Guide (RSTG) with first-hand exposure to a key chapter of the region’s past.
The future guides were given a rare opportunity to walk the grounds that once held prisoners, including soldiers, civilians, and missionaries.
Before the tour started, veteran guide Edward Mance shared the story of the Batu Lintang Camp during WWII, offering insights into its significance and the lives affected by its history.
Also participating in the tour were Commissioner for the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) Sarawak branch Dr John Chew; Teachers Education Institute (IPG) Batu Lintang Campus corporate communications coordinator Yazid Junaidi; and Sarawak Tourist Guides Association (SKTGA) vice-chairman Frankie Kho.
“This year marks the 80th anniversary of Sarawak’s liberation from Japanese rule,” said Chew.
“The Japanese Occupation was a time of hardship, disease, and starvation.
“However, from this suffering, reconciliation emerged, and this history has played a role in shaping human rights as we know them today,” he added. Chew also said the war’s aftermath led to the formation of the United Nations (UN) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, in which Malaysia later became a signatory.
For many trainees, the highlight of the visit was meeting Jeli Abdullah, formerly known as ‘Dandi Michael Tiong’, the last surviving former POW of Batu Lintang Camp. Following the Japanese invasion of Borneo in 1941, Jeli was just one year old when he and his adoptive parents, an Australian missionary couple, were sent to the camp.
He remained in captivity until he was five.
His family was among the many foreign nationals – predominantly Europeans in Kuching – who were rounded up and interned during the Japanese Occupation. Accompanied by his grandchildren, Jeli stood on the very ground where he had once been held captive, which is now a place of remembrance and education.
The tour continued to the Batu Lintang Wartime Memorial Square, a solemn tribute located beside the Batu Lintang War Memorial Mini Museum. There, a wreath-laying ceremony was held to honour those who endured the hardships of war.
Furthermore, Edward explained that the Memorial Square, shaped like an open book, symbolises Batu Lintang’s transition from suffering to knowledge. “The Dayak shield shape in the middle, meanwhile, symbolises protection,” he added.
Inside the museum, the trainees were guided through displays of wartime artefacts recovered from the site, each carrying silent testimony to the past. The museum itself, as explained by Yazid, has evolved over time.
“This was once a library before being converted into a museum.
“While all artefacts uncovered at the Batu Lintang quarry are preserved here, the original arrangement was not like that. “There was a big construction of the campus from 2012 to 2014, and in the process of constructing the new building, they found new artefacts including a Japanese war helmet,” he added.
Among the exhibits, one artefact – a literature book, handwritten by a prisoner on used paper – stood out.
“It is a literature book, handwritten under extreme conditions.
“We’re not certain who wrote it, but it remains a remarkable piece of history,” said Yazi.
The visit not only deepened the trainees’ understanding of WWII history, but also reinforced their role in preserving and sharing these stories with future generations.
-Agency
