Friday 15 February 2013

Lim Bo Seng's Force 136

Lim Bo Seng's name is inextricably linked with that of Force 136, for he had a hand in setting it up and bringing it to success. The British regrouped after their disastrous capitulation and plans were afoot to regain their lost territories. However, they lacked intelligence on the Japanese troops in Malaya and this could only be remedied if they had a good intelligence network on the ground. For this purpose, Lim Bo Seng was persuaded by the British to help set up a clandestine spy network in Malaya. With Bo Seng's help, the British joined forces with Nationalist China to recruit and train the Force 136 members, which consisted mainly of overseas Malayan Chinese. From China, these men were sent to the Far East Military School in Poona, India where they were taught shooting and survival skills, jungle and guerrilla warfare and intelligence gathering techniques.

Upon graduation, they were sent to Malaya in batches, at first by submarine. The first team, Gustavus I, departed for Malaya on 11th May 1943 and landed in Tanjong Hantu on the 24th. The first base was set up at Bukit Segari. Subsequent batches were landed along the west coast of Malaya. Later on in the war, Force 136 members were parachuted into various Malayan states. As the war dragged on and it became apparent that Japan was losing the war, more and more British officers and Force 136 members were parachuted in, along with weapons and supplies. However, before Operation Zipper (the planned British invasion of Malaya) was launched, the Japanese surrendered unconditionally. Shortly after the surrender, Force 136 was disbanded, but not before its members had been feted as liberation heroes who had put their lives on the line for freedom.
(Source: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_contributions_did_Lim_Bo_Seng_make_to_Singapore)

Anecdotes Involving The Hero

Tragedy was to strike when he was stopped at a checkpoint at Gopeng and arrested. He had earlier ignored warnings and pleas from his comrades about the danger of his mission, which was to revamp the entire intelligence network and solicit funds from his wealthy friends. Brought to Batu Gajah Prison, he was subjected to continuous interrogations and torture by the infamous Kempeitai. Lim Bo Seng was already weak in health, having just gone for a haemorrhoids operation in India before arriving in Malaya. To make matters worse, he suffered from dysentery. Finally, on 29th June 1944, he succumbed under the immense suffering and passed away.

Following the surrender of the Japanese in Malaya in September 1945, the accolades for Lim Bo Seng began to flow in. The Nationalist Government in China accorded to him a posthumous rank of Major-General and a grand funeral procession was held on 13th January 1946. His grave is situated at MacRitchie Reservoir. On the 10th Anniversary of his death, in 1954, a memorial was unveiled at the Esplanade to commemorate him.

Lim Bo Seng attained everlasting fame not only because he gave up everything, including his life, to fight against an enemy he deemed to be tyrannical and cruel but also because of his steadfast refusal under pain and torture to reveal the information which would endanger the lives of his comrades and the cause he was fighting for.
(Source: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_contributions_did_Lim_Bo_Seng_make_to_Singapore)

Lim Bo Seng's Contributions

He was held in high regard by the British and other members of Force 136 for his patriotism, leadership and organisational abilities. After receiving training from the British in India, the men of Force 136 were inserted into Malaya via submarine in batches. Appointed leader of the Malayan Chinese section, he personally arrived in Malaya in November 1943 to co-ordinate the efforts. He was one of the five signatories in the Bukit Bidor Agreement signed on 1st Jan 1944 where the British and the Malayan Communist Party agreed to work together and support each other against the Japanese.
(Source:http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_contributions_did_Lim_Bo_Seng_make_to_Singapore)

Thursday 14 February 2013

Biography

Lim was born in Nan'an, Fujian, China, in the final years of the Qing Dynasty, as the 11th child but the first son in the family.He was born on 27th April 1909. His father, Lim Loh , was a building constructor. In 1925, Lim came to Singapore at the age of 16 to study inRaffles Institution under the British colonial government. He went on to read business at the University of Hong Kong.
In 1930, Lim married Gan Choo Neo , a Nyonya woman from the Lim clan association hall of Singapore. They had eight children, one of whom died in infancy. Initially a Taoist, Lim converted to Christianity after his marriage to Gan. Lim inherited his father's business He started with running two businesses in brick manufacturing and biscuit production before venturing into building construction together with his brothers. Apart from being successful in his business career, Lim was also a prominent figure in the Chinese community in Singapore, having been nominated to take on several posts in the community, including: Chairman of the Singapore Building Industry Association; Board Member of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce ; Executive Member and Education Director of the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan.
(Source:wikipedia.org/wiki/Lim_Bo_Seng.)