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)
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