Protestors objected to a sign that accompanied the restored monument inaugurated last week that bore the title: “History Of Three Japanese Heroes Who Conquered The Alor Setar Bridge”.
A newly-restored World War II memorial in Malaysia sparked anger and calls for its demolition on Tuesday, with protestors calling attention to a sign that described three Japanese soldiers honoured as “heroes”.
Funded by Japan, Malaysian authorities repaired a long-neglected stone monument built in 1941 in Alor Setar, the capital of the northern state of Kedah, in a bid to boost tourism, AFP reported.
The original memorial was built by the Japanese to honour three soldiers who were killed securing a strategic bridge that cut off British and other allied troops.
Led by Lim Swee Bok from the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), some 15 protesters this week handed over a letter demanding the monument be torn down.
Protestors objected to a sign that accompanied the restored monument inaugurated last week that bore the title: “History Of Three Japanese Heroes Who Conquered The Alor Setar Bridge”.
MCA members had draped black cloth over the monument covered with the words: “Heroes monument for those who fought Japan.”
Kedah’s tourism committee chairman Mohamad Asmirul Anuar Aris, the state tourism committee chairman, apologised for an “error in translation” and said the sign has been taken down.
An anti-war message will also be placed later at the site. He, however, rejected the calls to demolish the memorial.
The Japanese occupation in Southeast Asia in the early 1940s, a brutal invasion, still provokes bitter memories even after Tokyo made reparations and built friendships with former enemies after the war.