Taiwanese gather in Cowra to ring Bell of Peace
(source: here):
Over 80 Taiwanese guests and officials travelled to Cowra from Sydney today to take part in a special World Peace Bell Ceremony.
As part of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Centennial Peace Day celebrations, Cowra’s World Peace Bell and Peace Bells around the world were rung in conjunction with the unveiling of the ‘Bell of Peace’ on the island of Kinmen in Taiwan.
In addressing the group, Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, Ms Frances Chung-Feng Lee, explained that Taiwan has designated 23 August as the Republic of China (Taiwan) Centennial Peace Day in commemoration of the anniversary of the 823 Artillery Bombardment, in which China fired up to 500,000 shells at the island of Kinmen. The two-meter high peace bell, cast out of copper and incorporating artillery shells used in the 1958 battle, is inscribed with the word "peace" in more than 100 languages.
Cowra has the honour of having Australia’s World Peace Bell, an honour that is usually reserved for capital cities. There are currently 21 World Peace Bells and coins to manufacture the bells have been donated by 103 United Nations member countries.
Cowra’s World Peace Bell was presented in 1992 in recognition of the peace and friendships made between the people of Cowra and Japan following the tragic Japanese breakout from Cowra's World War 2 prison camp on 5 August, 1944.
The first World Peace Bell was created by Chiyoji Nakagawa, former Mayor of Uwajima in Shikoku, Japan, during the aftermath of World War 2 and presented as a token of peace to the United Nations. Working on his own, Mr Nakagawa canvassed 65 member countries of the United Nations asking for donations of coins to cast a bell.
In 1982 a World Peace Bell Association was formed with co-operation from ambassadors representing 128 nations. The Association was charged with promoting a world free from the evils of nuclear war, and presenting replica World Peace Bells to the nations of the world. As was the case with the original, replicas are made from the donated coins of United Nations member countries.
Oddly, there was no mention of Taiwanese POWs detained between 1942-1946 within Cowra POW camps by any of the participants. The Taiwanese delegates apparently did not pay any attention let alone respects to their own people drafted to fight in the Pacific War for the Japanese Empire, instead, they commemorated the gun battles in Kinmen that occurred between ROC and PRC forces in 1985, irrelevant to the celebratory theme of World Peace.In contrast, the breakout of Japanese POWs on Aug 5, 1944 has never been forgotten even with a memorial honoring the Japanese dead [see, for example, here]. To be fair, history has provided preciously little about the Taiwanese POWs if at all. Records only show, for instance, that there were 4 districts within the Cowra camp, Districts A through D. A and C housed Italian POWs captured in N Africa; B, Japanese POWs with low ranks; and D, Taiwanese and Korean POWs, together with high-ranking Japanese officers. It was the plan to relocate about 1,000 Japanese low ranking POWs to Hay, NSW, 400 km to the west, to separate them from their officers that had precipitated the breakout. Since no Taiwanese were reported either having been killed or injured, they probably did not take part in the riot; although the number of them, possibly in the hundreds, remains unknown to the people of Taiwan to this day.
Presumably, during and immediately after the Pacific War, 6,000 Taiwanese POWs were incarcerated in Australia. Some were previous prison sentries guarding British and Australian POWs in Borneo. Around 200 were tried and convicted as war criminals in 1945-6 and served time. In the 1950s, 50 with long sentences were sent back to Japan to serve out their time. A few of these sentries imprisoned in Rabaul did return to Taiwan and their stories told as part of the 2009 best-seller by 龍應台Lung Ying-Tai, the "大江大海一九四九Big River Big Sea—Untold Stories of 1949". Nothing is known as far as the fate of those stranded in Australia, however.
"The Taiwanese delegates apparently did not pay any attention let alone respects to their own people drafted to fight in the Pacific War for the Japanese Empire, instead, they commemorated the gun battles in Kinmen that occurred between ROC and PRC forces in 1985, irrelevant to the celebratory theme of World Peace."
回覆刪除This must be incredibly annoying for World War Two vets in Taiwan, or that they do not receive pensions in Taiwan while KMT soldiers do.
Part of the issue with Cowra breakout, at least according to some, was that it might not have been a breakout at all. Instead, it could have been a mass suicide. Being taken a POW in Japanese culture, if we are to believe the propaganda, was extremely shameful. According to accounts, the Japanese POWs were running at the machine guns. (Of course this is a convenient explanation for the Australians if there were indeed shenanigans.) If it was a mass suicide, with the "escapees" running at machine guns, it makes sense the Taiwanese wouldn't want to take any part.
Sometimes I think the shame of being taken a POW in Japanese culture was a bit overblown, also propaganda. Would some farmer from the sticks in Japan care that much for serving the Emperor or being ordered to blow himself up by some blowhard of an officer? Meh.
When you look at the pictures of Japanese POWs making shoes or plowing a row of strawberries in New Zealand, they don't seem that distraught. They even smile for the camera, etc. Again this could be propaganda... I just can't help feeling some of them were happier where they were than in the front lines.
Hi Patrick, very good points as usual. Thanks.
回覆刪除The machine guns in the Cowra camp were added, just in case, after a riot broke out in New Zealand. So not all Japanese POWs in NZ were happy. You maybe right in that the smiling ones were probably farmer-recruits to be distinguished from the DIs/NCOs. The cruelty of the low-ranking officers in hazing the new recruits was legendary. The same cruelty was unfortunately carried over into the war. These officers were the core group who'd rather die than surrender let alone being captured. And the high-ranking officers usually came from the samurai families, it was their duty to die if/when they failed the emperor. In Cowra, the POWs were NCOs and army and navy officers, not common soldiers. This may explain the unusual action.
Propaganda as you put it is actually brainwashing through education. The concept of sacrificing individual self for the country actually rooted deeply in Chinese culture which the Japanese adopted and adhered to perhaps a bit too faithfully.
And yes, the purposely ignored Taiwanese vets. Not only zero pension but their history is totally forgotten.
"Not only zero pension but their history is totally forgotten." Not completely forgotten. It is being pulled out from the garbage can of history, see your blog. More work is needed nonetheless.
回覆刪除Yes, there is indeed more on Taiwanese POWs and internees - contributed by a writer in Australia who has dug up documents long buried in the National Archives of Australia. We are greatly indebted to her generosity.
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