The story of the former Heito POW Camp following its closure in March 1945 is a long and interesting one, leading us to where we are today in preserving the story of the camp and the memory of those who have occupied the site for more than 80 years.
In the late 1930’s, a work camp was constructed of crude bamboo huts on the broad, treeless, dry plain near the present-day city of Pingtung to house mainly Chinese political prisoners of war who had been brought to Taiwan after capture on the mainland. The Japanese had previously dammed the Ai-Liao River for a hydro-electric project and the remaining river valley, strewn with rocks, boulders and stones, was being cleared to allow for the planting of sugar cane in the rich river bottom soil. The prisoners had to slave in the hot tropical sun at this task under poor conditions until July 1942.
It was at that time – after the Japanese conquests of Malaya, Singapore and the Philippines that it was decided to use allied POWs for this task, so the Chinese workers were moved out to places unknown and the camp was made ready for the captured POWs.
1944 USAAF aerial photo of Heito Camp.
The first POWs brought to the camp were 26 civilian crewmen off the captured Dutch oil tanker MS Genota who arrived on August 2nd 1942. Their task was to set up the camp kitchen and facilities for the men who would follow. Then later that month on August 29th, the first group of 400 actual POWs arrived at the camp. They had come from Singapore on the hellship England Maru with the senior officers’ group led by Lt. Gen. Arthur Percival and 92 other high-ranking officers of the British, Australian and Dutch forces, along with the governors and civilian officials from Singapore and Malaya.
After about a week, the 93 highest-ranking officers, civilian officials and their aides were moved to Karenko Camp on the East Coast of the island near the present-day city of Hualien. The balance of about 300 men remained behind at Heito to start work on clearing the old river bed.
POW’s drawing of Heito Camp in 1942. © TPCMS
It was hot, back-breaking work and the POWs were given quotas of work to be accomplished each day. Many times these quotas were impossible to fill on the meagre starvation diet the men were forced to exist on. If they did not fulfill those quotas they were beaten mercilessly after work with bamboo clubs and subjected to various methods of torture. The doctors were not provided with medicines for the men and many died of malaria and other diseases. Heito Camp had the highest in-camp death rate of all of the 14 Japanese-run POW camps in Taiwan.
On February 7th 1945, the camp was bombed by American B-24s and P-38s. 18 POWs and one Japanese guard were killed outright, and because the Japanese would provide no medical care or assistance, 10 more men died in the next few days. More than 80 POWs and several of the guards were injured. Later some of them died as well.
As the camp had suffered so much damage, on March 11th 1945, it was closed and the men moved out to other camps in Taihoku, Toroku and Shirakawa for the remainder of the war. Finally, those who remained were evacuated by the US and British navies in early September 1945 to go back to their home countries again.
The Post-War Era. . .
Not much is known about the site of the Heito Camp immediately after the war. When the Nationalist Chinese first moved to Taiwan late in the fall of 1945 and early 1946, all of the former military bases and POW camps were taken over by the Chinese Army. They were used as accommodation for their troops and to strengthen their island garrison. However Heito, being in such a state of disrepair, was not developed into a base at that time. The bamboo huts finally collapsed and the site lay dormant for a number of years.
Then, although little documented evidence is available from the current Ministry of Defense, it would seem from some reports and comments gathered that the site of the former camp was re-developed in about 1955 with new wooden clapboard buildings being built to accommodate the soldiers and base offices.
It is also not completely certain what the small base was used for. Once our POW Society re-discovered the site of the camp in 1999 and began making visits, all that could be observed were groups of soldiers marching about on occasion. We enjoyed a welcoming, positive and friendly relationship with the base and its staff whenever we would visit the camp with former POWs and their family members from time to time and hold memorial services there.
Entrance to Ai-Liao Army Base c.2000 Dormitories for the soldiers in good condition.
Finally, in 2006 Ai-Liao Military Base was closed and the premises vacated. The property was taken over by the Pingtung County government who assured the Society that they would continue to take care of and preserve our POW Memorial which had been erected there in 2004 in perpetuity.
As mentioned, the site of the former camp was re-discovered in 1999 with the help of a number of local residents including two of the former Taiwanese camp guards who still lived in the area. In the years that followed, the Society has taken a number of former POWs and their family members back to the site of the former camp for walk around visits and memorial ceremonies laying poppy wreaths on the memorial. This has continued to the present day. The property and area continued to be watched over by the government, but slowly began to fall into disrepair again.
Former Heito POWs Harry Leslie (left) and John Emmett (right) re-united with former Taiwanese camp guards Lin, Chuen-Hsin and Yang, Dun-Chin during their return visits to Heito Camp in 2001 and 2003. A wonderful spirit of reconciliation and friendship ensued. All have since passed on.
Then in August 2009, Taiwan was hit by typhoon Morakot, the deadliest typhoon to impact Taiwan in recorded history. One of Taiwan’s aboriginal mountain tribes suffered greatly when their village was washed down a mountainside leaving the entire community homeless. The county government quickly intervened and moved the entire population into the compound of the former military base to be lodged in the still-habitable dormitories there until a new village could be constructed for them. We had some nice visits with the local inhabitants whenever we would visit the camp with our guests.
In 2011, their new village in the mountains completed, the people moved out and once again the camp was abandoned. As time went on the buildings started to further deteriorate and the site became very overgrown. The government was still trying to think of ways to use the former site and several proposals were put forth, but none seemed suitable. Then in 2021, working in conjunction with a nearby university’s animal rescue and rehabilitation program, it was decided that the site would be turned into an animal rescue and rehab facility. It will be a sanctuary for injured wildlife until they can be released, and also a place where local stray animals can be rescued, rehabilitated and adopted.
Construction began that year, and in the spring of this year, the Society was contacted by the development team regarding the history of the former Heito POW Camp. We worked with them to relocate the POW Memorial stone to a more accessible location on the lawn just outside the new information centre that was being developed to tell the story of the historic venue. The stone has now been mounted into a new permanent concrete base. We were also able to assist the curator of the centre with details of the story of the Heito Camp that features in the display on the site.
The new animal rescue facility is scheduled to open officially in early 2024 pending the final completion of some construction, but the exhibition centre has been completed and highlights the history of the former Ai-Liao camps. The Society is pleased to have had a part in developing the display on the POWs’ story and has loaned several Japanese wartime artifacts to the hall for display. Now Taiwanese and other visitors to the centre can learn more about the story of the Taiwan POWs and Heito Camp.
The Re-dedication of the Heito POW Camp Memorial
On November 13th 2023, following the year’s wonderful Remembrance Day service at Kinkaseki, the Society director escorted our FEPOW family guest Laura Donaghey - whose great-grandfather, Sgmn. Robert Bagwell of the Royal Corps of Signals, had been in Heito Camp, down to Pingtung for the re-dedication of the Heito Memorial at the relocated site inside the new Animal Rescue Centre.
The Pingtung County Government has always been a big supporter of our work and we were honoured that the county governor Ms. Chou, Chun-Mi could take the time to join us for the re-dedication ceremony. We also had as special guests alongside Laura, Mr. Michael Guu, former Deputy County Governor who was present with us for the original dedication of the memorial back in 2004 who shared a few words of tribute, and Mr. Pan, An-Chuen and Ms. Lily Yang, family members of the former camp guards Mr. Lin, Chuen-Hsin and Mr. Yang, Dun-Chin. These men and their families were instrumental in helping to document the history of the former POW camp and they would come out to join with us every time that we brought POWs or their family members to visit.
Emcee Mark Wilkie welcomed everyone and introduced the governor who addressed the gathering with a thoughtful message about remembering and the county’s pledge to make sure the story of Ai-Liao camp and the POWs is not forgotten. The Society director shared a brief history of the POW camp and the site, and then Mr. Pan and Ms. Yang gave some of their thoughts on the old camp and the memorial. Wreaths were then laid on the memorial and group photos taken. Rev. Maurie Sween brought a fitting message and prayer and finally Laura read ‘A Tribute to the POWs’. A moment of silent remembrance closed out the service. A time of fellowship followed with more photos and plenty of warm and friendly conversation. This was truly a memorable event and a fitting conclusion to the story of Heito Camp. Now it - and all the men who passed through it, will never be forgotten.
The Society wishes to thank Ms. Li, Chi-ya, the director of the Animal Rescue Shelter Project and Ms. Lin, Aichen the designer of the exhibition hall for their untiring support for the memorial and help in telling the POWs’ story. Now all of the POW Camp Memorials across Taiwan are permanently mounted in concrete bases for posterity. Here are some photos from the day . . .
Gov. Chou addressing the group. Mr. Pan & Ms. Yang share memories. Gov. Chou laying a wreath.
Guests at the memorial. The new Heito POW Camp Memorial. Group photo after the ceremony.