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LIST
OF TAIWAN POW
CAMPS. . .
- KINKASEKI
#1 (Chinguashi) - found
- TAICHU
#2 (Taichung) - found
- HEITO
#3 (PingTung) - found
- SHIRAKAWA
#4 (Chiayi) - found
- TAIHOKU
#5 MOSAK (Taipei) - found
- TAIHOKU
#6 (Taipei) - found
- KARENKO
(Hualien) - found
- TAMAZATO
(YuLi) - found
- KUKUTSU
(Taipei) - found
- OKA
(Taipei)
- TOROKU
- (Touliu) - found
- INRIN
- (Yuanlin)
- INRIN
TEMPORARY (Yuanlin)
- TAKAO
(Kaohsiung) - almost
- CHURON
(Taipei) - found
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TPCMS
HOPES TO COMMEMORATE
HEITO POW CAMP # 3
WITH NEW POW MEMORIAL
The Taiwan POW Camps Memorial
Society is currently negotiating with the R.O.C. military to try
to obtain permission to erect a fourth POW memorial at the site
of the former Heito Camp near the city of PingTung in the southern
part of Taiwan.
As our regular readers know,
the site of the former camp - which is a current R.O.C. army base,
was discovered in September 1999 with the help of some local friends
and one of the former camp guards who live in the PingTung area.
Since that time we have visited the camp on several occasions and
have been warmly received by the officers and base personel.
In February 2000 we took Alice
Myerscough to see where her fiancee had died and was first buried
before later being re-interred at the Sai Wan Bay Cemetery in Hong
Kong after the war. Then this past November Harry Leslie became
the first ex-POW to re-visit the camp during his visit during Remembrance
Week.
Initial response from the army
has been good and we are hoping to receive permission to erect the
memorial in the next few months. If all goes well, perhaps we’ll
be having another POW memorial dedication in November of this year.
We’ll keep you informed!
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UPDATE ON POW CAMPS...
Twelve out of the fifteen Taiwan POW camps
have been found! On January 4, Michael Hurst went down to
Kaohsiung, and together with Ms. Li Su Mei, who has supported
the Society’s work for several years, discovered the
location of the site of the former Takao POW Camp. (See complete
story on page 6.)
This brings to twelve the number of former Taiwan POW camps
that have been found to date, with just three more to go until
they have all been uncovered. The remaining three consist
of the two Inrin Camps in the Yuanlin area, and a third -
the Oka Camp, which we believe is in the Waishuangshi area
in the mountains north of Taipei city.
On our trip to Central Taiwan last fall in search of the Shirakawa
and Toroko Camps we tried to find the location of the camps
at Yuanlin, but ran out of time. A bit more research has yet
to be done, but we have a good idea of where these camps might
be. We hope to continue the search as soon as time and resources
permit.
The Oka Camp is proving to be more difficult. In November
when Harry Leslie was with us we drove him up into the mountains
to the area where we believe the camp may have been located.
Some things looked a bit familiar, but with his limited eyesight
it was difficult for him to be sure, plus the fact that so
much has changed over 55 years.
The situation is more complicated because the camp was located
deep in the forests high up in the mountain and was only accessible
by a 2 1/2 km. walk through the bush and over a mountain trail.
We need to have a good idea as to the exact location of the
camp before venturing out to find it.
Another problem is that we are unable to find any local residents
who remember the POW camp or the prisoners. Try as we may
no-one seems to have any knowledge in the areas which we have
searched so far. So we will keep trying and would ask that
anyone having any information or ideas on this elusive camp
please contact us as soon as possible. Hopefully we’ll
have more to report in our next issue.
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Persistence - Nothing in
the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not - nothing
is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not
- unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not - the
world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination
alone are the power that will bring results! |
