Host of 70th anniversary events in Hong Kong mark Japanese surrender in second world war
Second world war victims remembered, 70 years after surrender, as groups still fight for justice
With today marking the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender during the second world war, Hong Kong will stage a string of events to commemorate those who fell during the conflict and celebrate the liberation that came after three years and eight months of hardship under Japanese occupation.
It began yesterday with protests at the Japanese consulate in Central. About 20 members of the Hong Kong Reparation Association, mostly elderly people in their 60s, demanded compensation for the wartime currency that was forced on them.
"The Japanese government still has not compensated the bearers of military notes issued in Hong Kong during the war. They just left and now the notes are worthless paper," said association chairman Lau Man, 76.
Today the Society of the Veterans of the original Hong Kong Independent Battalion will hold a memorial ceremony at the Tsam Chuk Wan monument dedicated to the Sai Kung locals who resisted Japanese rule.
Tomorrow the Hong Kong Prisoners of War Association and the Royal Hong Kong Regiment (The Volunteers) Association will jointly hold a public remembrance service at the Memorial Shrine at the City Hall to honour soldiers sent by allied nations who sacrificed their lives for the defence of Hong Kong.
"There are now very few Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps veterans still living and the majority of those have now settled either in the UK or Australia. We therefore do not expect any HKVDC veteran to attend the ceremony this year, but there will be others who served in other units in 1941 who will be in attendance," said Ronald Taylor, chairman of the Volunteers association.
