Today in History:
The Double Tenth Incident (1943)
The "Double Tenth Incident" or "Double Tenth Massacre" occurred on 10 October 1943, during the Second World War Japanese occupation of Singapore. The Kempeitai – Japanese Military Police – arrested and tortured fifty-seven civilians and civilian internees on suspicion of their involvement in a raid on Singapore Harbour that had been carried out by Anglo–Australian commandos from Operation Jaywick. Six Japanese ships were sunk, but none of those arrested and tortured had participated in the raid, nor had any knowledge of it. Fifteen of them died in Singapore's Changi Prison.
After the war ended, twenty-one of the Kempeitai involved were charged with war crimes. Eight received the death sentence, seven were acquitted, and the remainder were given prison sentences varying from one year to life.
The Double Tenth Trial
The former Supreme Court Building, where most of the war crimes trials were heldAfter the war, on 18 March 1946, the Double Tenth war crimes trial was held in the Supreme Court Building, before a Military Court presided over by Lieutenant Colonel S. C. Silkin. Twenty-one Kempeitai were accused of torturing 57 internees, resulting in the deaths of 15. On 15 April 1946, after a hearing lasting 21 days, Sumida was one of eight sentenced to death by hanging. Three others received life imprisonment, one a sentence of fifteen years, and two were given prison terms of eight years. Seven were acquitted.
In recognition of her valour and wartime effort during the Japanese Occupation, Elizabeth Choy was awarded in London the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1946.
Photo 1:
The display of POW's artifacts at the Changi Chapel and Museum, Singapore. In the background shows a bird's eye view of the Changi Prison during WWII
Photo 2:
The former Supreme Court Building, where most of the war crimes trials were held
Source: encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com
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