Singapore marked the 80th anniversary of the Japanese invasion of the then British-ruled island during World War II on Tuesday, but commemorative events were kept small and low-key due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
About 100 people attended a memorial service in downtown Singapore, continuing an annual tradition to remember civilians who perished during the Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945.
Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said in a speech at the event that the occupation following the Fall of Singapore on Feb. 15, 1942, "reminds us of our painful past" and "is etched in our collective memory."
"May we never forget the lessons from the past," he added while urging Singaporeans to take the defense of the city-state seriously.
Among the Singaporeans who attended the memorial service was Foo Wah Eng, 81, who was just an infant when his father was taken away by Japanese soldiers and was never seen again.
In Singapore, a number of mainly ethnic Chinese civilians were massacred by Japanese soldiers during the war. Historians have put the number differently, ranging from several thousand to over 50,000.
After the war ended, skeletal remains were found in some parts of Singapore. After being exhumed, they were interred under a monument in the city center where the memorial service has been held every year on Feb 15.
Foo expressed concern that memories of the war are fading away as the younger generation seems to be less interested in attending memorial events or in what happened during the war.
