‘Our heartfelt wish for a future without war'
Published on: Sun, Aug 17, 2025
By: Kan Yaw Chong Text Size: Kanako Tanaka speaking as the five Japanese students listened 'pass the story with honesty and care'. READ the heading again. A future without war – doesn't that echo the heartfelt wish of the whole world? yet it is a contride voice yon least expect from the side of a Japanese mother in the context of infamous Sandakan Death march. Remember her country incarcerated 2434 Aussie and British pows, all of them died except six, never see home sweet home again! Humiliated by defeat in Singapore, then held captives in a no-man's land for three years to build a military air strip for foe under gun point, all 2,434 bundled to Sandakan none survived except six! Lest we forget is a reminder to never forget, whatever or whoever it maybe. That's why I was suprised by what I heard and saw at the 80th anniversary Death March Sandakan Day commemoration Aug 14-15 this year. It takes a lot of raw courage for a Japanese mother to voice out loud at the Sandakan Day Memorial Welcome Dinner at the Sabah Hotel, Aug 14, when she knew she was addressing an audience who came to remember a near total annihilation of their relatives and countrymen 80 years ago. Noting her 'courage', British High Commissioner to Malaysia, Ajay sharma said: Now we have two sides to keep the death March story alive'. Here is a gem of a speech we publish verbatim. 'I am an ordinary mother' 'Good evening and Selamat Malam, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. 'My name is Kanako Tanaka, and I am an ordinary mother from Osaka, Japan. 'These students standing before you tonight are the daughters of some of my dearest friends. 'A few months ago, I happened to watch a Japanese documentary about the history of Sandakan created by Mr Yumoto, who is with us here this evening. 'The film left me with one urgent question. 'How can we ensure that that this story not only lives on, but truly takes root, especially among young people of Japan? 'One morning, I woke up with a clear thought in my mind. 5 Japanese students, 3 steadfast promises 'What if I brought Japanese students to Sandakan – so they could learn about this history firsthand? 'So I began reaching out to my friends, hoping to find some of their children who would be interested in taking part in a private trip to Sandakan. 'And now, I am here, accompanying five students who come from different families, schools, towns and even age groups – with up to ten years in age difference. 'They are Ryoko Obokata, Juri Okamoto, Karen Okamoto, Ryoka Yamasaki and Mariko Matsuo. 'However, they stand here tonight, ready to share three steadfast promises with all of you. 'They are Respect, Responsibility and representation. 'Respect for the past – for all those who lost their lives during this tragic chapter of history, and for the families who continue to carry their memories. 'Responsibility for the present – to learn what happened here in Sandakan, and to pass the story on with honesty and care. 'Representation for the future – these students are, in fact, our future itself. 'They are ready to receive the invisible baton passed from each and every one of you and they promise to carry it out throughout their lives- until they, in turn , pass it on to the next generation. Iconic origami cranes – symbol of peace, hope, healing in Japan 'Thanks to our friend Cynthia Ong, we have been kindly given permission to participate in tomorrow's (Aug 15) ceremony and to offer this – a thousand origami cranes. (The traditional origami crane is based on the large Japanese red crowned crane – a rare iconic species, known for their symbolic significance. Making 1,000 origami cranes is a tradition associated with granting wishes). 'Allow me to say a few words about what the thousand origami cranes means to the Japanese people. 'The origami cranes is a traditional symbol for peace, hope and healing in Japan. 'You may have seen them often offered at the Hiroshima Memorial Park. 'We folded each crane by hand, with our heartfelt wises for remembrance and a future without war.' Song wish for peace – Home sweet home 'Now please allow us to offer a song (Home sweet home – happy to be back home after long absence) 'We sing for all those who could never go back to their beloved families even after the war – and also for everyone here with us today. The song is originally an English folk song, but it is also widely known in Japan as a song that wises for peace. 'We hope this song brings to your heart back to your own sweet home. 'And may all our hearts reach out to those who longed to return home, but never could… Because as we all know… there's no place like home.' Indeed there is a blue print for a future without war in Thy kingdom come. 'We feel the weight of history beneath our feet': Corporal IT'S extremely special for us to be standing here; on ground that holds such deep meaning, not just for Australians, but for all who remember the sacrifices made during the Sandakan Death March. I would like to express our deepest gratitude to the people of Sabah and the Sabah Tourism Board for granting us access to unique and historically significant areas – most notably, the Lolosing River Valley. This would not be possible without your continued support and generosity. Your commitment to preserving and sharing this history ensures that the memory of those who served and sacrificed is kept alive for generations to come. This access has not only enhanced our experience but has given us a deeper understanding of the unimaginable hardships endured by the prisoners of war during the Sandakan Death March. Walking this ground is a solemn journey – one that brings history to life and connects us to the past in the most powerful of ways. As our good friend, Tham said: Each time an Australian completes this trek, we take a soldier home with us. This opportunity allows us to pause and reflect on the suffering, courage and resilience of those who walked this path before us. We are reminded of the strength of the human spirit in the face of unthinkable adversity. It is not just a trek – it is an honour. An honour to carry their memory. An honour to continue their legacy. And an honour to ensure that their stories are never forgotten. We sincerely hope that more Australians, especially our serving soldiers and veterans, will have the chance to experience this journey in the future. To stand where our heroes once stood. To feel the weight of history beneath their feet. And to pay tribute in the most personal and powerful way. On behalf of the team, we are honoured to carry this legacy with pride-thank you to Tham (their guide) and his crew, without each of them we wouldn't have been able to conquer the undulating terrain throughout this trek. Editor's note: This speech was given by Corporal Meghan Manuzic at the Sandakan Day Memorial Welcome Dinner at the Sabah Hotel on Aug 14, on behalf of the seven-member Australian Army who walked 100km of the Death March route from Telupid to the Last Camp, Ranau, between August 3-14, led by Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Hunter. The five other army trekkers are Warrant Officer Matthew Fuery, Sergeant Matthew Bickerton, Corporals Rebecca Ross, Angus McGregor, Sarah Kerr and Nathanael Bull. Sandakan Death March Heritage trail map launched THE full length of Sandakan Ranau Death march route is 260km long. Most tourists cannot walk that far, however interested they are. 'So the late General Manager of Sabah Tourism, Datuk Irene Charuruks, had a dream: We need a map that the local tourists can follow by car, she said to me one day,' recalled historian Lynette Silver, at the joint launching of the Sandakan Death March Heritage Trail Map at the Sandakan Day Memorial Welcome Dinner on Aug 14. Josephine Chai, STB Senior Marketing Manager, represented CEO Julinus Jeffrey Jimit, Jason Jay Paujik, Assistant Product Manager, Wilson Thomas, Deputy President of Sandakan and veteran Death March trekker, Tham Yau Kong participated in the joint launch. 'So we started on it and she had her people erect black and yellow signs along the route with POW route and then the rest of the idea was to produce a brochure. 'But somehow that went on the back burner and while we had the signs along the routes, we didn't go any further until Sabah Tourism Board now became interested with Tham and myself and they decided that we should complete Datuk Irene's dream,' Lynette said at the launch. 'So today is the culmination of Datuk Irene Charuruk's dream from many years ago to produce a map which can be followed by motorists, by anybody who's interested in the Death March story. 'I chose 15 key places which have the story historically, which is on the right hand side here and on the left you can see the Australian government map which shows you where to go.' 'So after 80 years, which is when this first map (Mud Map) was produced, we now have a situation where anybody in a car can follow the Death March route and appreciate Sabah's wartime history and Australia's wartime history and also that of the British. 'I've been at this, as you know, most of you, for a very long time, since 1993 when I started to investigate this whole story and I've been working with the Sabah government since 1999.' 'So, this is a culmination of a great deal of work on my behalf, on Tham's behalf, on the Sabah Forestry's behalf and the Sabah Tourism Board as well.' 'It's a very great honour for me to formally launch the Sandakan Death March Heritage Trail map and I do so with a great deal of pride,' Lynette concluded. According to Josephine, STB has both the hard copies and e-version of the map.
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