Not Your Normal Tourist Attraction – Sandakan Death March, Sabah Borneo

There is nothing like a war memorial to make me pause my frivolous travels and tourism activities. Unfortunately for many Australian families, the State of Borneo holds only sad memories for them of atrocity and lives lost in World War 2.

It is only right and proper to walk quietly and reflect on the sacrifice made by so many Australian men and women allowing Australia to be the free and democratic country we know and love today.

It’s time for a short history lesson…

In World War 2, the Japanese had their sights on dominating all of Asia and quickly overran numerous under-prepared South-East Asian countries, including Malaysia. As part of their plan, they transported a large number of English, New Zealand and Australian prisoners of war to a site near the then village of Sandakan in North-East Borneo. The Japanese wanted to build a runway to help them maintain supplies of armaments etc to their troops and naturally, prisoners were a cheap source of labour. They were even cheaper if you didn’t bother to go to the expense of actually feeding them.

Eventually, more than 2,434 prisoners were moved to Sandakan from other parts of Asia where they commenced a life of misery, cruelty and depravation. Of those 2,434 men, only six survived and they represented the very few successful escape attempts. The rest of the men died of starvation, disease or were simply executed.

The last cruel acts were a series of marches, now known as the Sandakan Death Marches. The tide of the war eventually turned in favour of the Allies and the Japanese decided to move their camp from Sandakan to a highly remote location near Ranau, central Sabah. There were no roads or infrastructure to transport their food and equipment so they forced the prisoners to carry huge weights on their backs for 260km. Can you imagine doing this? You are suffering from malnutrition and disease, walking in extreme heat and humidity over mountainous terrain? I like to think I am pretty resilient, but not in my wildest dreams could I do this. With their bodies and spirits broken, many men just sat down and gave up living.

As part of our trip to Borneo, our tour included visits to two war memorials and while the contrast between the two sites was stark, they was no less powerful.

Kundasang War Memorial Park

• A community-minded man, passionate about acknowledging this part of Malaysia’s history, decided to build a privately-funded memorial commemorating the sacrifice of both the local people and international soldiers.
• The location of this war memorial is a little unusual as the Death Marches pulled up short about 15km to the East, at the small village of Ranau.
• The Memorial covers quite a large area, although you wouldn’t know it was there unless someone pointed it out to you.

• There are individual gardens representing the different nationalities who fought in the war, as well as a small food and souvenir outlet.
• To increase your understanding, it is useful to watch a recording of an Australian current affairs TV show outlining this theatre of the war. Also off to the side of this conference room is a large amount of military memorabilia and media articles.

• This Memorial is a little unloved, well actually a lot unloved, as they rely on donations and a small entrance fee to keep their doors open.
• A steady stream of Malaysian visitors came through the gates and I couldn’t help but wonder what they think of this site. Is it still relevant and impactful for them too?

Sandakan Memorial Park

• And then you travel cross-country to Sandakan itself and the site of the original prisoner of war camp. The contrast could not be starker. This Memorial is funded by both the Malaysian and Australian governments, and the sense of order and façade of beauty created here does little to hide its history of cruelty.

• I admit that our visit to this Memorial really knocked the wind out my sails. It is such a powerful place of reflection and solitude, and for me, overwhelming sadness:
  • Sadness at the senseless loss of life and opportunity
  • Sadness at the futility of it all
  • Sadness at the cruelty
  • Sadness at the simple lack of respect for your fellow man
  • Sadness that anyone could think that this was a right and fair way to act.

It is hard not to hate a whole nation when you visit places like this, but that’s what starts wars in the first place.

I think the hardest part for any family must be the ‘never knowing’. So many men were never found and their lives and souls were simply swallowed up by the soil of this beautiful country. ANZAC Day commemorations must be very moving here and I am tempted to return to Sandakan one day to pay my respects.

I don’t believe that history has given enough attention to the Asian sphere of the war. Not to celebrate it or promote it, but acknowledgement is important in the vain hope that we don’t repeat the same mistakes again.

Will we ever learn?

The Basics

What: The Kundasang Memorial has a small entrance fee for both locals and international visitors – around AUD$5 per person for foreigners. The Sandakan Memorial is free to enter.

Where: Kundasang Memorial is located at Jalan Kundasang Kauluan and the Sandakan Memorial can be found at 90702, Jalan Labuk, 90000 Sandakan.

When: Kundasang Memorial is open 830am-5pm every day and the Sandakan Memorial is open 8am-5pm every day.

Why: To pause, pay respect and consider the quality of the life we live today.

How: I did not see any public transport near these memorials, but they may be located nearby. Otherwise, you will need to arrange private transport or join a tour.

Who: Everyone from every nation can learn from past mistakes.

Related Posts: Another powerful war memorial is at Pearl Harbour at Hawaii. Words escape me.

Related Blogs: This Malaysian blog gives a very comprehensive round up of the Sandakan War Memorial

Read About it: If you have a burning interest in WWII history or want to find out more, grab a copy of Paul Ham’s book simply called Sandakan. It is a sobering, frightening, and heart-breaking read. Available from Fishpond.

I visited the Sandakan Death March memorials in early March 2023.

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