TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2008 • TAIPEI TIMES COMMUNITY COMPASS P A G E 4 co m m co mu es. nity@taipeitim POWs honored by long-time resident Canadian Michael Hurst, a long-time resident of Taiwan, has been instrumental in organizing activities that remember the thousands of Allied prisoners of war who were interned in Japanese prison camps in Taiwan during World War II. In 2002, he was made a Member of the British Empire for his efforts. ‘Taipei Times’ reporter Richard Hazeldine sat down with Hurst last week to talk about the POW association he coordinates before this year’s 12th annual Remembrance Day Taipei Times: How and why did Then, during the last week, for a you get involved with the POW People have come to number of months we had been association? raising money towards a memorial Michael Hurst: When I was a call“ me the Indiana Jones for George Harrison who was a little boy I found out that I lost medic in the mine at Kinkaseki. He uncles in both the first and sec- of Taiwan because I’m was a very humble and unassuming ond World Wars. Ever since I had man, even though he had been one always wanted to do something always groveling around in of the heroes of the camp in saving tangible to say thank you to my so many men’s lives. But when he uncles and the family … It came to prison camps looking for died he really never made any provi- our knowledge in late 1996 follow- sions for any kind of plaque. ing a Remembrance Day service in stuff from 65 years ago. We didn’t feel this was right so Taipei about the camp in Jinguashi we raised about £1,500 pounds and [金瓜石, in Taipei County] and the — Michael Hurst ” we bought a beautiful teak bench copper mine and the prisoners that with bronze plaques commemorat- suffered so terribly down there, ing George and his wife and all the and in particular a Canadian doc- Taiwan camp No.1. There was the Taiwan POWs. It was a full and PATRONS OF THE ART tor, Ben Wheeler, who was the main camp in Taipei, in Dazhi (大直); active three weeks of reminiscing camp doctor and saved the lives of a camp in Pingtung (屏東); there was with the men, most of who are in Four French nationals practice Chinese martial arts under the instruction of a master in Yunlin County on Sunday last week. PHOTO: LIN KUO-HSIEN, TAIPEI TIMES literally hundreds of the men. So I another south of Taichung. Hualien their late 80s or 90s. sort of jumped at it in my position had one; there was a small tempo- Some of them are shut-ins, they of vice president of the Canadian rary camp at Yuli (玉里) on the east can’t get out to the reunions so I Society and said to the trade office coast; a camp down at Baihe (白河), try to focus on those chaps as the director, ‘I’ll take it to the board south of Chiayi; a camp opened at ones to see. It was quite emotional Opinions swirl after ARATS protests as I’d like to do something to say Muzha, which contained all the very because they know as well as I do thanks to the veterans.’ senior officers and governors of all that this may be the last time we TALKING HEADS: Now that clashes between police and Back home, the police could seri- speak their minds on the stage,” So in January 1997 we formed the colonies the Japanese had over- ever actually meet. protesters have subsided, expatriates are talking about it ously hurt you for throwing things said a German professional who the Kinkaseki [Japanese for Jin- run. Then later on in 1944 as the TT: You were awarded an MBE in at them,” he said. refused to go on the record be- guashi] Memorial Com- Japanese tried to move the 2002. How did that come about? Anti-China rhetoric and scath- cause she feared offending her mittee with myself and POWs out of Taiwan, there Hurst: A got a real surprise in BY Jenny W. Hsu the violence that ensued last week ing criticism against the police and Democratic Progressive Party representatives of the were short-term camps at May 2002 when the British Trade STAFF REPORTER gravely affected Taiwan’s democ- the administration of President coworkers. Australian, New Zealand Yuanlin (員林) and Douliou Office director called me and in- For days last week, images of furi- racy by “turning the clock back 20 Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) have been One blogger labeled as a “Fried and British trade offices. (斗六). formed me that the Queen in her ous protesters battling against the years.” posted on various Web sites and Chicken Parts Vendor” wondered We organized a memo- They also moved men Golden Jubilee honors list had de- police filled the nation’s headlines. “By banning the display of the blogs managed by foreigners. if the people were just “doing this rial service in May 1997 into the hills about six cided to bestow the MBE on me Police were caught in news footage Republic of China flag, the govern- Tim Maddog wrote on his blog: for kicks?” to show a film produced miles [9.6km] south of Sin- for my work with the POWs and beating people with wooden clubs ment sent a very clear signal that “Martial law is being reintroduced “There is no reason for all this in 1980 by Dr Wheeler’s daughter dian and there was a satellite camp for the work we did in promoting and metal shields, while some pro- Taiwan’s sovereignty was made to Taiwan, and the philistine police shit ... I understand people are called a War Story and invited for- in Waishuanghsi (外雙溪) for two reconciliation between the POWs testers threw objects such as glass subordinate to the People’s Repub- response to protesters as well as concerned, but is anyone out of mer Jack Edwards, a Taiwan POW or three months at the end of the and the [Taiwanese] guards. But bottles and stones at the police. lic of China. I think that was the to people simply expressing their [or inside] Taiwan going to take who lived in Hong Kong at the time war. Taiwan, at that time, had the mostly the work we’ve done tell in The clashes led the government most dangerous thing the govern- feelings is a clear indication of this these people seriously? What’s on to come over and take us on a tour creme de la creme of the POWs, all telling the POWs’ stories. and the opposition party to point ment did during the week and this situation.” the news now is insane and it will of the site at Jinguashi. the governors of all the conquered At first I didn’t believe it … fingers at each other, each blam- led to the situation where people Some said the cops used ex- be on TV in other parts of the It was very successful and we territories, Hong Kong, Singapore, I went to Buckingham palace in ing the other for the chaotic dis- were very angry. There is no ques- cessive force on the people, but world and it will make Taiwan thought it would be appropriate Malaya, the Straits Settlements, October, and although all the cor- play. The scenes also stirred up tion that Taiwan is in a very dan- argued that protesters should also look very bad in the eyes of the to erect a memorial at the gate Guam, the Dutch East Indies; all respondence said that the Queen strong feelings from the expatriate gerous position right now.” be blamed for the chaos. Others world.” of the camp. So we reformed the the highest ranking officers from would do this and the Queen would community from all points of the Jacques Stroebel, a teacher observed that the majority of the committee and by November 1997 the Dutch, American, Australian do that, when the time came she spectrum. from Canada, applauded Taiwan- protests were not at all violent we had the memorial built and and British armies. was actually on a tour of Canada David Reid, an Australian stu- ese police for dealing with the pro- and blamed the press for sen- had it dedicated later that month. The men worked in mining, sugar and it was Prince Charles that gave dent studying at National Cheng- testers in a “very strong but gentle sationalizing the events. Some The project generated a lot of in- cane fields, farming, and other tasks me the MBE. It was a fantastic oc- chi University who witnessed the manner.” others speculated the emotionally terest in the community, but sev- such as digging riverbed flood diver- casion. I don’t do much else with protest on Wednesday, said that “I give my respect to the police. charged protests were orches- eral people involved were leaving sion channel by hand. the medal except wear it on Re- trated by pan-green politicians their postings or moving on and I There were only two Cana- membrance Day. In light of the for the sole purpose of boosting thought we ‘can’t just build a me- dian POWs, two South Africans It’s still hard to believe that their own popularity and that of morial without finding survivors attached to the British Army. The [anyone notices] way out here in controversial visit by the party. and letting them know what’s been largest number were British, the far off Taiwan.