World War II in Malaya saw a greater increase in prostitution, due to deliberate policy and the conditions of war. After the initial stages of raping of women by advancing Japanese soldiers (as well as local men), women were required to be offered as part of services demanded from the people by the Japanese military officers. The Japanese military required villages to supply women for their troops. In larger towns, young girls were rounded up and kept in military brothels to service Japanese soldiers and such brothels. This is an excerpt from the book Peasants, Proletarians, and Prostitutes: A Preliminary Investigation into the Work of Chinese Women in Colonial Malaya by Lai, Ah Eng (1986).
I NEVER knew Malaysia had geishas. Not until director Michael Ang called me up early this year, telling me about this new tele-movie he will be producing for Astro Ria that is inspired by historical events, entitled Geisha Melayu Terakhir.
