Signboard marking WWII battle stolen, possibly for scrap

KAMPAR: The metal signboard put up by local history buffs to explain the significance of the Green Ridge World War II site here has been stolen.

Malayan Historical Group (MHG) chairman Shaharom Ahmad said it regretted the action of those who stole the signboard who apparently did not appreciate the historical element of the signboard denoting the battle.

He said the value of scrap metal appeared to be more important to the unscrupulous parties who stole it.

“Tomorrow (today) is the second anniversary of this signboard being installed.

“Not even two years and it has gone missing.

“I am disappointed because a small part of the community prefers the (monetary) value of scrap metal to the intrinsic value of this informative signboard in community life.

“It is not easy to put up this signboard at your own cost.

“Those who stole it do not care about the effect of the theft of this signboard, which serves to educate the community in preserving the historical value of the existing site,” he told Bernama yesterday.

The privately funded prominent signboard was installed along Jalan Ipoh-Kampar here, and serves as a marker for the site.

Shaharom said the association had to figure out a way to replace the signboard with one made of materials with little scrap value.

The signboard carries information about the 6.47ha site, which saw one of the fiercest battles between 1,500 British troops including Indian, Sikh and Gurkha soldiers, who faced off against 4,000 Japanese troops for four days and four nights from Dec 30, 1941, to Jan 2, 1942.

The event was described as one of the rare moments when Japanese troops had their first mauling after advancing relatively easily from the northern side of the peninsula.

The battle at Green Ridge saw 150 British soldiers as well as 500 Japanese soldiers killed and buried in one place in the same area, thus underlining the significance of the signboard in remembrance of the heroic deeds of the allied troops during wartime Malaya.

Despite its obvious value, the site has yet to be gazetted as a heritage and tourism site by the government.

At the end of last month, India’s High Commissioner to Malaysia B. Nagabhushana Reddy was reported to have said that the idea of gazetting the area as a historical war site was a wish expressed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Malaysia in 2015 to honour the sacrifice of the British and Indian soldiers during World War II in Kampar.