Solid piece of history: Norhidayat (right) showing a tourist one of the British pillboxes built in World War II that can still be found along Sungai Johor in Kota Tinggi, Johor. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
KOTA TINGGI: Seven pillboxes built by the British in World War II along Sungai Johor here have stood the test of time, even surviving natural disasters including the major flood that hit the district in 2007.
Stretching from the Laksamana Kota Tinggi bridge until Kampung Tembioh, the pillboxes remain intact despite being built so long ago.
Kota Tinggi Tourism Information Centre manager Norhidayat Sumid said there used to be more pillboxes, especially along the riverbanks, but some had sunk into Sungai Johor due to erosion.
“The British army built the bunkers as part of its defence strategy in facing the Japanese in World War II.
“It assumed the Japanese soldiers would enter Kota Tinggi using boats through Sungai Johor but they never did.
“The Japanese invaded Malaya at that time using land routes.
“This meant the British army never got to use the pillboxes they had built and these structures were left like that after the war ended,” he said here yesterday.
Norhidayat added that the seven pillboxes were strong and did not sustain any damage to their structures despite being located in a flood-prone area.
“When the district was hit by the major flood in 2007, the seven pillboxes were totally submerged.
“But they are still standing to this day,” he said, adding that the pillboxes had now become a tourist attraction, particularly for those interested in the history of World War II
Norhidayat also said they have beautified some of the pillboxes, including repainting them and putting up lights to make them more tourist-friendly.
He added that a lot of tourist groups – both domestic and international – were amazed that the bunkers could still be found here.
