Volunteers also gave up life for the country

I WAS greatly encouraged by Wong Chun Wai’s article “For the love of country” (Sunday Star, Jan 21) in which he gave a comprehensive overview of the part played by non-Malays in defending Malaya during the First Emergency 1948–1960 and the Second Emergency of the 1970s–1980s. Wong is one of several Malaysians who have written to correct the erroneous opinion of Ustaz Ismail Mina Ahmad.

However, as far as I am aware, no mention has been made so far of the role played by volunteers during the Japanese invasion. The Malayan Volunteers, as they were known, were territorial soldiers from all races and backgrounds.