INDIAPOW

**CHANGI PRISON** **Australian involvement in Vietnam ** Australia became involved in WW2 in Singapore in order to defend against the oncoming Japanese invasion. A naval base was constructed, which was the main point that the British and Australian troops were defending throughout the course of the war. This base was key in defending against the Japanese, and was built for the purpose of quelling aggression in Singapore. The commander of Singapore’s forces, Lieutenant General Arthur Ernest Percival, sent British and Australian soldiers to fight the Japanese upon their invasion of the north-east coast of Singapore. The Japanese pressured the Lieutenant General, who then surrendered Singapore in February 1942. 14,972 Australians were captured by the Japanese and imprisoned in Changi Prison.

**Statistics ** · 14,972 Australian soldiers (captured by Japanese) were imprisoned in Changi (including all seven POW camps) · Around 8, 000 died while in these camps · 5390 (about 36%) of the prisoners died · Malnutrition and disease were extremely common · Living conditions and labour gave prisoners many injuries, especially to the skin · By September 1942 the population of the prisoners had halved

**Conditions ** The appalling conditions of Changi prison, although horrific, were comparatively better than other Japanese camps, where treatment of prisoners was harsher and less humane, although only slightly more than Changi. The rooms were overcrowded and unhygienic. Disease spread quickly, and there were often mass outbreaks. Labour was harsh, and injuries from this hard labour regularly sustained. Medical attention for these and other injuries as well as disease was inadequate, and nutrition was poor. Malnutrition inflicted just about all of the prisoners. Although conditions were nightmarish, the prisoners showed resourcefulness in many ways, including the establishment of a black market and the secret growing of produce and breeding of livestock. This served to ease the pain slightly.

**DEATH MARCHES **  <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">The “Death March” remains the single greatest war crime committed against Australia. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">In 1942, several Australian prisoners of war were relocated from Changi to Sandakan, in order to construct an airstrip. They were at first treated humanely, but treatment progressively worsened over time. Rations diminished and beatings became more frequent. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Advancement by allied troops towards Borneo caused the Japanese to send around 2,000 Australian and British prisoners west from Sandakan to Ranau. The majority of prisoners were ill, and suffered from malnutrition, physical strain, injury and other poor treatment. All were forced to trek 260 km along rough jungle terrain. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Many died during the journey to Ranau, bodies forsaken in the jungle. Prisoners too weak to make the journey died or were killed, wether they had been left behind at Sandakan, or fell during the march. Only six Australian prisoners survived, completing the passage, out of approximately 1,000.

**<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Nutrition ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Worked to the ground, prisoners were surviving off less than two thousand calories each day. The Japanese, comfortable in their position of power over the prisoners, reasoned that if less nutrition would result in an adequate output of work, than it was not worth spending more money in order to make the prisoners healthy.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">**Psychological Damage** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Subjected daily to pain and a disturbing environment full of other sick, injured and exhausted prisoners, psychological scarring was inevitable. Change in the prisoners psyche was extreme, and as with all psychological damage, if recovery was possible, it would never be complete, and it would take a long time and be extremely difficult.

**<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Bibliography ** __<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[] __ __<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[|www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/**Changi**_**Prison]** __ __<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[] __ __<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[] __ __<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[] __ __<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changi_Prison __