Japanese Occupation : Chicken Coops on stilts and Foochow Wine

 After the Japanese arrived in Sibu in December 1941, many Foochow girls were married off so that they did not have to suffer the fate of becoming comfort women of the Japanese. Rumours abound and many parents quickly grabbed unmarried men to be their sons in law. Many girls were even married off at age 14. And so many were married off to older men who had not been able to afford to get married. 

Those who were forcibly taken as comfort women were publicly known as they were confined to a few places  like shop houses in Sibu. According to an uncle, most of them looked very miserable. He also told us that a few of them  committed suicide, or had to "disappear" from Sibu after the war. No body knew much about their  fate after a few years. Their families felt very sad about this kind of shame .

Many according to Oral History, who were married off suffered from mis-matches. A distant relative for example (may she rest in peace) was only 16 when she was married off to an older man who did not love her. Her parents in law made her a slave and she eventually gave birth to 6 children. Because she gave birth to so many children  very quickly, her mother in law called her a "mother pig" and even denied her basic food. She was almost starved to death during the war besides from suffering from abuses.

Later in life she told us that "she worked but she was not given food". During the Japanese Occupation she had to forage for food to feed her own children as her husband's family did not have land to grow padi. From time to time she was given some rice and sago for her children by kind neighbours when she went look for food and extra work. She quickly learned how to speak some Malay and Iban. She was quite resourceful after the war as she learned to cook and she started selling cooked noodles, kompia and biscuits at the Sibu wharf.

Her husband finally took off to the ulu, married again and was seldom heard off. This relative thus earned a bit of cash from hawking at the wharf but had to look after her in laws until they passed away. It was only then she gained her freedom and was able to head her own family. However because of the poor nutrition and her poor health, she suffered from TB and was sent to Kuching for treatment, where she eventually died. 

Other girls who did not want to get married, had to hide well. Stories were told about them hiding in the jungle when they heard the Japanese speed boats approaching their villages. They would usually hide in the chicken coops or pig sties until the soldiers left. Their greatest fear was to be caught and taken away as comfort women.

Two of my aunts hid in the chicken coops behind the house next to the rice mill. My father had tried his best to build sturdy chicken coops  which were enough for the two girls to hide for a few hours. Chickens were purposefully reared to cover up the front of the coops. And more attap was used make the roof sturdier.  When the tide came up the special chicken coops were strong and safe for the two sisters to hide. Chicken coops had to be on stilts in Pulau Kerto because the land was very swampy.

Photo from Google

The Japanese soldiers would come to the family Hua Hung rice mill to have their rice milled and it would usually take about 2 hours, without any notice.  So the workers and other relatives would make sure that the soldiers were well entertained and not be allowed to walk around the complex. 

My great grandfather would offer some rice wine to the soldiers. My great grandmother made delicious rice wine .This made them very happy indeed. Fujian rice wine was fairly similar to the Japanese sake.

In later days, my father would tell my mother how rice wine had helped save the lives of his sisters.

God was good for the two girls were able to further their education after the war.