My friend, Ernie Oei Choon Guan, hails from Singapore and is a self-professed World War Two military buff. We met some years back through our mutual interest in the events that led to the Japanese Occupation of Malaya. Looking up and gesturing at the road leading north towards Thailand, Ernie adds: “Only 50 miles separate Alor Star from the border. Japanese soldiers continued using their bicycles even after their tyres were punctured. Given full command of the elite 25th Japanese Army, the general quickly realised his key role in the coming war.

Source: New Strait Times December 10, 2017 06:33 UTC