Petagas War Memorial - The Resistance Movement in North Borneo

The Resistance Movement in North Borneo

In Dec 1942 in North Borneo, Albert Kwok set up a militant resistance organization with the aim of overthrowing Japanese rule. This organization was called the Kinabalu Guerrillas. Albert Kwok Yuk Nam (Chinese name: Guo Yi Nan) was a Chinese business man from Kuching, Sarawak. He studied Chinese medicine in China and he moved to Jesselton (now known as Kota Kinabalu) in May 1941 to start a Chinese medical business. In China, he was also involved in anti-Japanese activities and continued with these activities when he returned to Borneo. In July 1943, Albert was appointed as a Lieutenant by the United States Army Forces in the Philippines (USAFP) and returned to Sabah as a Military Intelligence Officer for the USAFP.

Albert enlisted the help of many like-minded people to resist the Japanese. One of them was Jules Stephens (Jules was a native Kadazan and also the father of Donald Stephens, later became Tun Fuad Stephens, and the first Chief Minister of Sabah) was a sergeant in the North Borneo Volunteer Force (NBVF)). Another was Li Tet Phui, a lieutenant in the NBVF. Stephens and Li (and many others too many to be listed here) helped to organise military training for the guerrillas. Other members of the NBVF were also involved in the resistance movement.

The Kinabalu Guerrillas did not work alone and certainly not only with the Chinese residents in Sabah. They worked with other groups in Sabah. One such group was led by Panglima Ali from Suluk Island just off the coast from Jesselton. A native guerrilla group in Kudat, off the northern tip of Sabah, was led by Mustapha bin Harun (full name: Tun Datu Mustapha bin Harun, who was later to become a Chief Minister of Sabah). Tun Mustapha and his guerrillas operated under the guidance of the wartime Special Operations Executive (SOE). After the war he was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in recognition for his service to the Crown. Some members of the North Borneo Armed Constabulary (who were mainly Dusun and Murut natives) under Charles Peter, the wartime Chief Police Officer, became integral to the subsequent uprising.

In October 1943, the Kinabalu Guerrillas learnt that the Japanese Army planned to conscript some 2000 or so young people for military service. On the other hand, Maxwell Hall said that 3000 youths were needed, including Chinese girls to be deployed as comfort women. The Kinabalu Guerrillas decided to attack the Japanese before they could put their own plans into effect.

On 9 Oct 1943, the Kinabalu Guerrillas launched surprise attacks on the towns of Tuaran and Menggatal, killing 47 Japanese soldiers and civilians. This event was also known variously as the Double-Tenth (symbolising the 10 Oct 1911 uprising against the Qing Dynasty government in China) Rebellion and the Jesselton Uprising. The guerrillas briefly took control of Jesselton but withdrew to the Mengattal area to await reinforcements from the American-Filipino guerrilla unit on Tawi-tawi island which failed to arrive till 29 Dec. By then the Kinabalu Guerrillas were forced to withdraw when Japanese reinforcements arrived from Kuching. The guerrillas then dispersed into smaller groups and managed to hold out in the hills near Menggatal for two whole months. However, acombination of the guerrillas' inadequate military training, the lack of food, the relentless Japanese pursuits and reprisals against the guerrillas' relatives and other civilians, the rebellion was brought to an end on 19 December 1943.

On the 21 January 1944, some 176 guerrillas were executed at Petagas, amongst them were Albert Kwok, Li Tet Phui, Jules Stephens, Charles Peter and Panglima Ali. The remaining 131 were sent to labour camps in Labuan. An indication of the conditions at Labuan can be gleaned from the fact that there were only 14 survivors. In 1949, the remains of the Kinabalu Guerrillas who perished in Labuan were brought back in jars and buried next to their heroic comrades at Petagas. Their return remained a well-kept secret until 1979 when the jars were discovered during the reconstruction of the Petagas Memorial. The Jessleton uprising resulted in the shifting of the headquarters of the 37th Japanese Imperial Army from Kuching to Jesselton and the stepping up of local resistance against the Japanese till their eventual surrender on 9 Sep 1945.