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Changi Prison and Selarang Barracks file photo [23612]

Changi Prison and Selarang Barracks

Type   160 Prison Camp
Historical Name of Location   Changi, Singapore, Singapore
Coordinates   1.357075000, 103.973642000

Contributor:

ww2dbaseThe Changi Prison (Malay: Chang'i; Chinese: Zhangyi) in eastern Singapore was constructed by the British Straits Settlements colonial administration in 1936; it was designed to hold 600 prisoners. Nearby, the British Army operated the Selarang Barracks. After the Japanese conquest of Singapore in 1942, the Japanese military housed 600 civilians detainees at Changi and 50,000 prisoners of war, mostly British and Australian, at Selarang. The Japanese secret police organization Kempeitei maintained a headquarters at Changi, where they routinely tortured prisoners to extract intelligence on local armed resistance and to uncover Allied spies. Starting on 30 Aug 1942, the Selarang Barracks Incident took place, during which 20,000 British and Australian prisoners of war refused to sign a pledge not to escape; they were rounded up in the central plaza of Selarang and were denied food, water, and medical treatment until the Anglo-Australian commander gave up the protest after several men died from dysentary. In 1943, Dutch civilians were transferred from camps in the Dutch East Indies to Selarang. About 850 military prisoners of war died at Selarang during the Japanese occupation, and an unkonwn number of civilians died at Changi. After the war, Changi was briefly used for Japanese military personnel (along with Singaporean, Chinese, and Korean personnel under Japanese command) who were accused of war crimes. The Changi prison was it was seen during the war was demolished in 2000; a new prison complex bearing the same name was established at a neighboring site.

ww2dbaseThe name Changi was often mistakenly used to refer to both the Changi civilian prison and the Selarang military prisoners of war camp, given their close proximity.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Update: May 2015



Changi Prison and Selarang Barracks Interactive Map

Photographs

Prisoners of war rounded up in the central plaza of Selarang Barracks, Changi, Singapore, early Sep 1942Allied prisoner of war signing a pledge not to make escape attempts, Selarang Barracks, Changi, Singapore, circa 4 Sep 1942
See all 5 photographs of Changi Prison and Selarang Barracks

Changi Prison and Selarang Barracks Timeline

17 Feb 1942 Japanese occupation administration at Singapore sent 3,000 British civilians to Changi prison and 50,000 British, Australian, and Indian captured troops to Selarang Barracks. Some of the captured Indian troops were taken to hear Captain Mohan Singh at Farrer Park, who attempted to persuade them to collaborate with the Japanese.
30 Aug 1942 Over 20,000 British and Australian prisoners of war at the Selarang prisoner of war camp in Singapore refused to sign a pledge promising they would not attempt to escape. The Japanese rounded up these uncooperative prisoners of war, placed them in the central plaza, and denied them food, water, and medical treatment. Four prisoners who had previously attempted to escape were executed in front of the group to set an example.
4 Sep 1942 After seeing several comrades die from dysentery without medical attention, the commanding officer of the protesting prisoners of war at Selarang prisoner of war camp in Singapore gave the order to abandon the protest against the Japanese demand that they pledge to not make any attempts to escape their imprisonment.




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Modern Day Location
WW2-Era Place Name Changi, Singapore, Singapore
Lat/Long 1.3571, 103.9736
Changi Prison and Selarang Barracks Photo Gallery
Prisoners of war rounded up in the central plaza of Selarang Barracks, Changi, Singapore, early Sep 1942Allied prisoner of war signing a pledge not to make escape attempts, Selarang Barracks, Changi, Singapore, circa 4 Sep 1942
See all 5 photographs of Changi Prison and Selarang Barracks


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George Patton, 31 May 1944


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