Remembering the Pacific War in Sabah
By Joan Liao
August 2025 LEST WE FORGET
3 JANUARY 1942—a detachment from Japanese-controlled Labuan landed and captured the village of Mempakul, North Borneo, just outside the town of Menumbuk. Two weeks before that, Sibu and Brunei were captured by Japanese naval forces at the very start of the Japanese Borneo Campaign. As Japanese troops marched north towards Jesselton (modern-day Kota Kinabalu), the army garrison there quickly negotiated the surrender of the city to the Japanese. By 8 January, large portions of Sabah’s West Coast had been captured.The...
Joan Liao
is a Sabahan who moved up from KL to experience living as a Penangnite. She also participates in advocacy, giving voices to those forgotten by society.
