Civilian War Memorial, Singapore
Copyright © Timothy Tye.
Civilian War Memorial
The Civilian War Memorial commemorates victims of Japanese Occupation during World War II. It is located at the War Memorial Park, bordered by Beach Road, Bras Basah Road and the Nicoll Highway. The 61-meter Civilian War Memorial is often called "The Chopsticks Monument" by Singaporeans due to its shape.
During the Japanese Occupation, between 40,000 to 50,000 Chinese were massacred by the Japanese forces. In one of the incidents, Chinese men aged 18-50 were rounded up on the pretext of health inspection. The unfortunate victims were imprisoned or unceremoniously machine-gunned to death.
