Being the head of the labour union in Singapore, he provided the British government with labourers for the war effort before the Japanese invasion. When the Japanese troops began advancing towards Singapore from Malayan, he and his men dynamited the Causeway.
Just before the fall of Singapore to the Japanese on 11th February, Lim Bo Seng left his seven children to the care of his wife. He went to India where he was trained to fight in the jungle and later recruited resistance fighters for Force 136. Force 136 was a special operations force formed by the British in June 1942 to infiltrate and attack enemy lines. Some local Malays were also recruited into the force.
In 1943 to set up an an intelligence network in Malaysia. According to historical sources, to avoid detection by the Japanese, secret messages were smuggled in empty tubes of toothpaste, salted fish and even in the Force 136's members' own diaries. To avoid identification by the Japanese, Lim Bo Seng even pretended to be a businessman at checkpoints.
In 1944 Lim Bo Seng was captured by the Japanese. Despite being tortured by the Japanese, Lim Bo Seng refused to reveal the names of the people who worked with him against the Japanese. In prison, Lim Bo Seng often shared his food with the other prisoners. Due to the lack of food and unhealthy living conditions in the prison, Lim Bo Seng fell ill and he died at the age of 35.
SARS HEROES
In 2003, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) infected over 8,000 people and claimed over 700 lives worldwide. In Singapore, from March to May 2003, SARS raged. Schools in Singapore closed as a precautionary measure against the new virus. People were jailed for breaking their Home Quarantine Orders. Shopping malls and restaurants were deserted.
During that period of time, though the Medical staff in Singapore risked their lives to save patients from SARS, they also faced prejudices from the people around them; strangers, friends and even family members. These people were afraid that if they were around the Medical staff, they might contact SARS. They avoided taking lifts with the Medical staff, they refused to sit next to them in crowded food courts and one doctor even had to stay with a colleague because his parents kicked him out of the family home.
Despite all the prejudices and risks the Medical staff faced, they continued to fight the battle against SARS, trying hard to win the battle. Sadly, some of them have even died doing their medical duty. The four SARS heroes and heroines in Singapore were Jonnel Pabuayon Pinera, an overseas Filipino working as a nurse in Singapore, Singaporean physicians, doctors Alexander Chao and Ong Hok Su and nurse Hamidah Ismail. The four of them had unselfishly disregarded their own safety in the midst of looking after SARS patients. They died fighting SARS in Singapore.
All the rest of the Medical staff in Singapore are to be regarded as heroes and heroines who despite knowing the deadly dangers of SARS, bravely risked their lives to battle against our common enemy, SARS.
During that period of time, though the Medical staff in Singapore risked their lives to save patients from SARS, they also faced prejudices from the people around them; strangers, friends and even family members. These people were afraid that if they were around the Medical staff, they might contact SARS. They avoided taking lifts with the Medical staff, they refused to sit next to them in crowded food courts and one doctor even had to stay with a colleague because his parents kicked him out of the family home.
Despite all the prejudices and risks the Medical staff faced, they continued to fight the battle against SARS, trying hard to win the battle. Sadly, some of them have even died doing their medical duty. The four SARS heroes and heroines in Singapore were Jonnel Pabuayon Pinera, an overseas Filipino working as a nurse in Singapore, Singaporean physicians, doctors Alexander Chao and Ong Hok Su and nurse Hamidah Ismail. The four of them had unselfishly disregarded their own safety in the midst of looking after SARS patients. They died fighting SARS in Singapore.
All the rest of the Medical staff in Singapore are to be regarded as heroes and heroines who despite knowing the deadly dangers of SARS, bravely risked their lives to battle against our common enemy, SARS.