“Sook Ching” 1942 dan Penglibatan Sekolah Menengah Chung Ling Pulau Pinang: Suatu Interpretasi Baru

Abstract

In the early Japanese Occupation in Malaya (1942-1945), the "Sook Ching" Operation was carried out by the Japanese military administration to eliminate the anti-Japanese Chinese. The operation started in Singapore in February 1942 and extended to the other Malay states, making Singapore the scholars' focal point in studying the operation. In fact, that "Sook Ching" Operation in Penang, especially the case of Chung Ling High School was a shocking event in Malaya. Besides the uniqueness of being the famous Chinese school in Malaya, Chung Ling was the main target of the Japanese army because of its close relationship with the Kuomintang (KMT) and the active involvement in supporting China in Sino-Japanese War since 1937. This study discusses the implementation of the operation in 1942, especially on 5 and 6 April upon the teachers and students of Chung Ling. This is followed by the trial of the people responsible for this case after the Japanese defeat and Chung Ling's remembrance of the incident. This article is about Chung Ling's background and active involvement in anti-Japanese activities, making the school the main target of the Japanese military until the school faced the most horrifying experience among the local education institutions, and was notable for the "Sook Ching" Operation, not only in Pulau Pinang, but also in Malaya. This article which is based especially on the Chinese language sources related to Chung Ling that could not be found in other sources, will give a new interpretation of the "Sook Ching" research that portrays a school which was obviously affected by the operation.