The Double Tenth incident, which took place on 10 October 1943, refers to the arrest and torture of civilian residents in Singapore and civilian internees by Japanese military police which lasted until 2 April 1944. On 10 October, the Japanese military police (Kempeitai) took civilian internees from Changi Prison to the Kempeitai’s headquarters in the old YMCA building on Orchard Road, the Central Police Station and Smith Street Police Station, and subjected them to brutal torture.[1] The Japanese had mistakenly believed that the internees had been involved in providing intelligence to saboteurs in Malaya that had led to the sinking of six Japanese cargo ships and an oil tanker in Singapore waters on 26 September the month before.[2] At the time, the Japanese did not know that the sabotage was the result of Operation Jaywick – a military operation launched by Britain and Australia.[3] In the days and months following the first arrests, increasing numbers of civilian internees were taken to the YMCA building.[4] A total of 57 civilians were tortured.[5] Of these, 15 men were tortured to death, while one was executed.[6]
A war crimes trial of the perpetrators of the “Double Tenth incident” – as the episode came to be known due to the fact that it had commenced on the tenth day of the tenth month – was held from 18 March to 15 April 1946.[7] During the “Double Tenth” trial, 17 Kempeitai men and four interpreters, two of whom were Chinese, were prosecuted.[8] Eight were sentenced to death, six received long jail sentences and seven were acquitted.[9] One of the convicted Chinese interpreters, Toh Swee Koon, was originally given the death sentence.[10] However, on account of Toh’s British citizenship, he was later tried by a civilian court and received a long jail sentence instead.[11]
References
1. 24 Jap M.P.s in ‘Double Tenth’ war crimes trial. (1946, March 2). The Straits Times, p. 3; ‘Double Tenth’ trial opens. (1946, March 19). The Straits Times, p. 3, Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
2. The Straits Times, 19 Mar 1946, p. 3; Tan Y. M. (1993, September 16). The raid that sank 7 Japanese ships. The Straits Times, p. 5. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
3. The Straits Times, 16 Sep 1993, p. 5.
4. Mallal, B. A. (Ed.). (1947). The Double Tenth trial, War Crimes Court (p. 8). Singapore: The Malayan Law Journal Office. Call no.: RCLOS 341.69 HAR.
5. ‘Double Tenth’ men hanged at Changi. (1946, July 12). The Straits Times, p. 5. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
6. The Straits Times, 2 Mar 1946, p. 3.
7. The Straits Times, 2 Mar 1946, p. 3; The Straits Times, 19 Mar 1946, p. 3; Eight Japs to hang for ‘Double Tenth’ atrocities. (1946, April 16). The Straits Times, p. 3. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
8. Mallal, B. A. (Ed.) (1947). The Double Tenth trial, War Crimes Court (p. 1). Singapore: The Malayan Law Journal Office. Call no.: RCLOS 341.69 HAR.
9. The Straits Times, 16 Apr 1946, p. 3.
10. ‘Double Tenth’ men hanged at Changi. (1946, July 12). The Straits Times, p. 5. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
11. Extortion with force charges. (1946, August 16). The Straits Times, p. 5; Occupation interpreter charged. (1946, October 8). The Straits Times, p. 5; Occupation interpreter is gaoled. (1946, October 9). The Straits Times, p. 5. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Corfield, J. (2011). Historical dictionary of Singapore (p. 77). Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2011. Retreived November 28, 2013, from EBSCOhost.
The information in this article is valid as at 2014 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.