War veteran finally pays respect to his colleagues

GEORGE TOWN: Tai Ping Chuan, 97, finally managed to pay his respects today to his colleagues who died during World War II (WWII) while helping China resist the Japanese army.
He paid his respects at the anti-war memorial in Air Itam here during a special ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the war.
He was one among the more than 2,800 Chinese from South East Asia who volunteered to go to China when hostilities broke out in 1931 and he is one out of 12 still alive worldwide.
Recollecting, Tai said those who volunteered were tasked with constructing the Burma-China highway which was used to transport supplies to the frontlines.
He said the highway fell to the Japanese but he managed to get into a Chinese military school before being redeployed to head a logistical support team until the war ended.
"I immediately returned to Alor Setar (Kedah) after the war and my mom and I cried our hearts out when we saw each other," he said teary-eyed when met by the media after the memorial ceremony.
Tai, who now lives in Canada, said peace was valuable and urged all to preserve and maintain unity and harmony for the benefit of future generations.
The call for peace was earlier echoed by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, Kong Min School Board of Trustees chairman Datuk Chuang Keng Kung (the school manages the memorial) and Consul General of China Wu Jun during their speeches earlier.
The memorial, consisting of a cenotaph and a wall with bronzed reliefs, was built in 1951 to commemorate the bravery of the volunteers and those killed during the Japan-Sino War and WWII.