Twenty civil associations in Ipoh, Perak, have joined forces to hold an 'anti-Japan' rally on April 24 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of the Pacific War and the liberation of the city.

Organising committee spokesperson Thong Yi said the indoor rally will be held at 11.00am at the Yuk Choy Secondary School along Jalan Kuala Kangsar.

He said the rally will also protest Japan's 'distortion' of World War II history in the country's school textbooks and also oppose its attempt to become a permanent member of the United Nations' Security Council.

"We must not forget that the people of Ipoh and Perak at that time also suffered from the brutal rule of Japanese militarists for three years and eight months," he added.

According to Thong, the rally is open to all and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Perak deputy chairperson Dr Lee Boon Chye will also attend.

Last Sunday, a small-scale protest was held in Ipoh to condemn the 'revival of Japanese militarism' and oppose the 'Japan-US alliance'.

This coming Sunday will also see the Selangor Chinese Assembly hall holding a similar protest at its premises in Kuala Lumpur.

More gatherings

Small and medium-scale protest gatherings have also been held in Penang , Kuala Lumpur, Seremban, Muar, Batu Pahat, Segamat and Johor Baru and more expected in the coming weeks.

Ipoh was occupied by the Japanese army on Dec 26, 1941, after being bombed for several days earlier.

During the 44-month occupation, Ipoh and its satellite towns and villages like Chemor, Papan, Tanjung Tualang, Gopeng, Kampar, Tapah, Batu Gajah and Pusing became major points of the underground armed resistance led by the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) and its 5th Independent Regiment of the Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA).

The underground armed resistance in and around Ipoh also witnessed the martyrdoms of top communist Tu Lung Shan, Singaporean secret agent Lim Bo Seng and independent Christian Eurasian Sybil Kartigasu. It also produced battle-hardened communist leaders like Chin Peng @ Ong Boon Hua, Abdullah CD, Rashid Maidin and Suriani Abdullah@ Eng Ming Ching.

Ipoh was liberated by the Malayan People's Anti-Japanese Army and the communist underground after Japan announced its unconditional surrender in Tokyo on Aug 15, 1945.