Friday with Friends!

Seeking Justice: War Crimes Trials in Singapore 1946–48
Gautam Hazarika

After World War II ended, the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials were held for senior officials in the regimes of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. Over 2000 trials were also held in Asia to hold to account the privates, sergeants, and junior Japanese officers who meted out the daily beatings, ill-treatment, and beheadings. 131 such trials were held in Singapore between 1946 to 1948. Using the transcripts of two trials – the first trial on atrocities on Indian POWs and the famous Double Tenth Trial involving the Singaporean war heroine Elizabeth Choy –Gautam Hazarika examines the background to the events, the prosecution, the case for the defence, and other interesting aspects of the trials.


Speaker

Gautam Hazarika is a Singapore-based researcher with an interest in uncovering lesser-known stories of World War II in Southeast Asia. After a career in banking, he transitioned to historical research, focusing on overlooked aspects of the war, such as the role of the Indian Army, anti-Japanese resistance movements, civilian internees, and war crimes trials in the region. His work brings fresh perspectives to the complex legacy of the war in Southeast Asia, highlighting narratives that have long remained in the shadows. His book The Forgotten Indian Prisoners of World War II is set in Singapore and will be published later this year.


This lecture is free. Seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.


^{Image courtesy of Gautam Hazarika. Clockwise from top left: Supreme Court, Deputy Judge Advocate’s Office, War Crimes Organisation Headquarters, Changi Prison, Singapore.}

Organised by the Friends of the Museums (FOM) with support from ACM