Historyogi Post (88): India's living dead, a chat with mrbrown, and Faber the lousy engineer
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Historyogi Post: Issue 88
Historyogi Podcast
#11 - The history of Singapore's Blogfather (A conversation with mrbrown): Lee Kin Mun, better known as mrbrown, is known as the Blogfather of Singapore and has become a cultural icon with his skits and witty takes on life here. Today, we speak to mrbrown on his beginnings, reactions to his memorable bak chor mee podcast and newspaper column, his creative process, and his endurance as an influencer for more than two decades. Listen also to a special message from Kim Huat.
#12 - Collecting the oral histories of Queer Singaporeans (A conversation with Hannah): Oral history is an increasingly popular method of recording the experiences of groups that may be left out of official documented archives or from national narratives. Today, we speak to Hannah, founder of the Singapore Queer Oral History Archive, on why she has embarked on this project to collect the stories of Singapore’s LGBT community and how she hopes these stories will be used.
Digging Deeper
"India's living dead: They stared at me like I was a ghost" (BBC News): This piece looks at the plight of the "living dead" in India, where they number in the tens of thousands. Usually poorly educated rural folk, they find themselves in this quandary because corrupt officials and unscrupulous family members conspired to declare them dead and take their land and property. Follow the story of Lal Bihari Mritak (above), who founded the Association of the Living Dead of India to fight for legal restitution. Read More
"Vietnam War victims wanted justice. They were given 30 bags of rice" (New York Times): This story looks at the much lesser known involvement of 320,000 South Korean troops in the Vietnam War. In particular, we get an insight to the brutality inflicted on villages in central Vietnam by a South Korean marine unit that killed scores of civilians. Decades later, researchers and survivors are demanding justice for the atrocities committed, though South Korea denies these killings and has refused to release old records. Read More
"Minxin Pei on why China will not surpass the United States" (Economist): This opinion piece argues that one cannot draw direct conclusions about US-China strategic competition from the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan. The author (above) contends that China's own ruling Communists will continue to stifle the innovation and growth needed to challenge America's technological lead, and Chinese society is ageing much faster than the US. At the same time, he warns that America will likely end up in a strategic stalemate as a China that achieves near parity is enough to constrain American power. Read More
This Month in History
Gulf of Tonkin Incident broadens US involvement in Vietnam (Aug 2, 1964): On this day, the US alleged that North Vietnamese patrol boats attacked two American destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of North Vietnam. President Lyndon Johnson denounced the alleged attack and Congress promptly passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which authorised the president (above) to assist any Southeast Asian country threatened by "communist aggression". The US relied on this resolution to justify the large-scale deployment of ground troops in South Vietnam and the launch of open warfare agains the North. Declassified records later revealed that there was much uncertainty and confusion on whether an attacked had occurred at all.
Singapore separates from Malaysia and becomes independent (Aug 9, 1965): On this day, Singapore formally separated from the Malaysian Federation and became an independent, sovereign state. The decision capped months of growing acrimony over racial tensions and political differences between the PAP and the federal Alliance Party led by Tunku Abdul Rahman. Contrary to popular belief, the separation was carefully negotiated over several weeks and was not a surprise to Lee Kuan Yew or the Tunku. In fact, the Tunku later remarked about Lee's iconic crying on television (above): "I don't know why Mr Lee acted like that... he was quite pleased about [the split]."
Japan surrenders, ending World War 2 (Aug 15, 1945): On this day, the Empire of Japan surrendered to the Allies, concluding the Second World War. In a radio broadcast to the nation, Emperor Hirohito announced that Japan would accept the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, which demanded unconditional surrender. The decision came after the Americans dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the Soviets broke their neutrality pact and invaded Japanese-occupied Manchuria. The formal surrender documents were signed on Sep 2, 1945 aboard the USS Missouri (above). The US occupation of Japan would only officially end in 1952.
Down Memory Lane
Mount Sinai Road/Avenue/Crescent/Drive/Lane/Plain/Rise/View/Walk: These roads originally had Malay names referring to various costumes worn by Malay women. For example, Mount Sinai Avenue was Jalan Kain Mandil and Mount Sinai Drive was Jalan Kain Limau. In 1968, residents petitioned for the road names to be changed, saying they were difficult to pronounce or remember. Thereafter, the roads were all renamed after variations of Mount Sinai, a prominent biblical mountain.
Mount Faber Road: The hill was originally called Telok Blangah Hill, but was renamed in 1845 after Captain Charles Edward Faber (1807-1868), engineer in the Straits Settlements and brother-in-law of Governor William John Butterworth. Captain Faber supervised the construction of this road. A signal station with flags was built on the hill and Malays then began calling it Bukit Bendera (Flagstaff Hill). Captain Faber was criticised for many poorly built projects, such as the sinking Ellenborough Market and some bridges that obstructed river traffic at high tide. Other than this road, his only surviving work is the gothic gateway at Fort Canning.
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