expectation to infl uence management in the tourism setting. Further study will also strive to propose to educate managers of dark sites with regard to their knowledge
on visitors’ motivations and expectations and, thus, to embark guidelines on improv- ing visitor facilities, information, and services.
Due to the lack of available information and documentation, this study is unable to fi nd and list more potential dark tourism sites in West Malaysia . A more compre-
hensive research is needed to report on bigger spectrum of the potential dark tour- ism site around Malaysia. Referring to sites indicated in Table
8.2 , some of the sites
are already drawing a number of visitors to go visit the sites themselves, promoted as historical tourism sites. Except for Brothel No.8, Sandakan, and Pudu Prison,
Kuala Lumpur, all others were associated with the Japanese occupation during WWII. In Malaysia, perhaps the most well-known incident was the case of WWII
Sandakan–Ranau Death March, Sabah, Malaysia. By comparing to similar dark tourism sites in the world examples include WWI battlefi elds – Ypres, Belgium;
Auschwitz, Birkenau; Oswiecim, Poland; Old Melbourne Gaol, Melbourne, Australia; and Choeung Ek, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the Sandakan–Ranau Death
March is perhaps the most potential dark tourism site to be developed in Malaysia. The “Sandakan-–Ranau Death March” fi ts the description of places associated with
death, whether connected to a battle and historical occurrence. The Sandakan– Ranau Death March is already drawing a large number of tourists to visit its
Sandakan Memorial Park, Kundasang War Memorial Park, and Labuan War Memorial Park where all three are related to the incident. However, internationally
and locally, these sites are regarded as historical sites rather than dark tourism sites.
8.3.2 The Sandakan–Ranau Death March Context
British North Borneo was administered by a Chartered Company from 1882 until January 1942 when the Japanese invaded. The largest ethnic group was
Chinese, particularly Hakkas Wong 2000. They had a pro-British disposi- tion and had supported the British war effort through the Spitfi re Fund and
also sent funds to China in support of China’s war against the Japanese invaders Evans 1991. Most British were interned, initially on Berhala Island
off Sandakan and, from later in 1942, in Kuching, Sarawak Keith 1948. In July 1942, the fi rst of two groups of Allied prisoners of war arrived from
Changi in Singapore. While most of their colleagues were employed building the Burma-Siam Railway, a total of about 3,000 Australian and British pris-
oners of war POWs and 3,000 Javanese were used to build two airstrips near Sandakan on the east coast of the northern tip of Borneo. Six Australians
escaped almost immediately and joined guerrilla fi ghters in the southern Philippines for the rest of the war or until they were killed Richardson 1957,
Wallace 1958.
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The Sandakan–Ranau Death March is widely known as the highlight of the Japanese army occupation in Sabah. While most of the writings are focusing only
on the perspective of POWs, less known to the world is the impact of the bloody history to the people of Sabah. Referring to the oral interview conducted, the locals
specially those who reside along the Sandakan–Ranau district swear of the exis- tence of the Japanese War Tunnel. Some have been unearthed, for instance, the
Japanese War Tunnel located inside the Mostyn oil palm plantation, Kunak, which belongs to Sime Darby and another one in Kudat. Due to lack of documentation and
information, getting access for the purpose of investigating the other remaining Japanese occupations is diffi cult and time consuming. The tunnels found in Kunak
Over the three years, conditions in Sandakan Prison Camp became pro- gressively more harsh. By mid-1942, Borneo was far from the fi ghting and
lightly garrisoned, but the surrounding waters were heavily patrolled by American submarines because of the oil routes back to Japan. As a conse-
quence, Borneo was relatively isolated from fairly early in the war. This situ- ation led to much anxiety and a fairly brutal style of control by the Japanese.
In 1943, there was a revolt in Jesselton now Kota Kinabalu by the Chinese community and some Bumiputera “native” groups Moffat 1989. About 50
Japanese were killed and the town was held briefl y before its recapture. The retributions were brutal. Entire village populations were killed and fi nally a
group of 376 were executed at Petagas just south of Jesselton, where a large monument now marks the place.
A second insurrection at Jesselton was discovered in planning. More exe- cutions followed. Around Sandakan, an underground was established with
local people and POWs Silver 1998. Arms caches were established and radios were built. The planned insurrection was discovered in 1943. There
was torture and executions of locals and POWs, and almost all the POW offi - cers were sent to a camp at Kuching in Sarawak. From October 1944, there
were regular Allied air raids on Sandakan. Rations were further reduced in the POW camp and the death rate steadily increased. By January 1945, the
Japanese ceased repairing the airstrips. With this cessation of work, the rations were reduced to next to nothing rice issues ceased. All knives and
scissors were removed from the POWs. The death rate rocketed. The fi rst death march commenced in this month. Four hundred and fi fty-fi ve of the fi t-
test were sent on foot over a very rough trail to Ranau at the foot of Mt Kinabalu some 250km to the west. At Ranau they were worked carrying rice
between Japanese bases until they died of disease and exhaustion. They died in the most appalling conditions.
As observed by Braithwaite and Lee 2006
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are accessible, but they were not preserved properly. In fact, most of the Japanese remains in Sabah are able to keep its original structure intact whether unearthed or
not, and it seems like no parties were interested in fi nding more of it. To what extent this is related to the local people’s past suffering from the Japanese occupation is yet
to be explored. Comparing with the same war tunnel outside Malaysia , for example, the Vietnam Cu Chi tunnels, the Vietnamese are taking a proactive approach and
packaged the “attraction” for tourism consumption. Whether Malaysia specially Sabah is ready to take up the challenge and start to acknowledge the existence of its
potential dark tourism site will depend on the acceptance spectrum of its people.
8.3.3 Cultural Acceptance of Dark Tourism
