Singapore was reamed 'Syonan-to'' which meant 'the Light of the South' or 'the Radiant South'. A chronicler of the Japanese Occupation, Lee Geok Boi (above) has launched the second edition of her 1992 book, Syonan, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the fall of Singapore. WW2 survivor, Mr Tan Hwee Hock, 87, recalls the life under the Japanese Occupation. They still worked as fishermen as we can see from this source. Life During The Japanese Occupation 15 February 1942 marked the beginning of suffering for all Singaporeans, rich or poor.  Source 2:  An article about Chinese coolies in Colonial Singapore before WWII. The Straits Chinese China Relief Fund Committee of Singapore organised activities to collect funds for China, including staging a modernised bangsawan for 3,000 babas and nyonas. Shortly before the Japanese Occupation, the Aihua Musical Society which supported …  Chinese coolies formed the early backbone of Singapore's labour force, engaged mainly in hard physical labour. There was no change as the jobs the people in Singapore had before and during the Japanese Occupation … Japanese Occupation In the years leading to WWII, Happy World was caught up with mainland China's war effort. My Life In Singapaore During World War 2 Sunday, February 17, 2013. WAS THERE A CHANGE? The Japanese tried to win the support of the Indians. The Japanese Occupation The fall of Singapaore marked the beginning of a brief but tumultuous chapter of Singapore's history. Japanese did not regard the Indians as a threat to their rule. The life of the people in Singapore during the Japanese Occupation was still the same as before. Here are more articles you can read on World War 2 and the Japanese Occupation: The Syonan Gallery, Empire Ball, and the Singaporean identity On the road to Syonan-to: How Singapore got swept into WW2 The Japanese set up a military style government over Singapore. The Japanese associated Indians in Singapore with Gandhi and his movement in India. The Indians started to fight for their independence when the British were defeated, and then allied with the Japanese to achieve their goals. The Kempeitai (the Japanese military police), which was the dominant occupation unit in Singapore, committed numerous atrocities towards the common people.They introduced the system of "Sook Ching", meaning "purging through purification" in Chinese, to get rid of those, especially so ethnic Chinese, deemed to be hostile to the Empire of Japan (anti-Japanese elements in the local population). People all around was devastated when they heard about the surrender of the British to Japan. 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