Three Years Under The Japs (1945)

You can find some interesting posts at my Youtube Channel; 

https://www.youtube.com/@juniorwin119

https://www.youtube.com/@juniorwin119

I, Junior Win , twin granddaughter of Khin Myo Chit, created youtube channel since 2022, january. I posted videos, some are about my grandma' Khin Myo Chit, and her books. You may find some videos that tell you about my grandma's life and her books. Here, I now share one of the videos above, that tells about my grandma's famous book, 'Three Years Under the Japs' '. I hope you may be interested, and you may see other videos that I created a memory of my grandparents. 

The book, "Three Years Under the Japs", written by my grandmother, Khinv Myo Chit, was first published in 1945 in English. It was published after the Japanese left Burma. She wrote down her actual experiences during the 3 years of Japanese rule.

(The old cover of "Three Years Under the Japs;" it had "Published by KHIN MYO Chit, 24 Zabuzi Street, SANCHAUNG" and "printing at THE ROYAL STATIONARY, 408-410 Dalhousie Street, RANGOON" written on the back. The addresses are now hard to find. They contain the old memories of our grandparents, despite the fact that they lived in the place for only a year or two.)

She wrote in the first page that she intended to give her impressions and recollections of the last three years, in the following pages. Page by page, we saw her story of going through with Japanese regime. In the chapter in which a horrible journey from Monywa(Upper Burma) to Rangoon takes place, she said it reminded her of the scene in the film "Good Earth," which showed Chinese refugees boarding a train similar to the one she had to board in order to arrive in Rangoon. What she read in books and saw in films of war were actually happening to her! After the terrible journey, she wrote about how the war prisoners in Rangoon were treated badly by the Japanese soldiers.

Her experiences in the Dobama Sinyetha Asiayone(D.S.A) as Chief of Women's section and in writing articles in Jpanese newspapers, how civil liberties were outrageously encroached upon, how hard and outrageous the Kimpetai Camp was, her work at Office of the Burmese Army, the hard and bloody training at Japanese Officer Cadet Training School, days of torture and nights of horror inflicted upon those who were arrested by the Japanese, how they tortured the mother and wife of the B.D.A officers, how B.D.A (Burma Defence Army) was inspired and admired by Burmese Youths……all of this were vividly described in the following chapters in the book. She remarked that the only reason for the Japanese' cruelty to our people must be for the love of cruelty for its own sake.

 

Finally she insisted to the world to be no longer fooled by their unscrupulous display of man's noblest sentiments which hide their horrid acts of aggression and tyranny. Let their crimes stand out as monuments of shame and evil that they may be permanent warning to all future generations. She said in the last page she had made a near approach to the real conditions of a Fascist-occupied territory, the purpose of this booklet would have been achieved.

(The new cover of the book in 2011.)

This booklet ,as she called, now translated into Burmese by me, Junior Win, was published in August of 2011 in Burma. The book is now in the hands of Burmese people. The Burmese readers can see how our grandparents survived during 3 years of without freedom of thoughts and feelings under the Japanese regime. The readers can feel for those who had to go through this nightmare and harrowing experience during the three years of Japanese rule. As I quoted from my grandmother's lines, in the pages I have translated, a near approach to the real conditions of Facist occupied territory and a total exposure of their Fascist wickedness in all its cruel reality, the purpose of this translated book will have been achieved.