EVERY year on 15 August, Sandakan Day is held in Sabah to remember the fallen Australians and British soldiers, and the Sabahans who had their lives impacted by war.
In 1945 during World War II, more than 2,400 Australian and British prisoners-of-war lost their lives while incarcerated at the Sandakan Camp and during the three Death Marches to Ranau. Today, the actual camp site is known as the Sandakan Memorial Park, established in 1986 by the Australian RSL/Government and managed by the Office of Australian War Graves, Canberra.
Visitors to the Sandakan Memorial Park can visit the small museum which serves as a memorial to those who lost their lives during WWII.
Next year’s Sandakan Day will be particularly significant, as 2020 will mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Death Marches, and Sabah Tourism Board is inviting Australians to attend the memorial day and a special ceremony on the morning of 15 August 2020.
Visit sandakanday2020.sabahtourism.com for more information.
