CORPORAL KORAM THE AMAZING RESISTANCE FIGHTER by Danny Wong Tze Ken

CORPORAL KORAM THE AMAZING RESISTANCE FIGHTER

by Danny Wong Tze Ken

The literature on Sabah during World War Il is usually confined to the Kinabalu Guerrillas and the plight of the Australian prisoners of war in Sandakan. Very little is known of the resistance fighters who continued to harass the Japanese Army until the end of The war. This is the story of one such person-Corporal Koram who, against all odds, managed personal war against the Japanese Army until peace was restored.

Koram bin Anduat was a member of the pre-war Constabulary. He was born in the 1920s and rose through the ranks; he was a corporal when war broke out. As the Japanese administration was being put in place, the Constabulary were asked to continue to serve. Koram was soon being sent to Berhala Island to guard the civilian internees from Sandakan and the east coast of Sabah.

Berhala Island was turned into a detention camp for the civilian internees by the Japanese shortly after they landed. It had earlier been used as a leprosy settlement under Chartered Company rule. Shortly after the outbreak of war in December 1941, the Chartered Company had used it to intern Japanese nationals. When the tables were turned, it was used by the Japanese to detain European and some Asian internees. The Japanese, however, did not intern those needed for emergency and essential services, including medical service.

Apart from Koram, the Constabulary detail on Berhala consisted of Inspector Guriaman, Jemadar Ujagar Singh, Usop Basinau and Yansalang. The group were extremely loyal to their former superior officer Major A. Rice-Oxley, the commandant for the Constabulary and Officer in the volunteer force. The policeman acted as couriers for messages between internees on Berhala Island and Dr James Taylor in the civilian hospital in Sandakan.

Apart from Major Rice-Oxley, also interned on Berhala were Governor Charles R. Smith and other government officials including Harry Keith, the conservator of Forests. Apart from messages, the group also smuggled much needed money, medicine and essential food to the prisoners on Berhala Island. Dr Taylor, the principal medical officer, had been asked to remain in his post by the Japanese. Later this network extended to the POWs, code-named 'B' Force, in the Mile 8 POW camp.

The task was very dangerous and Koram and his colleagues risked being discovered by the Japanese Kempeitai. Despite being extremely cautious, their activities soon came under the watchful eyes of the Japanese the Kempeitai. There were also Japanese informants roaming around. Koram was arrested twice by the Kempeitai on suspicion of being a message courier. He was beaten and jailed for a total of two weeks . The Japanese also warm him that he would be shot the next time they caught him for the same offence. Koram was then carrying messages between Berhala and the POW Camp. Because of this experience, Koram had to lie low for a while.

Six months later, Koram was again on guard duty on Berhala Island. This time, the prisoners were 500 Australian POWs who were being transferred from Kuching. The POWs, code-named 'E' Force, had originally being captured in Singapore. The men had arrived at Berhala on a Japanese ship, Taka Maru, on 6 April 1943 en route to join the other POWs in the construction of the airfield at Mile 8. When Koram returned to duty at Berhala, he was asked by the Japanese to spy on the prisoners. This He agreed to do with the hope of helping the POWs.

Soon, Koram was contacted by several POWs, among whom were Rex Blow and Charlie Wagner. Rex Blow, who later served as a District Officer in post-war Sabah, Took the initiative to contact Koram after learning that he was trustworthy and willing to help.

However, before any escape plans could be hatched, something amazing happened. One day while Koram was fishing, an American submarine surfaced beside his boat. The men from the submarine asked Koram to deliver a letter to any white man he saw. He was also asked to tell those who were trying to escape to join the guerrillas in southern Philippines. Initially, Koram took the letter to the POW who were already in Sandakan constructing the airfield. Koram was asked by Dr Taylor to extend the escape offer to the POWs on Berhala Island.

While the leading POW officers on the mainland rejected the suggestion to escape, some of their men were eager to make an attempt. On 30 April 1943, the first three POWs escaped from the Mile 8 Camp. Two of them were quickly recaptured and executed. The successful escapee Sergeant Walter Wallace hidden and cared for by the Sandakan underground. He finally made it to Berhala Island on 30 May, and was asked to hide with other escapees from the POW camp on the island. A shelter was constructed for them by Koram.

The escapees from The Berhala camp were Rex Blow, Jack McLaren, Jim Kennedy, Rex Butler and three others. The group, code-named 'Dit Party' were hoping to escape from the island and make it to join the US forces in Philippines still holding out in Sulu. They were also helped by Koram and his colleagues. After many anxious moments, three members of the party finally made it to Tawi-Tawi in small boats on 14 June 1943. The other five arrived 15 days later in a kumpit that had been arranged by Koram and his friends.

Koram and his friends continued to help the Australian POWs at Mile 8 with their efforts to smuggle messages, news, food and medicine and radio parts for the construction of a clandestine radio. While Dr Jim Taylor remained as the outside contact, The POW chief intelligence officer Captain Lionel Matthews was the inside link.

The underground was soon discovered by the Japanese after being betrayed by informants. As a result, members of the underground, including Koram, were arrested by the Japanese. They were severely interrogated and harshly treated by the Kempeitai; more arrests were made as more names were revealed in many forced confessions. Koram was betrayed by three collaborators who had knowledge of his links with the 'E' Force escapees. Koram was severely beaten but revealed no information. During a lull in the interrogations he managed to escape through the windows of a toilet and went into hiding. He spent the first few days hiding in the vicinity of the Japanese headquarters ; there he survived on Japanese rations. After a week, he moved to the reservoir, where he was cared by his fellow policemen Apuk and Gatua. After recovering from his wounds, Koram was said to set fire to the jetty at Sandakan and destroyed a Japanese oil store and fuel lighter. He then set his mind to resisting Japanese rule through guerrillas warfare.

Subsequently, Koram made his way to Beluran and later to Kota Belud on the west coast. This part of the journey was courtesy of the Japanese officer in Beluran who was convinced by Koram that he had been sent from Sandakan to carry out a census; three coolies were assigned to assist him. Koram used the coolies to carry his belongings. In Kota Belud , he met up with two friends from the Constabulary, Dado Siniong and Jemadar Gabudand who asked him to join the guerrillas.

Koram's first guerrilla venture was apparently with the Kinabalu Guerrillas. Some authors mentioned that Koram took part in the Kinabalu Guerrillas uprising on 9 October 1943. He and his two police friends were said to have been involved in the burning of the Jesselton godown. When the Kinabalu Guerrillas fell apart in the face of massive Japanese attack, Koram returned to his father's house in Pensiangan, having become ill.

Once recovered, Koram gave himself up to the Japanese, informing them that he had helped eight POWs escape from Berhala. He then offered his services to the Japanese As a spy to track down fugitives from the Sandakan underground. Amazingly, the Japanese were taken in by his story and Koram was given almost complete freedom to go around, hunting, fugitives. Koram used this opportunity to spy on Japanese installations and military movements throughout the state. This proved to be valuable work as even though the Allied intelligence groups had landed on the east coast in September 1943, they could not penetrate beyond the coastal area.

Koram was once again arrested by the Japanese on 1 May 1944 in Segama, but managed to escape again. This time, he made his way to Tawi- Tawi where he submitted his reports and intelligence data to Colonel Alendrajo Suarez, the commander of the Filipino guerrilla force under The USFIP still holding out against the Japanese. Koram was interrogated by Suarez before his stories were confirmed by members of the Services Reconnaissance Department (SRD) then operating in Tawi-Tawi. Koram was then evacuated to Morotai, which was already in Allied hands to be debriefed. While at Morotai , Koram was recruited by the SRD as an operative with the rank of sergeant.

With the SRD, Koram was assigned to Operation AGAS IV, which was part of a series of Allied clandestine operations aimed at gathering intelligence in Sabah, including the plight of the POWs, and establishing resistance groups against the Japanese. AGAS IV was led by Major Rex Blow one of the POWs whom Koram had helped to escape from Berhala Island. The team was inserted in Semporna in July 1944. Koram formed a very effective Partnership with his Australian colleagues. Although the team's mission was essentially intelligence gathering, the team was also involved in launching several attacks on Japanese positions. Koram's qualities as a guerrilla fighter were very impressive. On many occasions he successfully led teams of local guerrillas to Attack the Japanese. Rex Blow was so impressed by Koram's performance that he recommended him for an award. AGAS IV operations ended on 13 October 1944. Koram's role was not confined to AGAS IV; during the course of AGAS IV operations he also helped in AGAS V operations led by another POW escapee, Captain Jack McLaren.

After the war, Koram rejoined the Constabulary and was promoted to sergeant. He was made a Member of the British Empire for his wartime service. Koram continued his service in the Constabulary until he retired in 1955.

Source : 

Historical Sabah: The War (published by Opus Publication Sdn Bhd)