The secret radio that kept hope alive in a brutal Japanese internment camp

Countries & Cities · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: At the Batu Lintang camp in Borneo, prisoners faced starvation, disease, and forced labor under a regime that planned their mass execution. Yet, for over two years, they operated a clandestine radio receiver, tracking the war's progress and defying their captors in a desperate, high-stakes gamble for survival.

Established in March 1942 within former British Indian Army barracks, Batu Lintang served as a Japanese-run internment camp for both Allied prisoners of war and civilians. At its peak, the site held approximately 3,000 people, including British, Australian, and Dutch personnel, alongside civilian families and missionaries. The camp was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Tatsuji Suga, who oversaw a network of facilities across Borneo. Conditions were dire; prisoners suffered from severe food shortages, tropical diseases, and brutal treatment. Over two-thirds of the 2,000 British POWs held there died during their captivity, often succumbing to dysentery, beri-beri, and malnutrition.

Life in the camp was defined by extreme deprivation and forced labor. Prisoners were compelled to build runways and work in mines, tasks that violated the 1907 Hague Convention. To survive, they became 'white coolies,' cultivating small patches of land and bartering for scraps. Despite the constant threat of death, they maintained a secret radio receiver from February 1943 until liberation, a morale-boosting endeavor that would have resulted in execution if discovered. The camp's medical facilities were notoriously inadequate, with Japanese medical officer Dr. Yamamoto reportedly withholding rations from the sick and refusing to provide basic care.

The camp's fate remained precarious until the very end. Following Japan's surrender on 15 August 1945, Allied forces discovered two 'death orders' among Japanese papers, which detailed plans to execute every prisoner in the camp. The second order was scheduled for 15 September 1945, but the Australian 9th Division liberated the site on 11 September, likely saving over 2,000 lives. Today, the site is home to a teachers' training college, marking its transition from a place of profound suffering to an educational institution that has operated since July 1948.

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