The Anti-Japanese National Salvation Movement

The Jinan Massacre and Mukden Incident sparked an anti-Japanese campaign among the Chinese in Singapore and eventually developed into a large-scale Overseas Chinese National Salvation Movement in 1937. On the other hand, the colonial government was looking for reliable Chinese community leaders who could lead the salvation movement. Tan Kah Kee, who was known to be politically neutral, was elected as the chairman of the Singapore China Relief Fund Committee (SCRFC), an anti-Japanese national salvation organisation based in Singapore. The Chinese in Singapore not only raised funds for China but also volunteered themselves to transport strategic materials into China. On the eve of Singapore’s fall, the Chinese also assisted the colonial government in maintaining Singapore’s law and order. The insistence and determination of the SCRFC persisted until the end, when Singapore was captured by Japan. Before the fall, Tan Kah Kee took refuge in Indonesia.