History of Japanese Occupation on Weh Island

Helloindonesia.id – In its historical trajectory, Pulau Weh is one of the strategic points in the Malacca Strait. Its right position at the crossroads between the Indian Ocean and the Malacca Strait makes it an ideal stopover for commodity exchange traffic from Europe, India and the Middle East with East Asia.

Therefore, long before Temasek (Singapore) and Batam developed as they are today, Sabang became the main port on the international trade map. Since the days of the Dutch East Indies, Sabang has also been established as a free port for international trade.

The outbreak of World War II had a major impact on the city. Japanese troops began to occupy this area in 1942. The occupation of Sabang meant a great deal for the Japanese invasion to other regions of Indonesia. Japanese forces made Sabang a military port and the forefront of air defense was facing the Allied threat from the West.

After being occupied by Japanese troops, there was massive damage due to bombing by the Allies which caused the international port of Sabang to be closed. For this reason, the Japanese army built fortresses and bunkers around the coastline and the hills of Sabang to strengthen their defenses.

These bunkers made by Japanese soldiers function as reconnaissance posts to anticipate enemy attacks from the high seas. These strongholds and bunkers are located in Ujung Kareung, Aneuk Laot, Bukit Sabang and along Kasih Beach.

Based on local residents’ information, some of the bunkers have underground tunnels leading to Bukit Layang, which is the command center of Japanese troops. In addition, this tunnel also connects the strategic points of Japan’s territorial defense so as to form a solid defense infrastructure network.

We can still see the remains of this bunker while touring Sabang. Among the most clearly seen are the aisles on the derivative road to Lake Aneuk Laot and several bunkers along Kasih Beach.

Another bunker that deserves to be visited is near Anoi Itam Beach. Here, the remnants of the cannon can still be found even though it is not installed as the original. From the bunkers in the hills, we can see the view of Anoi Itam Beach which looks very beautiful in the afternoon.

Reference: www.indonesiakaya.com
visit too: http://touristinasia.com

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