Translated by WINNIE CHOOI
SEGAMAT, Johor -- The familiarity of the road and scenery which we pass by every day would hardly catch people's attention. In fact, every tree and every dwelling by the roadside has its own story to tell.
There are two ancient wells of more than a century old and a milestone near the Batu Anam town centre in Segamat. It is believed many young people have not heard about their stories.
It is impossible to trace when and by whom were the ancient wells and milestones established. Local residents relied on the clear water springing up from the wells during dry seasons in the past while during the Japanese occupation, the wells became a burial ground of many innocent people.
Original conditions still remain
The wells are filled with sandy soil today and the original layer of cement on the side developed for washing purposes could still be seen. The original conditions of the wells still remain but some parts have already been damaged. The two wells might not look more than a century old to the uninitiated.
In the meantime, the milestone located between the two ancient wells is believed to have been erected at about the same time. The milestones are measured in miles, starting from the Batu Anam town centre. The first milestone has been engraved with "JB 127" with the Johor state emblem on top. The other two are "Segamat 11" and Tumang 8."
A century of history
"The two ancient wells have indeed been around for more than a century now. Both wells had already been here when my uncle was born and he would be more than a hundred years old if still alive.
"According to the old folks, the two wells already here before the inauguration of the Batu Anam town," said the village chief of Batu Anam Yang Fu You.
"In 1950s, people decided to re-excavate the wells owing to drought but discovered instead skulls and contaminated water. They later decided to cover up the wells again after a few days of excavating work," explained Yang.
"Besides, milestones are very rare nowadays. It was reported that most milestones were set up near post offices and in fact there used to be a post office opposite the milestone but was demolished more than ten years ago. These milestones were supposed to be removed earlier but have remained after we talked to the district council," said Yang.
Yang added that there were only two major streets with more than thirty shophouses in the town of Batu Anam during the colonial days. Although the shophouses were not large, many people dwelled in them.
Importance of ancient wells to residents
86-year-old Lee Hai Xiang told Sin Chew Daily he relocated to Batu Anam in 1935. During the colonial years, the ancient wells were crucial to the livelihood of local residents especially during the dry seasons from April to June, when everyone would queue up to get the water with a metal pail.
As a result of slow water pumping, people had to queue up from sunrise until sunset because of the short supply and overwhelming demand.
"The wells are about 25 feet deep. The bodies of some residents could have been dumped into the wells during the Japanese occupation.
"There was a person was stabbed by the Japanese and subsequently thown into the well. However, he was not yet dead and managed to crawl out of the well later," explained Lee.
No longer in use
80-year-old locally born Lu Zhe Sheng said the ancient wells had already been around before he was born. Everyone depended on the underground water for living, but the wells have been left unused after the Japanese left.
Lu pointed out that the Japanese soldiers would kill anyone they saw, so many people fled to the nearby forests. They only returned to the town almost a year later, and this explains why no one actually saw the Japanese dump dead bodies into the wells. No one dug the wells ever since until the drought hit in the 1950s.
Due to insufficient water supply during the drought, some might bring in water from far away places for sale in the town, at one cent for two barrels.
SEGAMAT, Johor -- The familiarity of the road and scenery which we pass by every day would hardly catch people's attention. In fact, every tree and every dwelling by the roadside has its own story to tell.
There are two ancient wells of more than a century old and a milestone near the Batu Anam town centre in Segamat. It is believed many young people have not heard about their stories.
It is impossible to trace when and by whom were the ancient wells and milestones established. Local residents relied on the clear water springing up from the wells during dry seasons in the past while during the Japanese occupation, the wells became a burial ground of many innocent people.
Original conditions still remain
The wells are filled with sandy soil today and the original layer of cement on the side developed for washing purposes could still be seen. The original conditions of the wells still remain but some parts have already been damaged. The two wells might not look more than a century old to the uninitiated.
In the meantime, the milestone located between the two ancient wells is believed to have been erected at about the same time. The milestones are measured in miles, starting from the Batu Anam town centre. The first milestone has been engraved with "JB 127" with the Johor state emblem on top. The other two are "Segamat 11" and Tumang 8."
A century of history
"The two ancient wells have indeed been around for more than a century now. Both wells had already been here when my uncle was born and he would be more than a hundred years old if still alive.
"According to the old folks, the two wells already here before the inauguration of the Batu Anam town," said the village chief of Batu Anam Yang Fu You.
"In 1950s, people decided to re-excavate the wells owing to drought but discovered instead skulls and contaminated water. They later decided to cover up the wells again after a few days of excavating work," explained Yang.
"Besides, milestones are very rare nowadays. It was reported that most milestones were set up near post offices and in fact there used to be a post office opposite the milestone but was demolished more than ten years ago. These milestones were supposed to be removed earlier but have remained after we talked to the district council," said Yang.
Yang added that there were only two major streets with more than thirty shophouses in the town of Batu Anam during the colonial days. Although the shophouses were not large, many people dwelled in them.
Importance of ancient wells to residents
86-year-old Lee Hai Xiang told Sin Chew Daily he relocated to Batu Anam in 1935. During the colonial years, the ancient wells were crucial to the livelihood of local residents especially during the dry seasons from April to June, when everyone would queue up to get the water with a metal pail.
As a result of slow water pumping, people had to queue up from sunrise until sunset because of the short supply and overwhelming demand.
"The wells are about 25 feet deep. The bodies of some residents could have been dumped into the wells during the Japanese occupation.
"There was a person was stabbed by the Japanese and subsequently thown into the well. However, he was not yet dead and managed to crawl out of the well later," explained Lee.
No longer in use
80-year-old locally born Lu Zhe Sheng said the ancient wells had already been around before he was born. Everyone depended on the underground water for living, but the wells have been left unused after the Japanese left.
Lu pointed out that the Japanese soldiers would kill anyone they saw, so many people fled to the nearby forests. They only returned to the town almost a year later, and this explains why no one actually saw the Japanese dump dead bodies into the wells. No one dug the wells ever since until the drought hit in the 1950s.
Due to insufficient water supply during the drought, some might bring in water from far away places for sale in the town, at one cent for two barrels.
