Editing Sabah (section)

=== Second World War ===
{{main|Battle of Borneo (1941–1942)|Japanese occupation of British Borneo|Battle of North Borneo}}
[[File:Japanese civilians and soldiers, Tawao (AWM 121707).JPG|thumb|[[Japanese prisoners of war in World War II|Japanese civilians and soldiers]] prior to their embarkation to Jesselton after their surrender to the [[Second Australian Imperial Force|Australian Imperial Force]] (AIF) in [[Tawau]] on 21 October 1945.]]
The Japanese forces landed in Labuan on 3 January 1942,<ref>{{cite book| author=Gordon L. Rottman|title=World War II Pacific Island Guide: A Geo-military Study|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ChyilRml0hcC&pg=PA206|year=2002|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-31395-0|page=206}}</ref> during the [[Second World War]], and later invaded the rest of northern Borneo.<ref name="sabah edu"/> From 1942 to 1945, Japanese forces occupied North Borneo, along with most of the rest of the island, as part of the [[Empire of Japan]]. The British saw Japanese advances in the area as motivated by political and territorial ambitions rather than economic factors.<ref>{{cite book |author=Takashi Shiraishi |title=The Japanese in Colonial Southeast Asia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6mfCzrbOn80C&pg=PA54 |date= 1993 |publisher=SEAP Publications |isbn=978-0-87727-402-5 |page=54| via= Google Books}}</ref> The residing British and the locals were compelled to obey and gave in to the brutality of the Japanese.<ref name="Three Came Home">{{cite AV media |people=[[Claudette Colbert]], [[Patric Knowles]] |url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=W5dNa0O18wQ  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/W5dNa0O18wQ| archive-date=11 December 2021 |url-status= live|title=Three Came Home (Full Movie) |publisher=20th Century Fox |date=20 February 1950|medium=video |time=00:12:55}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The occupation drove many people from coastal towns to the interior, fleeing the Japanese and seeking food.<ref name="Lim2008">{{cite book |author= Regina Lim |title=Federal-state Relations in Sabah, Malaysia: The Berjaya Administration, 1976–85 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bM4HifRARgYC&pg=PA36 |year=2008 |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |isbn=978-981-230-812-2 |pages=36–84| via= Google Books}}</ref> The [[Malays (ethnic group)|Malays]] generally appeared to be favoured by the Japanese, although some of them faced repression, while other groups such as the Chinese and indigenous peoples were severely repressed.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The 'Slapping Monster' and Other Stories: Recollections of the Japanese Occupation (1941–1945) of Borneo through Autobiographies, Biographies, Memoirs, and Other Ego-documents |author=Keat Gin Ooi |journal=Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History |year=2006 |volume=7 |issue=3 |doi=10.1353/cch.2007.0009|s2cid=162251646 }}</ref> The Chinese were already resisting the Japanese occupation, especially with the [[Second Sino-Japanese War|Sino-Japanese War]] in mainland China.<ref>{{cite journal |jstor=20072301 |title=Anti-Japanese Activities in North Borneo before World War Two, 1937–1941 |author=Danny Wong Tze Ken |journal=Journal of Southeast Asian Studies |volume=32 |issue=1 |date= February 2001 |pages=93–105|doi=10.1017/S0022463401000042 |s2cid=162477885 }}</ref> Local Chinese formed a resistance, known as the Kinabalu Guerillas, led by [[Albert Kwok]], with broad support from various ethnic groups in northern Borneo such as [[Dusun people|Dusun]], Murut, Suluk and Illanun peoples. The movement was also supported by [[Mustapha Harun]].<ref name="Gin2010">{{cite book |author=Keat Gin Ooi |title=The A to Z of Malaysia |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=YVViEJmN99kC&pg=PA214 |year= 2010 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-1-4616-7199-2 |page= 214| via= Google Books}}</ref> Kwok along with many other sympathisers were, however, executed after the Japanese foiled their movement in the [[Jesselton Revolt]].<ref name= "Lim2008"/><ref>{{cite book |author=Keat Gin Ooi |title=The Japanese Occupation of Borneo, 1941–45 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Eg_HBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT164 |date= 2010 |publisher= Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-96309-4 |page=164| via= Google Books}}</ref>

As part of the [[Borneo campaign]] to retake the territory, [[Allies of World War II|Allied forces]] bombed most of the major towns under Japanese control, including Sandakan, which was razed to the ground. The Japanese ran a brutal [[prisoner of war]] camp known as [[Sandakan camp]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Tanaka|first=Y.|title=Hidden Horrors: Japanese War Crimes In World War II|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=2019|isbn=978-0-429-72089-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eWClDwAAQBAJ|access-date=24 January 2025|page=13}}</ref> The majority of the POWs were British and Australian soldiers captured after the [[Malayan campaign|fall of Malaya]] and [[Fall of Singapore|Singapore]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=Jane Bickersteth |author2=Amanda Hinton |title=Malaysia & Singapore Handbook |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E5cuAQAAIAAJ |year=1996 |publisher=Footprint Handbooks |isbn=978-0-8442-4909-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/pow/general_info/ |title=General information about Australian prisoners of the Japanese |publisher=[[Australian War Memorial]] |access-date=16 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516160045/https://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/pow/general_info/ |archive-date=16 May 2016 }}</ref> The prisoners suffered inhuman conditions, and amidst continuous Allied bombardments, the Japanese forced them to march to [[Ranau District|Ranau]], about {{Convert|260|km|mi}} away, in an event known as the [[Sandakan Death March]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.awm.gov.au/exhibitions/stolenyears/ww2/japan/sandakan/ |title=World War II > Japan > Sandakan |publisher=Australian War Memorial |access-date=14 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514085305/https://www.awm.gov.au/exhibitions/stolenyears/ww2/japan/sandakan/ |archive-date=14 May 2016 }}</ref> The number of prisoners were reduced to 2,345, with many of them killed en route either by [[friendly fire]] or by the Japanese. Only six of the several hundred Australian prisoners lived to see the war's end.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.ww2australia.gov.au/behindwire/story_marches.html |title=The Marches |work=Government of Australia |publisher=Australia's War 1939–1945 |access-date=14 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315232746/http://www.ww2australia.gov.au/behindwire/story_marches.html |archive-date=15 March 2017 }}</ref> In addition, of the total of 17,488 [[Javanese people|Javanese]] labourers brought in by the Japanese during the occupation, only 1,500 survived mainly due to starvation, harsh working conditions and maltreatment.<ref name="Lim2008"/> In March 1945, Australian forces launched [[Operation Agas]] to gather intelligence in the region and launch guerrilla warfare against the Japanese.<ref name= "AWM">{{cite journal |last1=Gin |first1= Ooi Keat |title=Prelude to Invasion: Covert Operations Before the Re-occupation of Northwest Borneo, 1944–45 |journal=[[Journal of the Australian War Memorial]] |date= October 2002 |issue=37 |url= https://www.awm.gov.au/journal/j37/borneo.asp#84 |access-date=2 November 2014 |issn=1327-0141}}</ref> The [[Second Australian Imperial Force|Australian Imperial Forces]] initiated the [[Battle of North Borneo]] on 10 June 1945.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prelude to invasion: covert operations before the re-occupation of Northwest Borneo, 1944-45 |url=https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/journal/j37/borneo |access-date=5 August 2024 |website=[[Australian War Memorial]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Lynette Ramsay Silver |title=Blood Brothers: Sabah and Australia, 1942–1945 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k2ajYgEACAAJ |year=2010 |publisher=Opus Publications |isbn=978-983-3987-39-9| via= Google Books}}</ref> Japan's remaining forces surrendered on 2 September 1945, following the [[atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=A Military History of Australia |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-511-48134-5 |edition=3rd |page=191}}</ref>