The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.
© 2023 AFPMalaysia searches Chinese ship suspected of looting WWII wrecks
KUALA LUMPUR©2023 GPlusMedia Inc.
The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.
© 2023 AFP
38 Comments
Login to comment
TaiwanIsNotChina
Disgraceful.
Martimurano
Thieving Chinese up to their usual deceitful tricks - Malaysians will throw the book at them for this, with floggings all round.
wallace
Disgraceful to loot any war grave especially when the Brits were fighting for China against Imperial Japan.
Alan Harrison
Disrespectful.
Moonraker
Disgusting. There will be howls of protest and victimisation from CCP spokespeople soon.
Sanjinosebleed
Aside from the disgust it is hard to figure out why the hell they would want to take unexploded ordinance on their ship…
Abe234
The Chinese government are allowing this, and it's DISGUSTING. Arrest them, and put them in jail! Grave diggers! Let's remember we actually tried to help china... and this is what the CCP think of the sailers who gave everything! Lest we forget!
InYourEye
Malaysians won't do anything.
Madverts
Skuttle their ship with them in it.
Local Gaijin
This has been going on for a long time. Doing something to stop it is long overdue.
Local Gaijin
It has been reported on since at least 2017 if not earlier.
EFD
The obvious implication is that 80 year old British steel that has been rusting at the bottom of the ocean is still superior to new Chinese steel.
Nicolò
They will seek anything that can be money or can be eaten.
BigP
It is amazing how the Chinese can find new ways for the world to be disgusted with them.
Mr Kipling
Poetic justice would be for one of those shells to accidentally explode.
1glenn
The World War II brass shell casings have a lot of value, so I can see why someone would want to recycle them, as long as they are easy to recover. After more than 80 years in the ocean, there are not likely to be any recognizable human remains near the ships.
I would say that this sort of behavior by China does nothing to help their public image. I can just imagine the uproar from Beijing if Malaysia surreptitiously mined in China's territorial waters. Is China doing this just because they think they can get away with it without consequences, even when they are found out? That is not very neighborly behavior.
OssanAmerica
The Brits were fighting for the Republic of China (now Taiwan). Maybe that's why China (PRC) doesn't care.
albaleo
I think the Brits were fighting for Britain - to continue their exploitation of places throughout Asia.
theFu
Sink the Chinese ship ... that will get their attention for violating international law. Of course, remove the crew first.
wallace
OssanAmerica
so what, China has only existed since 1948. Russia has only existed since 1991.
albaleo
The Brits and others were fighting the Japanese Imperial forces.
wallace
OssanAmerica
If the Soviet Union no longer exists, how does that work out because Japan and Russia were not at war? How to make a peace treaty with a country which no longer exists?
albaleo
True, but I don't think the motives were the same among those fighting the Japanese. For example, was the UK fighting Japan in order to restore independence to Malaya?
wallace
albaleo
The Brits were part of the Ally forces fighting the Japanese Imperialist Forces throughout Asia. My own family member was fighting in India and Burma. Many Brit troops along with others became POWs.
The British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) was the British Commonwealth task force consisting of Australian, British, Indian, and New Zealand military forces in occupied Japan, from 1946 until the end of occupation in 1952.
But it is also true, Britain occupied a large part of Asia and joined the war to defend those countries against the Japanese.
The Brits had imperialist interests. The British Empire recognized that defeating Japan was crucial for the overall success of the Allied powers in the war.
Imperial Interests: The British Empire had several colonial possessions in the Asia-Pacific region, including Hong Kong, Malaya (now Malaysia), Singapore, and Burma (now Myanmar).
albaleo
wallace
Members of my family too. What I recall as a youngster growing up in the UK is of tales of how badly British soldiers and ex-patriots were treated by the Japanese. And I don't doubt it was true. But what I didn't hear was how native people in those countries were treated or what their attitudes were. Even today I don't hear much in the UK about how people from Malaysia, Singapore, Burma, the Philippines, etc. were treated. And I still wonder whether those people cared much about swapping one overseas ruler for another.
wallace
I think OssanAmerica does not think that. For him, the PRC only exists since 1948, in which case Russia has only existed since 1991.
wallace
PRC=China. Soviet Union=Russia.
The rest is history.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Are you sure they aren't the descendants of the Mongols, too?
No country in their right mind would sign a treaty giving away land that is legally theirs. Not sure why Germany agreed to it, but it set a terrible precedent.
Desert Tortoise
The brass in the shell casings has commercial value.
Desert Tortoise
From doing some reading, pre-WII steel has particular value in certain medical instruments because it is radiation free.
Desert Tortoise
I'm waiting for the indignant response from the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesflunky complaining about China being slandered.
Desert Tortoise
Followed by the Chinese Foreign Ministry claiming the wrecks are inside China's "sovereign territorial waters" and therefore China's property.
Alan Harrison
The Brits were fighting for the Republic of China (now Taiwan). Maybe that's why China (PRC) doesn't care.
The Brits were fighting Japanese aggression.
lostrune2
Surprised, surprised, Chinese crimes travel well
InspectorGadget
Cut up the Chinese vessel and send that for recycling.
rdemers
Grave robbers...