This was an interview done with Poh Ian Chiak on 24th Feb 2018 to find out more about the infamous di xia jie incident at Kaoshiung's notorious underground mall in the 1980s. Platoon 10 had their R&R there in 1982 as part of OCS training. In 1985, Ian Chiak was already a "regular" officer.
Ian Chiak:
Anyway, it should be the year 1985. 4 SIR went to ROC for High Noon brigade exercise and the normal battalion exercise, Starlight. It wasn't anything eventful until R&R. R&R was in Kaoshiung. Normally we would leave the place in two batches.
Half the battalion would come back one day earlier than the other. Just before the whole battalion left the night before, I was having a drink with my unit MO (medical officer) at a piano lounge. So we didn't know anything about the di xia jie incident until we returned to the hotel. What happened was some soldiers got injured and they called our hotel for the MO's room.
Once the MO got this notification, he called me. I was in my room and together, we went downstairs. At the time I was (supposed) to be the 106 commander. But in every exercise the 106 was undeployable, so I was pulled to become an infantry company 2IC. But the soldier involved in the incident was a 106 soldier. Or more precisely, the 106 platoon sergeant and his soldier; the two of them.
And so I was asked by the MO to go along to see the soldiers, who were already back at the hotel. Therefore, what I am about to describe is what was related to me, during my investigation into the matter. I wasn't physically there at di xia jie when the incident happened.
I wasn't the official investigating officer either, but I had to find out what happened. They were my men. The IO was usually someone higher up because this actually became a huge case.
So WHAT HAPPENED WAS about two to three soldiers - my 106 men - went into a shop.
But before they got in, the shop owner told them to leave their bags outside, that it was not allowed in the shop. That particular shop sold tee-shirts.
Tuck Chong: Isn't it strange to leave their bags outside?
IC: They (the Taiwanese) had their tricks.
So soldier is soldier. Cannot bring in so they left whatever bags they were carrying outside. They then went in and bought a few things. Some were there to look-see look-see, not buy anything.
When they walked out of the shop, the owner started accusing them of stealing/shoplifting.
Of course the soldiers denied the claims.
The owner then said: "Okay, let's search your bags."
True enough some tee-shirts with price tags still on were found in some of the bags left outside.
TC: So that was their trick.
IC: The soldiers then asked their platoon sergeant to go argue for them. The sergeant did just that. The shop owner then offered to settle: "If we don't report police can. But you got to pay me."
The soldiers then countered saying they would buy the items. But the shopkeeper refused. "That's different," he said. "If you buy, it is this price. Now you are caught stealing, it is this price. You have to pay so-and-so times more."
After this incident, we learned that that was not the only time our SAF soldiers were threatened or conned. It happened at a camera shop too and our boys ended up paying for an item three times the price. They used the same modus operandi. Leave the bags outside and later got accuse the soldiers of stealing.
But those few cases never blew up until this particular one.
In this case, the shopkeeper went and called the police. But you know, the police were also their own people. I believed the police collected protection money from them.
About this time our unit cook happened to pass by. He's a bit of a character. You could tell. On his back was tattooed the whole image of Kuan Yin. After learning what happened he confronted the lead policeman there. "Don't talk so much," he said. "You want, pull your gun out.".
The policeman (hand on his holster) dared not.
Then the cook put his hand on the policeman's grip and dared him again to pull his gun out. The policeman again resisted.
The cook then took a chair and swung at him.
The policeman tried to block and broke a finger in the effort.
Then suddenly, very quickly, the local riot police was activated
Some of our officers were there and word quickly passed around that everybody should return to their hotels.
But you know, the di xia jie mall was very closed off and had only four entrances/exits. North, South, East, West... Or something like that.
When our soldiers tried to leave, the riot police were already at the exits. The police started hitting anyone trying to leave with their batons.
During this melee, someone had the sense to tell our boys to calm down and wait for higher-ups to arrive. You see, there was about half a battalion there. I mean in Kaoshiung back then, there weren't many places to go shopping. Di xia jie was THE place to go, much like our People's Park Complex in the past.
Our SAF liaison officer - the guy in charge of our training in Taiwan - flew down from Taipei to go visit the policeman who got injured.
But no one could keep the matter quiet. It all over the major newspapers the next day. Front page news.
"Starlight troop clashed with police riot squad," they read, or something like that.
It was that serious.
After the second day, when half the battalion had returned home, my S1 called me.
"Poh, I have something for you to do."
I knew what he was about to ask. I said, "Sir, I don't think it is a good idea!"
TC: Haha!
IC: He said, "Somebody got to do it!"
You know what he wanted me to do? He wanted me to bring a few commanders and go to di xia jie to recce and make sure our soldiers didn't go there.
I asked him why he didn't go himself.
I mean I am not going to go there and get whacked. I am not going to risk my life for that.
TC: Haha...
IC: So that was 1985. In 1986 when I went back to ROC as High Noon controller, we were told di xia jie was totally out of bounds.
There were two or three stages of planning in Kaoshiung.
After the incident, Kaoshiung was still the R&R place. But di xia jie was banned. Later the whole dang place got burned down.
TC: Burned down?
IC: Maybe business became bad and the owners burned the place to collect insurance money. Or the gangsters burned the place down in order to redevelop the land. But that's beside the point.
Later R&R went to Taichung.
I think Tainan first and then Taichung, or something like that.
I was a regular then and I was always called back during NUS holidays.
TC: Do you remember going to di xia jie as a cadet?
IC: I do
TC: I remember too. I didn't stay long. The place was pretty run down even then. Ceiling boards looking decrepit. Hey, your army regular life must have been pretty interesting. Did you go Thailand?
IC: No, that's more for the Guards. I'm pure infantry. Walk the road, charge the hill... that kind of thing.
TC: I remember my reservist was quite tough on the infantry as well. Always rushing from the FUP to the objective all the while walking at a brisk pace along river banks full of pebbles. A lot of the men ended up getting blisters on their feet.
IC: That time High Noon was a very long journey. From Hengchun base all the way towards the north. Of course part of the journey was administrative. Not all areas along the area were suitable for training. But from the south to the northwards, I think we travelled some 100 km.
Ex High Noon was the biggest scale infantry exercise then. It involved two physical battalions and one skeleton with the brigade HQ.
For example, when 3 SIR went for their Starlight exercise and about to complete, 4 SIR would fly in. Then 3 and 4 SIR would combine and together, with 1 SIR skeleton, would start the High Noon exercise.
After completion, 3 SIR would fly back and 4 SIR would start their Starlight training.
I took part in High Noon in '85 as an exercise trooper; in '86 I went there as controller. 106 controller, as a matter of fact.
Because 106 was undeployable, I ended up as vehicle controller of the controllers' vehicles.
You see, when exercise starts, the controllers have to walk with the exercise troops (some 10-15 km). Someone had to look after their vehicles and bring them to the end point near the objective so the controllers could have their personal stuff back. To clean up, cook, etc.
I would end up staying at a local general's or retired colonel's house nearby or next to some provision shop.
So I often got to hear stories from some retired colonel or general, or like one time, sit beside a general's daughter whilst she played piano and together sang songs.
TC: That's not bad at all!
IC: Yes, that was in '86. Because in '85 I was with this battalion commander who quite liked me and so the next year when he became controller, he called me up and invited me to be the 106 commander, knowing there is nothing to command with the 106 outfit.
TC: Why was that so?
IC: The terrain was just not suitable/deployable. It is very funny because it was a known fact. Year in year out they still did the same thing, bring the 106 there.
TC: Were the guns there?
IC: Yes, the guns were always stored there.
TC: How were the Taiwanese involved?
IC: They only drove the troops, these "malao" drivers. So my job was to bring the vehicles from one place to the other. For 10-11 days at a stretch.
Along the way I could have stopped and gone for a sauna, haha. But I never did. You see, there's one day and a night of time to kill. It's always dawn attack dawn attack. So the troops would walk the night and do the dawn attack at about the time I would wake up, haha.
TC: Wah, you really "keok tiok".
IC: Haha, I don't need to eat combat ration; along the way there were all these shops...
TC: I like our training areas there actually. One day must go back there walk walk. The south is lovely.
IC: Now is different. The villagers attitude towards us has changed. Very different from '85 time. Now they don't hew you already. If you park your vehicle next to their shop, they will come out and chase you away. Last time, they welcomed you, especially High Noon.
TC: How come?
IC: You see, in the south, they already had the bad impression of us for many years. But in High Noon, we moved from the south all the way northwards almost to Taichung. The areas along the way had very little contact with us SAF soldiers before, so they welcomed us. But it later became the same when we go and spoil their vegetables, farmland, etc, etc.
TC: I wonder if they ever complained about us to their government
IC: Some of them were also very cunning. They themselves go and do something funny to their farm to claim compensation. Especially that part of the farm that's lousy or is bad already
TC: You regular for how long?
IC: Six years
My army life was more interesting during reservist.
During reservist I enjoyed myself. During admin meetings my CO would always tell his runner: "Don't buy beer for anybody else except Capt Poh." Haha...
TC: Why so special? (Haha)
IC: I dunno
TC: Ni de jiu liang hao (you good drinker). Drink can still function.
IC: But it was reservist what, you can behave a little different. When "active" cannot.
Especially defence exercise. CO, S3 come look for me cannot always find me. I got look-out mah. With 2 PDF, we were always talking about coastal defence, or some very spread out kind of operation. So they cannot claim they cannot find me. I could always be somewhere else, haha.
That's why I say my S2 was really intelligent. An intelligence officer that is actually intelligent.
Before he came to my training area, he would say, "You go buy a few cans of beer."
When he sees my runner or look-out he would tell him: "You go tell your OC I got beer for him."
I would then magically appear, haha.
TC: Haha
IC: You know, the old 2 PDF was actually located in Terror Camp our old ITD in Sembawang. The mess was not allowed to sell beer in the afternoon. But when my battalion goes there, they would. So after lunch I could go for one ot two glasses of beer before training.
It seems back then, I had a lot of special privileges when it came to beer.
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| Poh Ian Chiak - 2018 |
TC: Thanks, Poh, for the interview.
IC: No problem.
- The End
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