Malaysia holds ceremony to commemorate WWII victims, Nanyang volunteers

Malaysia held a memorial ceremony in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday to mark the 81st anniversary of the end of World War II, honoring the victims of the war and the Nanyang volunteers.

Began at 8:30 a.m., the ceremony drew hundreds of Malaysian officials, scholars, and members of the public, who observed a moment of silence before laying wreaths.

Among those paying tribute was Federal Territories Minister Hannah Yeoh Tseow Suan, herself a descendant of a Nanyang volunteer, one of the overseas Chinese youths who traveled to China during the war to serve on the Burma Road, a lifeline for China against the Japanese blockade, and fight the invaders.

"Standing here today holds special meaning for me. I'm here not only as the minister responsible for the Federal Territories, but also as the descendant of a Nanyang volunteer. My grandfather, the late Mr Yeoh Mah Foo, was one of these courageous men. In 1939, he left Taiping, Perak, to join the Nanyang volunteers and traveled to Yunnan, where he served on the Burma Road. Your names will not be forgotten. Your contributions will be remembered by history," said Hannah.

Taking the anniversary as an opportunity, speakers also sounded warnings that Asian people as a whole should stay vigilant against the reemergence of Japanese militarism.

"The Japanese occupation of Malaya (during WWII) lasted three years and eight months. The period of time brought immense and profound suffering for the Malaysian people. Currently we see the ghost (of militarism) reappearing. The new militarism advanced by Japan's right-wing forces must be watched at all times," said historian Tan Choong Cheng.

Echoing those concerns, Member of Parliament Tan Kok Wai highlighted Japan's growing defense spending despite the tragic lesson of WWII.

"Japan's defense-related budget for fiscal year 2026 has increased to nine trillion and 35.3 billion yen. Expanding the defense industry, strengthening military production, and sustaining combat capability, such moves are deeply unsettling and alarming," he said.

Malaysia holds ceremony to commemorate WWII victims, Nanyang volunteers

China's border inspection authorities processed a total of 499 million inbound and outbound passenger trips in the first eight months of 2026, up 8.7 percent year on year, official data showed on Thursday.

Of the total, 242 million entries and exits were made by mainland residents, 196 million made by Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents, and 61.287 million made by foreign nationals, up 10 percent, 8.9 percent and 19.5 percent year on year, respectively.

Among foreign nationals entering China, 23.72 million entered visa-free, accounting for 77.6 percent of all foreign entries and marking a 26.8 percent increase year on year.

Border authorities inspected 28.148 million trips by various means of transportation, up 15 percent year on year. This included 665,000 flight trips, 75,000 train trips, 306,000 ship journeys, and 27.102 million motor vehicle trips, up 0.5 percent, 5.6 percent, 4.1 percent and 15.6 percent over the same period of last year, respectively. In recent years, the National Immigration Administration has rolled out a series of measures to facilitate cross-border movement of people and support high-level opening-up and high-quality development. These measures have significantly shortened clearance times for both Chinese and foreign travelers and transportation vehicles, while continuously improving port clearance convenience.

China sees surge in cross-border passenger trips in first eight months