Snippets of War Observations

The USA government has so far never officially apologised for the nuclear bombs dropped on the cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in August 1945.

No Anglo nation has been extensively firebombed in contemporary times from the 20th century to now, except for the United Kingdom.  Pearl Harbour was attacked, but not the mainland of the United States.  Darwin in northern Australia suffered more damage from the Imperial Japanese forces than Pearl Harbour, but not the rest of the Australian continental island.

Most of Europe incurred massive grief, destruction, personal loss and division in the reign of the Nazis under Hitler.

The ensuing battles and efforts to bring Hitler down in mid 1940s Europe ensured further deaths of many civillians caught up in the meeting of Allied and Axis armies.

The Japanese Government has never apologised for the Nanjing massacre in Central China in 1937.

A significant number of residents of colonies of the world wide British Empire in the 20th century fought for the United Kingdom in both the two World Wars. These included residents of India, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Malaya, Canada, Hong Kong and the Caribbean.

American born Japanese volunteered in enough numbers to form the Nissei regiment which saw service in Europe fighting against the Nazis.

Germany has officially and profusely apologised for the gassing by Nazis of innocents in the death camps echoed by Auschwitz.   Not only Jews, but European Gypsies, gays and various nationalities whom Hitler wanted exterminated were gassed.

The extermination of many Armenians in the early 20th century is often under recognised, together with other genocides those in current power refuse to emphasise.

The executions of overseas Chinese in Malaya, the Phillippines and Singapore by the Japanese Imperial Army, when they invaded parts of South east Asia in the early 1940s, illustrated the intense revenge sentiment and behaviour of payback.  These overseas Chinese had sent funds and volunteers to fight against the invasion by Imperial Japan of eastern China from the 1930s.

Many Nazis escaped to Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay after the end of World War 2.

Jews fleeing from Europe did find refuge in Shanghai in rhe 1930s.  The invasion of China by Japan caused them to flee again, this time to New Zealand and eastern Australia.

No south eastern Asian nation permanently accepted boat refugees from Vietnam in the 1980s.  They languished in temporary camps mainly in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore until the Western countries offered permanent settlement.

Australia and New Zealand sent troops to Malaya to help British colonists fight communist insurgents in the 1950s.

The extreme cruelty of the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia extensively scarred an ancient society and culture of a nation already damaged by the American war in next door Vietnam.

Afghanistan remains a land which has fought off foreign armies, whether those led by Alexander the Great, the Soviet Union or the United States of America.

The rich resources of petroleum, religious tribalism and political interference in the Arab and Persian lands have proved to be two edged swords.

Southern and Eastern Europe continue to be frontiers where and when Islam, Christianity and Judaism met in fraught and intense historical experiences. 

Did Winston Churchill send Anzac troops to Gallipolli in Turkey in the First World War, preferring to save British troops from a rather hopeless encounter?

The most number of civillians and troops died for Russia in the battles against the Nazis in the second World War.

Commemorations continue to be held in France to remember the sacrifices by the Anglo nations in both World Wars of the 20th century.

Thailand and Japan were the only Asian nations which collaborated against the Allied countries in World War 2, together with Nazi Germany, Italy, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.

The Australian Federal Government in Canberra for a few years hid the fact of Darwin being bombed by the Japanese. Australia prioritised the attack of Pearl Harbour as being more important in communicating with her own residents during World War 2.

Many surviving Caucasians trapped in South east Asia, as British, Dutch and French colonies were over run by the Japanese Imperial Army in the first half of the 1940s, suffered traumatic experiences as prisoners of war.

South west China became a hub of resistance, defence and preparation for the Chinese besieged by the Japanese Imperial Army in the 1930s and first half of the 1940s.

The invasion by the Japanese Imperial Army in the 1940s sparked off the urge for national independence by several colonies after the end of World War 2.

#yongkevthoughts

On Life and Death

 Caring for basic humanity has again in another year been stampeded upon by those possessing power of all types, yet prioritise other things.

Every one of us do not choose where, when or how we are born.

It can be the luck of the draw.

While on Earth,
we are still mostly responsible for what we choose and how we act.

Whether to look away, keep silent, earn what we achieve or take a stand. And continue to have not enough, enough or unnecessarily more. Sufficiency in various meanings and layers.

No human being takes away anything upon death, except reputation.

Ignorance, chosen delusion, concerted pretense, cultivated addictions and
embedded beliefs lurk in every corner while we are alive.

#yongkevthoughts

Thank You, Readers

 It has been 220 months since this blog commenced.

Time meanders, experiences accumulate and our hunches become embedded.

As around this end of July 2025, average statistics indicate around 4800 reads a month.  Some postings remain frozen as time capsules, that photo shot taken reminding me of a moment with Nature, the hearts of individuals I enjoyed company with and those I learnt from.

Or such capsules reflected my thoughts, values and emotions on a particular day - with this blog strewing like jewels in the sand what consistently are what gives me inner joy and what I consistently believe in.

It has been a privilege to share. It has been a blessing to get your time and effort to read my musings.  Human interaction is best when we can relate our views with mutual respect and understanding.

In a world increasingly of obsession with strong articulation of differences, whether in politics, community and behaviour, I call for emphasising on commonly shared values.  Better understanding comes more from realising and embedding our similarities rather than harping on our differences.

I encourage every human being to also develop our own spiritual development in the best way you see fit.   Let us grow our uniqueness especially in personal development in a positive way.

Writings and images can be as temporal as the breeze that passes by on what seems to be an ordinary moment. What is of more everlasting value is to add to what is the true meaning of our privilege to live on Earth.

#yongkevthoughts

No Land Boundaries

 Let us look at some nations with no land boundaries, not sharing some of the problems and opportunities with another state crossable by road, walkover or possible easy infiltration.

1.    People you want to keep out must sail or fly over to reach your country.   Australia and New Zealand easily come to mind.  At times, you have too much of coastlines to monitor.  Passengers arriving by air have found it easier to overstay once they get into a nation with a tourist visa, especially when the country is vast and government checking resources are inadequate.

2.   The nearest foreign state is relatively far away.

In contrast, Iceland lies not that distant from the European suncontinent - so is the proximity between the Japanese islands and the Korean Peninsular.

Sulu and Mindanao, part of the southern Phillippines, are so temptingly near Sabah, north east of the huge island of Borneo but part of the Federation of Malaysia.

3.    You may truly be a relatively small island state, but technically you do not have a land boundary with a foreign nation.

Singapore is an island state, but have two bridge connections to Peninsular Malaysia.
Her strategic location in the midst of vital trading, air and supply routes has vastly contributed to her economic growth.

Malta and Cyprus enjoy having the Mediterranean Sea waters lapping on their shores, but are easily
accessible from Italy, Greece and Turkey.

4.    You may be surrounded by sea, but you are legally part of another nation far away.

Greenland, Hawaii and French Polynesia come to mind.   So are the areas carved out in the Antarctic. You are subject to the rules, norms and control of a state you do not have land boundaries with.

5.    You do not share a land boundary, but your demographics, culture and economics can be tightly knitted with your nearest neighbour.

Sri Lanka has historically had huge influence in several aspects from the Indian subcontinent.
Madagascar, Seychelles and the Maldives are other examples of this observation.

Mobility of humans,  advanced transportation and significant leaps in trade, technology and geopolitical developments have overcome any isolationist impact of nations with no land boundaries.

#yongkevthoughts

This Suburb

 I am standing along a suburban street lined mostly with unassuming shops.

The only place seemingly abuzz durinv the daytime
is the local cafe, where freshly made barista made cups of Aussie coffee blends set the pace, mostly takeaway.

The sun does shine brightly, accompanied by blue skies, even in winter.   Does the optimistic outlook not reveal the reasons for the otherwise quiet aspects of the place apart from the cafe?

Most of the businesses are basic but perhaps essential.   A hair salon, a small grocery, a vet, a house interior showroom, a dentist, a GP clinic, a newsagent, a physiotherapy, an optometrist, a Vietnamese bakery, a pharmacy. And of course there is the local pub, bought several years ago by well funded corporates from rhe Big Smoke.

Recently a vape and tobacco outlet opened, shattering the placid tones of a little village like community which was essentially defined by strolling dogs, kids on electric bikes and retirees.  I must say a small liquor store already exists, together with a machined gambling venue that firms a critical part of the club network in New South Wales.

There are no fresh produce markets - but the nearest one is only a kilometre away, in another suburb.   All three major supermarkets of the nation are only a ten minute walk away, downhill.

No imposing high rise apartment blocks have nevertheless sprung up.   The hills of the escarpment delude one to believe this is a refuge from the main highway not really far away.   One can view the ocean horizon by just walking up not many steps from the local strip.

A Meditteranean restaurant of repute continues to do well, in its second generation of operation.   Someone has invested in a wine bar yet to open. There are nearby local primary schools.

Families are the core of any growing and vibrant society.    They do appear especially on weekends in this village environment.  Nearby are parks, playing fields and children's playgrounds.

This suburb is pronouncedly bereft of activity on most afternoons.  After dusk, it seems residents sleep early.   The skies above are a riot of striking colours especially on autumn sunsets.  After dusk, the stars are clear and bright, as the place lacks the choking artificial lights of populated cities.

The sunrise from.the Tasman Sea beckons at first light.

Opposed to this, increasing traffic criss crosses this suburb when the main thoroughfares nearby become congested.
No roads have been expanded for the exploding number of vehicles.

The economy here runs on personal consumption and lifestyle,  based on a microeconomy structured on income earned from elsewhere.   This suburb is essentially residential, having  no forward looking hubs of growth.  Though pleasant and with a relatively mild climate, it does not generate tourism.   Youngsters still leave the area for the luring bright lights of other places.

Do aspects of this suburb ring familiar tones in where you live?

#yongkevthoughts