Tanjong Katong Secondary School

Secondary 2B

Revision – Reliability

Source A

A source by the Japanese newspaper Syonan Times

"It is hereby declared that the recent arrests of hostile and rebellious Chinese has been carried out. It goes without saying that they are indeed so called traitors. Thus, it is the most important thing to sweep away these disloyal Chinese elements and to establish peace and promote the welfare of the population."

Do you trust what Source A says about the Chinese population in Singapore during the Japanese Occupation? [6m]

Level 1 – Stating reliability/non-reliability. [1m]

Source A is not reliable; I cannot trust what it says about the Chinese population in Singapore during the Japanese Occupation.

Level 1 – Verifying reliability or not reliable based on provenance. [2m]

The source is written/produced by the Japanese for the Syonan Times. This newspaper was controlled by the Japanese, therefore probably written in the Japanese point of view.

Level 2 – Verifying reliability/not reliable based on the claims made in the source content. [3-4m]

Source A said, “Thus, it is the most important thing to sweep away these disloyal Chinese elements and to establish peace and promote the welfare of the population.” [3m] This is not true as the Japanese did not get rid of the Chinese to promote peace and welfare in the country, but used fear to maintain order.

Level 3 – Verify reliable or not based on contextual knowledge + purpose of the source [5-6m]

From my contextual knowledge, Japan was fighting a war with China at that time and the Japanese wanted to eliminate any Chinese who were suspected of being anti-Japanese. Many innocent Chinese were tortured and lives were lost. [5m]

The author was trying to justify the harsh Japanese treatment of the locals by claiming that it was done for the benefit of everyone.

OR

The author was trying to justify the harsh treatment so that the locals would support Japanese’s actions against the Chinese. [6m]