Chang Loy pointing to the location where the executions took place on that fateful day.

As he heard the sickening squishing sound of the weapon penetrating the baby, he howled at the sight of blood and intestines bursting out of the tiny body. A whimper later and the baby was dead. Chang Loy was just 6 years old then. Before he could finish his appeal to the soldier, he felt a sharp pain on his back as another Japanese soldier proceeded to stab him with his bayonet.

Before the next blow could arrive, Chang passed out from the pain and shock. The Japanese proceeded to kill the rest of his family and all the villagers living in the kongsi of his rubber estate. No one was spared that fateful day. The whole place was covered with human bodies and blood — the stench was unbearable. The bodies were left to rot under the hot sun.

The bayonet wound in front missed his heart by a centimetre.

After the Japanese had killed all the villagers, they covered the bodies with leaves and branches in an attempt to hide the atrocities they committed. Miraculously, after a few hours, Chang somehow managed to regain consciousness. He'd survived the bayonet assault. It was only much later that he realised he'd endured four thrusts that caused five wounds — four on his back and one in front.

Epitaph in Malacca War memorial park explaining the gruesome death of civilians buried alive in a well and babies killed by Japanese bayonets.

One of the thrusts was so deep that it pierced through his body, resulting in the wound in the front. Fortunately, it missed his heart by a mere centimetre. His body racked with pain, Chang attempted to close his eyes and rest to compose himself. He could still hear the faint moans and cries of some of the surviving villagers before eventually growing fainter as they succumbed to death.

After the rest, Chang summoned his strength to look for his family. Fortunately, he found his other 4-year-old brother, who also survived multiple bayonet thrusts by the Japanese soldiers. It was indeed a miracle for both the brothers to survive the heinous massacre in their village. With tears streaming down their swollen cheeks and blood-stained shirts, they searched for their family members.

And then they saw her. Their beloved mother lying motionless, her body covered in blood. They rushed to her side, hugging and shaking her body, hoping to bring her back to life. In between sobs, they called: "Amah, Amah... please wake up, Amah!" Despite the cries, their mother remained motionless. She wasn't coming back to them anymore.