March 15, 2012

Kinabalu Guerillas : Lim Keng Fatt

Lim Keng Fatt (林廷法)was a member of the Kinabalu Guerillas. In other literature, his name is also spelled as Lim Ting Fatt. Lim was a well established businessman in the business community in Bond Street (present Gaya Street).

He was the richest Hainanese among the Hainan community in then Jesselton (Kota Kinabalu). Lim was a partner of Ban Guan Company in Bond Street. He held agency right to Philip radios and donated a radio to Albert Kwok, the leader of the Kinabalu Guerilla. Of course, he did more than just donated a radio to Kwok. He acted as intermediary between Kwok and Lieutenant Colonel Alejandro Suarez, commander of the US Forces in the Philippines (USFP) based in Tawi-Tawi, the Philippines.

Lim Keng Fatt was returning with a party of fresh fighters from the Philippines and consignment of weapons from USFP to reinforce the Kinabalu Guerilla. They arrived in North Borneo 29 December 1943 from Tawi-Tawi. Unfortunately, Albert Kwok and his men had surrendered to the Japanese Imperial Army on 19 December 1943. Lim was reported betrayed by the natives in Tuaran to the Japanese and was beheaded at the age of 51, weeks after the uprising. Based on this information, we can deduce that he was born in 1893. Country of birth, hitherto, remains unknown until further information surface.



With thanks to Mr Bartholomew Chua of Gaya Street
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