KAMPAR: Police have arrested a jobless man who is suspected to have stolen the World War II (WWII) Battle of Kampar signboard in Green Ridge here.

       Kampar police chief Supt Mohamad Nazri Daud said the local man, in his 30s, was arrested in the district at about 5pm on Wednesday (Jan 5).

       "After interrogation, the suspect admitted stealing metal around Kampar in the past week,” he said Thursday (Jan 6).

       Police were tracking down two of his accomplices who are in their 40s, Supt Mohamad Nazri added.

       Commenting on the matter, Perak housing, local government and tourism committee chairman Datuk Nolee Ashilin Mohamed Radzi said public property such as the signboard in Green Ridge should be preserved and not stolen.

       She stressed that everyone has a role to play in preserving public property, notably that which has historical value and information and is useful as reference for future generations.

       "The state government regrets the theft of the signboard that was donated by the Malayan Historical Group (MHG),” she added.

       MHG chairman Shaharom Ahmad had said the group regretted the actions of the signboard thieves, who did not appreciate the historical significance and value of the marker.

       According to him, the theft of the signboard installed along Jalan Ipoh-Kampar here was only discovered when some members of the association passed by the area on Monday (Jan 3) morning.

       The area is in the process of being gazetted as a heritage and tourism site.

       At the end of December, India's High Commissioner to Malaysia, B. Nagabhushana Reddy, said gazetting this site was a wish expressed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Malaysia in 2015 to honour the sacrifice of British and Indian soldiers during WWII in Kampar.

       The 6.47ha site was the scene of a fierce battle between 1,500 British troops including Indian, Sikh and Gurkha soldiers who fought against 4,000 Japanese troops for four days and four nights from Dec 30, 1941 to Jan 2, 1942 to stop their advance through the Malayan peninsula.

       The battle saw 150 British soldiers and 500 Japanese soldiers killed and buried in one place in the same area known as Green Ridge, hence the significance of the signboard in remembrance of the sacrifices of the Allied troops in Malaya. – Bernama