BATANG KALI, Malaysia, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- During the British colonial, 24 ethnic Chinese were shot dead by the British army as the latter accused them of being terrorists and were trying to escape -- a claim that was crushed years later as evidence suggested the 24 were innocent.
Named after the small town, the Batang Kali Massacre took place in the Selangor State of Malaya on Dec. 12, 1948. Fire was also set on the village where the 24 men were seized.
The British government has refused to correct the records despite calls from the people of Malaysia and activists in the United Kingdom. And now, family members of the victims plan to take the matter to court -- the first of such action and a last resort.
Loh Ah Choi was only nine when he watched his uncle shot dead at a rubber estate in the town some 34 kilometers north of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital.
He is 70 years old now, but the memory still haunts him.
In an interview with Xinhua, Loh said the British armies did not believe that they were innocent.
"My uncle was only 19 years old. He was attending college in Kuala Lumpur. It was a school holiday and he came back to help my mum. They executed him. I saw it with my own eyes."
"I said, 'grandma, they took uncle!' It was not so far away. It was just about 100 meters from here. We heard three shots. We were on the lorry when we heard more shots. They then torched the house. We did not even have a single piece of clothes with us.
