The old YMCA Building housed the East Branch of the Kempeitai, or the Japanese Military Police. The task of the Kempeitai was to screen and crush all anti-Japanese elements. It recruited spies from within the community, offering rewards and privileges in return. People were taken away mysteriously and an atmosphere of distrust and fear ruled life during the Occupation.
The building, torn down in 1981, was the site of interrogation and torture of many innocent civilians. The Kempeitai was infamous for its ruthless torture methods. These were meted out to anyone whom the Kempeitai officers viewed as subversive. Torture methods included the tearing out of finger nails, electric shock treatment and repeated caning. The cries and screams of victims could often be heard in the streets.
The building also served as a prison for people suspected of being anti-Japanese. Typically, prisoners were cramped into small cells and forced to be motionless and absolutely silent. Meagre meals were supplied, and most prisoners were reduced to skin and bones in months. At the slightest show of non-compliance, they would be severely beaten. Those arrested would be tortured for names of anti-Japanese accomplices; refusal to offer such names led to further punishment. Should a prisoner surrender under the torment, any person identified by him as a “subversive force” would be sentenced to death or imprisonment.