For eight days from 20 February 1942, hundreds of Chinese civilians, bound hand and foot, back to back, in groups of four, were transported by boats from nearby Tanjong Pagar Docks to the waters across from here. There, Japanese soldiers hurled the bound civilians into the water and opened fire on them. Many bodies drifted ashore along the outer coastline of the then Blakang Mati (now Sentosa) island. Some 300 bodies were buried by British prisoners of war around the Berhala Reping artillery post (about 100 metres ahead).
The dead were among tens of thousands who lost their lives during the Japanese’ Sook Ching operation to purge suspected anti-Japanese elements within Singapore’s Chinese population between 18 February to 4 March 1942.