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The Japanese
Regime
World War II brought another
series of changes in the life of the Andamans. During the War, the
Japanese occupied Andamans on March 21, 1942 and kept the region under
their effective control till October 8,1945. Initially the Japanese
behaved cordially towards the locals, but became harsh and suspicious
after instances came to their notice of some locals maintaining contacts
with the British. As a result a large number of innocent people were
killed. One such place where the massacre occured is Humfreygunj.
But one good result of the Japanese occupation was making the Andamans
self-sufficient, at least in food production. The naval blockade created
an acute food crisis and the Japanese compelled the local people to
bring more land under cultivation. They also constructed roads. Netaji
Subash Chandra Bose arrived in Port Blair on December 29, 1943 and
was given a ceremonial welcome. He hoisted the National Flag at Port
Blair on 30th Dec. 1943 for the first time during the British regime
in India. On October 8, 1945, the Japanese surrendered to the South
East Asia Command at Port Blair. The Government quickly restored normalcy
in the area and started rehabilitation work. |
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