Peace Park
Peace Park at
Layang-Layangan is situated
close to Surrender Point, the
place where the 32nd Japanese
Southern Army surrendered to
the 9th Australian Imperial
Forces on 9 September 1945.
The Japanese arrived at Labuan
on January 1, 1942, less than
a month after they had started
their campaign in Malaya at
Kota Bharu. They took formal
possession of the island on
the 3rd, having faced no
resistance.
The Peace Park was built as
a memorial and also as a
renunciation of the horrors of
war. It is dominated by the
memorial mound which is
surrounded by landscaped
gardens and pavilions. Small
ponds with stone bridges and
park seats are all
Japanese-inspired. A bronze
plaque commemorating the
surrender is mounted on a
stone slab near the entrance.