Commemoration of the sinking of the Suez Maru and Allied prisoners of war lost

Early day motion 1769, tabled 1 September 2025 by Scott Arthur (Labour). Signed by 30 members.

That this House solemnly commemorates the tragic sinking of the Suez Maru on 29 November 1943, in which 550 Allied prisoners of war, primarily British and Dutch, were being transported by the Japanese Imperial Army from Ambon to Surabaya; notes with deep sorrow that many of these prisoners, already gravely ill, perished when the ship was torpedoed by the USS Bonefish, unaware of its human cargo, and that those who survived the initial sinking were subsequently executed by Japanese forces in violation of international law; recognises the Suez Maru as one of the most harrowing examples of the suffering endured by Allied POWs in the Asia-Pacific theatre; further notes that this atrocity remained largely unacknowledged for decades; further recognises the Suez Maru Apology Campaign’s calls for an apology for the government at the time’s failure to support a war crimes trial; and calls on the Government to ensure that the memory of those lost is preserved through education, remembrance, and support for the families of the victims, particularly around Victory over Japan Day, as a solemn reminder of the cost of war and the enduring importance of international humanitarian law.

Signatures by party: Labour 6, Scottish National Party 5, Conservative 4, Liberal Democrat 4, Plaid Cymru 4, DUP 2, Independent 2, Labour/Co-operative 1, Traditional Unionist Voice 1, UUP 1.