S1E2: General Yamashita’s lost gold

Synopsis: In this special series, The Straits Times dives into some of the greatest unsolved mysteries in South-east Asia, and examines the underlying issues that they exposed. In this episode, we follow the trail of fabled treasure stashed in tunnels and caves by retreating Japanese soldiers who found themselves with nowhere else to go as World War II drew to a close.ST correspondent Raul Dancel speaks to Mr Arnel Cruz, spokesman of the Treasure Hunters Association of the Philippines, and archaeologist Jose Eleazar Bersales.He also interviewed political analyst Lucio Pitlo III and retired US Navy officer Manny Paez, who was with a team of experts commissioned by the History Channel for a series on the mysterious buried treasure.Highlights (click/tap above): (Headphones recommended)02:21 General Tomoyuki Yamashita's capture and conviction04:58 Mr Rogelio Roxas, a common locksmith, discovers a golden Buddha in a network of tunnels06:19 Word of Mr Roxas’ find reaches the ears of the late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos08:59 Mr Manny Paez believes the missing golden Buddha is sitting inside a luxury apartment in New York13:19 Mr Lucio Pitlo says it might be difficult to recover the dictator's plundered wealth if his son becomes the president15:25 Mr Arnel Cruz claims there are 17 more golden Buddhas still waiting to be found16:14 Filipinos' indiscriminate treasure hunting is hurting the country, says Professor Jose Eleazar Bersales Produced by: Tan Jia Ning ([email protected]), Raul Dancel ([email protected]), Magdalene Fung ([email protected]), Ernest Luis and Teo Tong Kai Edited by: Teo Tong Kai Follow The Unsolved Mysteries Of South-east Asia podcast series here every third Tuesday of the month till July: Channel: https://str.sg/wuZ2 Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wu3W Spotify: https://str.sg/wuJ9 Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/wE7i SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: [email protected] Read Raul Dancel's articles: https://str.sg/w7CR --- Discover more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7 The Usual Place: https://str.sg/wEr7u In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt COE Watch: https://str.sg/iTtE Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7 Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m Hard Tackle: https://str.sg/JWRE #PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX --- ST Podcast website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts ST Podcasts YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa --- Special edition series: True Crimes Of Asia (6 eps): https://str.sg/i44T The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2 Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa --- Get The Straits Times' app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX #unsolvedSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.