(29 Mar 1996) Tagalog/Eng/Nat
Former Asian "comfort women" protested Friday at the Japanese Embassy in Manila angry at Japan's latest offer of compensation.
The women were from countries including Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines.
They say Japan's offer of privately-funded compensation is a way of escaping the blame for forcing women into sexual slavery during World War II.
Outside the Japanese Embassy in the Philippines former "comfort women" dramatised their objection to the Japanese government's offer of compensation from a private fund.
The women from Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia, and the Philippines are attending the 4th Asian Women's Solidarity Forum in Manila.
They all claim that money from private funding allows the Japanese government to escape its responsibility over sexual slavery during the Second World War.
The Korean delegation performed a traditional cultural dance.
It is symbolic of the suffering women experienced at the hands of Japanese soldiers.
Korean comfort woman Hwang Kum Ju asked Japan to repent.
She called on the government to take responsibility for all that women like herself suffered during the war.
UPSOUND: (Korean)
"Japan go away, is this the way you do things all the time? You are like
a snake with two tongues."
SUPER CAPTION: Hwang Kum Ju, Korean Comfort Woman
Filipina Amonita Balajadia condemned Japan for trying to ignore the women's call for justice.
UPSOUND: (Tagalog)
"You (Japan) destroyed our lives, you destroyed the dignity of women. Can you blame us for asking for individual compensation with justice? All the women that you have oppressed and hurt... now you just ignore us."
SUPER CAPTION: Amonita Balajadia, Filipina comfort woman
The chairperson of "Lila Filipina", a support group in the Philippines seeking justice for comfort women was allowed inside the Japanese embassy.
She handed over a copy of the resolution that the Asian Women's Forum has compiled.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"In this resolution, we have told them that the conference arrived at a consensus. That the Asian Women's fund is not a solution and
that the Japanese government must take more responsibility by giving the direct reparation or compensation to each survivor as well as an individual apology."
SUPER CAPTION: Nelia Sancho, Chairperson "Lila-Filipina" comfort women support group
Historians say more than 200-thousand Asian women - primarily
from the Korean Peninsula, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Indonesia - were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during the war.
In August 1993, mounting public pressure forced the Japanese government to issue a blanket apology to these women.
A private fund, the Asian Peace National Fund for Women, was established for voluntary contributions.
But the government has continued to refuse to provide financial compensation itself, saying reparation treaties signed in the 1960's settled any war claims issues.
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