Five former comfort women to sue Inten<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Five former jugun ianfus, women forced into
\nserving the sexual needs of Japanese troops during World War II,
\nthreatened Friday to sue Minister of Social Services Endang
\nKusuma Inten Soeweno over a compensation fund dispute.<\/p>\n
According to their lawyer from the Legal Aid Institute (LBH)
\nin Yogyakarta, Budi Hartono, the minister's decision not to pay
\nthe Rp 9 billion (US$2.53 million) compensation from Japan
\ndirectly to the former comfort women, but to build homes for the
\nelderly, was a serious violation of human rights.<\/p>\n
"They were humiliated during the war and now the government
\ndoes not recognize their existence," Budi said at the launching
\nof a book on the "comfort women" here Friday.<\/p>\n
The book, titled Derita Paksa Perempuan (The Suffering of
\nForced Women) was jointly published by PT Sinar Harapan, The Ford
\nFoundation and Lapera Indonesia Foundation.<\/p>\n
The book was cowritten by Budi and former comfort woman
\nMardiyem.<\/p>\n
In the then Japanese-occupied Asia-Pacific region, including
\nIndonesia, there were about 200,000 imprisoned comfort women. In
\nYogyakarta and Central Java, the number was at least 200.<\/p>\n
"The minister's statement, that it was difficult for her
\noffice to trace the whereabouts of the women, is totally
\nbaseless, because we have sent her a list of 287 former jugun
\nianfus," Budi remarked.<\/p>\n
Budi had earlier said that many of the women had reached old
\nage and did not care anymore about their fate. Some of them are
\nstill healthy but carry the stigma of being former comfort women.<\/p>\n
He insisted that the fund should be given to the women, the
\nreal victims of the Japanese troops' brutality.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Social Services announced in 1993 that a
\nsearch was being launched for Indonesian women forced into sex
\nslavery during World War II. With the help of LBH their data were
\ncollected.<\/p>\n
LBH and the women demanded an official apology from the
\nJapanese government and compensation for their sufferings as
\ncomfort women.<\/p>\n
"The government must ask the Japanese government to apologize
\ndirectly to the victims and then talk about compensation," Budi
\ninsisted.<\/p>\n
The Rp 9 billion fund was channeled to the Indonesian
\ngovernment sometime ago through a private institution, the Asian
\nWomen's Fund.<\/p>\n
Budi said in March that the institute had been specially
\nestablished to free the Japanese government of direct
\nresponsibility for former comfort women.<\/p>\n
"The government must not pretend not to know about the
\nproblem ... the minister must take concrete steps to restore the
\nwomen's dignity," Budi said. (23\/prb)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/five-former-comfort-women-to-sue-inten-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}