LBH slams reparation for comfort women
LBH slams reparation for comfort women
YOGYAKARTA (JP): The local office of the Legal Aid Institute
(LBH) has blasted the government for accepting from Japan a Rp 9
billion (US$3.9 million) restitution for "comfort women" while
neglecting to demand a formal apology from Tokyo.
Spokesman A. Budi Hartono said yesterday the legal aid office
has sent a letter to the government demanding Jakarta's rejection
of the funds sent by the Asian Women's Fund.
He said the Asian Women's Fund was not a government
institution but was a private group set up to accept donations
from government officials.
"The important thing for jugun ianfu (comfort women) is an
explicit apology from the Japanese government. Only after that
can we talk about compensation," he said.
Budi was responding to reports that Indonesia would accept Rp
9 billion in reparation for women forced into sex slavery by
Japanese troops during their occupation of Indonesia between
1943-1945.
Minister of Social Services Endang Kusuma Inten Suweno said
Thursday the money would be used to develop the Tresno Werda
Social Homes and Women's Welfare Project.
She said that due to the difficulty of locating the "comfort
women", the funds would not be directly handed over to them.
Budi criticized Inten for her statement. He said that between
April and September 1993, his office was able to register 17,245
former Japanese slave workers, 250 of whom were used as "comfort
women".
"That's a ridiculous excuse," Budi said.
The ministry of social services "should not just take the
money and run while the respect of jugun ianfus in Indonesia is
being trampled upon," Budi said.
He said his office had filed a report to the government,
informing officials of the institute's findings on the number of
forced laborers (known as romusha) and "comfort women". The
office has yet to receive a formal response from Jakarta.
The decision to reject funds from the Asian Women's Fund is
consistent with a decision taken at a gathering of Asian "comfort
women" earlier this year in Japan. (23/mds)