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)