OTTAWA, ON, March 12, 1998 - The Patron of the Hong Kong Veterans Association of Canada today wrote to Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, concerning news reports that the Korean Government had decided to compensate women who were forced into prostitution by the Japanese Army during World War II.

The claim is similar to one which was first submitted to the United Nations in 1987 by The War Amps under its non-governmental organization status, based on the provision in the Geneva Convention that Foreign Nationals forced into slave labour were entitled to compensation.

Cliff Chadderton, Patron of the Hong Kong Veterans Association, wrote to the Prime Minister on January 14th of this year, noting that last December 11th the House of Commons Committee on Foreign Affairs had approved a resolution requesting that the Canadian Government recognize the claim by Canadian veterans employed in Japanese war industries. Compensation, if paid, would be recovered under international law from the Japanese Government.

Chadderton, stated that he had received only an acknowledgement of his letter of January 14th, from the Prime Minister's office.

"We are pleased to have this international precedent by the Korean Government and are now asking the Canadian Government to take similar action," Chadderton said.

Chadderton stated further that the claim for the Japanese comfort women arose during discussions between officials of The War Amps and representatives of the Japanese comfort women at meetings of the Human Rights Commission in Geneva, commencing in 1993.

Chadderton stated: "It would be particularly galling to us that the Korean Government, which obviously followed the leadership of Canadian veterans, should pay the claim to their surviving comfort women while the Canadian Government continued to ignore a recommendation of an 'all party' Committee of the House of Commons."

The text of the letters to Mr. Chrétien of January 14 and March 12 follows.

January 14, 1998

Dear Prime Minister:

This letter concerns the claim for compensation for slave labour, imposed by the Japanese Government upon Canadians who were prisoners of war of the Japanese in World War II.

The majority of such persons are members of what is known as the Hong Kong Veterans Association of Canada.

On Thursday, December 11, 1997, the House of Commons Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade approved the following resolution:

It was agreed, – That whereas 2,100 Canadian military personnel were captured in Hong Kong and held by the Japanese for 44 months during World War II;

Whereas these prisoners suffered abuse and were forced into hard labour by the Japanese.

Whereas no amount of money could really compensate for the years lost by our Hong Kong veterans and the suffering they endured in the service of Canada, our Hong Kong veterans deserve special consideration;

Whereas the United Nations Sub-Commission on Human Rights recognized the validity of the claims by the Canadian veterans with regard to their forced labour during World War II in concluding that the Japanese had seriously violated the Geneva Convention;

Whereas the Sub-Commission also deems that there is no moratorium on war crimes,

The Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade recommends that the Canadian Government:

1] Recognize the justification for the claim made by veterans against Japan regarding the forced labour carried out during World War II; 

2] Pay equitable compensation to every Hong Kong veteran; and 

3] Examine the possibility of claiming the total amount from the Japanese Government according to international law. 

 

On Monday of this week, we received a report from our sister organization in the United Kingdom – the Japanese Labour Camp Survivors Association – concerning an apology tendered by Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, to Britain's Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, on the occasion of his visit to Tokyo.

The apology and other details of the statement by the Japanese Prime Minister were reported in the Canadian media.

A similar apology had been made to former Japanese Prisoners of War (including Canadians) in August of 1995, on the 50th Anniversary of the end of World War II, by the then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama.

As Patron of the Hong Kong Veterans Association of Canada, and spokesperson for other Canadians who were prisoners of war in the Far East, I am able to confirm that the 1995 apology was not acceptable, if the intent was to ignore the compensation claim which was first made by The War Amputations of Canada, with NGO status, before the Human Rights Commission in Geneva, in 1987.

It was reported further that the Japanese Government offered at the same time to contribute funds for joint visits by Japanese and Allied war veterans to the World War II battlefields and cemeteries in Asia. Japan apparently offered as well to pay for scholarships for grandchildren of prisoners of war for study in Japan and would introduce a program to bring the grandchildren of former prisoners of war on tours to Japan.

The view of the Canadian Far East PoWs is that no consideration could be given, if a similar offer were made to them, until such time as compensation has been paid for the slave labour to which they were subjected while detained by the Japanese.

This claim has been well established in a number of Hearings before the Human Rights Commission and its Committees in Geneva.

At this time, I am obligated to advise the Canadian Government of our position on the Japanese offer concerning visits and scholarships. It is considered essential that I provide this advice, in the event that officials of the Canadian Government may consider that, in some manner, the Japanese offer would be accepted instead of payment for slave labour compensation.

Referring again to the resolution of the House of Commons Committee, may I use this occasion to request that we be informed at the earliest possible date of any action deemed advisable by your government in regard to the request that the Canadian Government pay the compensation and then submit a claim to Japan.

If consideration could be given to payment to the remaining Canadian veterans and their widows, by means of "extraordinary payment" I have the authority to enter into negotiations on behalf of the Hong Kong and other Far East Prisoners of War, should this be desirable.

Yours sincerely,

H. Clifford Chadderton

March 12, 1998

Dear Prime Minister:

It is noted in media reports today that the South Korean Government plans to compensate women who were enslaved by the Japanese and attempt to recover the funds from the Japanese Government.

It is understood that the payment to the so-called "comfort women" will be made under a provision of the Geneva Convention. The action of the South Korean Government in paying the compensation, and then seeking reimbursement from Japan follows that proposed by the Canadian House of Commons Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade. The resolution, which proposed a similar payment to Canadian Prisoners of War, had the support of all political parties.

I wrote to you under date of January 14th, reviewing the situation and asking whether consideration could be given now to the payment to the remaining Canadian veterans and their widows by means of an "extraordinary payment."

I received an acknowledgement from your office dated February 10, but so far as I am aware, no further action has been taken by the Canadian Government.

In view of the initiative of the South Korean Government in compensating its citizens who were forced into prostitution for the Japanese Army, it would seem that the Canadian Government now has an internationally-recognized precedent.

As Patron of the Hong Kong Veterans, it would be much appreciated if I might be advised as to what steps the Canadian Government might be undertaking to consider the resolution of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

Yours sincerely,

H. Clifford Chadderton