From: tloh@husc8.harvard.edu (Teck Loh)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.korean,soc.culture.asian.american,soc.culture.asean
Subject: Re: China/Chua, KhengHwa/Re: An open letter to Emperor Akihito of Japan
Date: 21 Aug 92 03:27:07 GMT
Article-I.D.: husc3.1992Aug20.232710.14966
 <1992Aug20.225921.23465@leland.Stanford.EDU> <1992Aug21.002550.2783@leland.Stanford.EDU>
Organization: Harvard University Science Center

In article <1992Aug21.002550.2783@leland.Stanford.EDU> underdog@leland.Stanford.EDU (Dwight Joe) writes:
>In article <1992Aug20.225921.23465@leland.Stanford.EDU>
>chuakh@leland.Stanford.EDU (Khenghwa Chua) writes:
>>In article <1992Aug20.211923.10986@leland.Stanford.EDU> underdog@leland.Stanford.EDU (Dwight Joe) writes:
>>>In article <1992Aug20.184250.24390@leland.Stanford.EDU>
>>>chuakh@leland.Stanford.EDU (Khenghwa Chua) writes:
>>>>In article <1992Aug19.233849.19256@leland.Stanford.EDU>
>>>>underdog@leland.Stanford.EDU (Dwight Joe) writes:
>>>>...
>>>>>Now, with regard to the military threat, China, not Japan, has nuclear
>>>>>weapons.  China, not Japan, is proliferating nuclear weapons technology
>>>>>to 3rd world nations.
>>>>Somehow, I don't recall comparing the relative military might of Japan
>>>>and China in my original posting.
>>>>...
>>>
>>>Baloney.  Mr. Chua said that he was concerned about (1) Japan's editing
>>>of the history books in the high schools and that, as a conseqence,
>>>he was worried that (2) this posed a military threat to Asia in the future.
>>>Mr. Chua also noted that he was worried about (3) Japan's new law
>>>enabling the sending of troops overseas.
>>
>>I guess Dwight didn't read my original posting.  I urge people to do so
>>before they take Dwight's judgement of me at face value.  I said that I
>>was concerned about Japan's editing of history books because then young
>>Japanese will not understand the caution that people in Asia exercise
>>when Japan expands her armed forces.  The main issue I was pointing out
>>was the fact that the memory of WWII is still strong in the minds
>>of most Asians and events might take a tragic turn if Japan is to
>>miscontrue the caution of her Asian neighbours as some kind of
>>wartime subjugation, not unlike the sentiment that was strong in Weimar
>>Germany.
>>
>>I never said I was worried about Japan as a military threat in Asia or
>>about her sending troops overseas.  I was only worried that a distorted
>>view of history and a refusal to acknowledge the facts of WWII will lead
>>to severe misunderstandings later on.
>>...
>
>Well.  Gee.
>
>What exactly could Mr. Chua mean by "tragic turn if Japan..." and
>"severe misunderstandings..."?  <sarcasm on>  Like duh.  I haven't
>a clue.  <sarcasm off>
>
>Come on, Mr. Chua, we both know what you mean.  You don't like
>Japan's enlarging role as peacekeeper in the region, and you don't
>like Japan flexing it's military might overseas.  You think that Japan
>just might grab some land.
>
>But what I'm saying is that's where you are wrong.  Japan is among the
>least likely of any nation in Asia to wield its military forces to
>injure another nation.
>
>As for your original posting, I read it a couple of times, in great
>disbelief.  Don't try to portray Japan and China as being on
>morally equivalent ground and that both have pluses and minuses.
>China is far worse.
>
>You should admit that no land where there is a majority of Chinese-cu
>is there a democracy in the sense of the ideals of the Bill of
>Rights.  That includes Singapore.  If a country, like China,
>has both un-democractic values and ominous military forces, then that
>country poses the greatest danger for "severe misunderstanding".

I think you are confused with the different chinese groups that are involved in
WWII. There are four groups which I can think of:
1. Mainland chinese 2. Taiwanese  3. oversea chinese that are directly affected
by the war. 4. Oversea chinese that are not directly affected. I believe that
malaysian chinese belongs to group 3. As the Japanese were having war with the
mainland chinese, oversea chinese was the main target during the war. Without
being able to defend themselves, thousands or million (??) of them has been
killed, tortured, rape,etc.  Is it so bad to ask for an apology if one of your
friends or relative was affected?  I don't think you understand the sentiment
of this group.
 
>This is what I find basically ludicrous.  Why would some idiot,
>like Mr. Lor, demand an apology from Japan when no _one_ has
>demanded even acknowledgement from the Chinese for the atrocities
>that they committed in the 20th century?
>
>As for "a distorted view of history and a refusal to acknowledge
>the facts", the "political" indoctrination as to what's "right"
>in China, where there is no freedom of the press, makes China
>far worse than Japan.  Why isn't Mr. Chua, Mr. Lor, or any
>other Chinese-ge cautioning about the "severe misunderstandings"
>that could result from China's refusal to acknowledge history
>in the way it really happened?
>
>Come on.  Where are the commemoration and apology ceremonies for the 
>Tibetans that the Chinese killed?  Has any one _even_ read of 1
>such event?
>

As I mentioned above, this group of chinese does not support the action of the
communist chinese. The killing of the Tibetans,etc should be another independent discussion.  What you are trying to say is that if the communist chinese does
not apologise, why should the japanese.  This type of argument is not 
acceptable at least to the chinese that belongs to group 3. I read Mr. Chua 
articles and I agree with most of what he wrote.  Please do not make too
many assumptions on others article.

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>Copyright 1992.                                        | San Jose, California.
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Demo watashitachi-wa urusu koto-ga dekimasu

T-P Loh