From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: PHILIPPINES: Manila Acknowledges 'Comfort Women'
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 22:39:35 GMT

/** reg.philippine: 291.0 **/
** Topic: IPS: Gov't Acknowledges 'COmfort Wo **
** Written  5:17 pm  Sep 28, 1992 by fbp in cdp:reg.philippine **
From: Foreign Bases Project <fbp>
Subject: IPS: Gov't Acknowledges 'COmfort Women'

/* Written 12:03 am  Sep 28, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "PHILIPPINES: Manila stops ignoring " ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Area: Opecna Morning Transmission
Title: PHILIPPINES: Manila stops ignoring 'comfort women'

manila, sep 24 (ips/ramon isberto) -- under mounting pressure
from women's groups, the philippine government has finally
abandoned its stance of ignoring the highly-emotional issue of
filipino 'comfort women'.

aides of president fidel ramos say the country is set to join
north and south korea, china and taiwan in seeking an official
apology and compensation on behalf of women forced to work as sex
slaves for japanese imperial troops during world war ii.

''we're grateful that president ramos has been more responsive
to this issue,'' says nelia sancho who heads the task force for
filipino women victims of military sexual slavery by japan.

''but we want him to go further and officially support the
demand for an apology and compensation,'' she adds.

manila's shift comes a week after a 65-year-old woman broke
half a century of silence and became the first filipina to
publicly say she was forcibly put in brothels set up by the
japanese military.

maria rosa luna henson told reporters she had been raped twice
by japanese soldiers in february 1942 before she was detained and
made to have sex with up to 20 men a day for nine months.

but the policy shift actually began about a week before
henson's dramatic revelation.

ramos ordered a policy review after the task force issued a
statement urging him to take a firm stand on the comfort women
issue.

he was told the government should tap non-governmental
organisations (ngo's) to encourage victims to come forward and
assist these women in seeking restitution.

''the president does not want to make it too obvious that he
is reversing a policy of the past administration,'' a ramos aide
said.

fearful of upsetting ties with japan, a major investor and aid
donor, then president corazon aquino downplayed the issue when
local women's groups started raising the issue in march.

instead of responding positively, aquino challenged them to
come up with evidence, a stance women's groups found appalling
for a woman president to take.

such a posture became untenable when the japanese government
admitted in july that filipinas were among the 100,000 to
200,000 asians forced to work as comfort women. (more/ips)


philippines: manila (2)

japan's chief cabinet secretary kuichi kato confirmed the
existence of 'comfort stations' set up by the japanese military
in the philippines, specifically in the provinces of cebu, leyte,
davao, tarlac and the northern philippine city of baguio.

koreans from the northern and southern halves of that divided
country have been the most aggressive in pressing the japanese to
make amends.

korean and japanese officials have held informal talks to
explore ways and means of compensating women victimised by this
war-time practice.

analysts say the outcome of these negotiations will probably
provide the model for dealing with the claims of other asian
countries.

despite tokyo's admission that the japanese military was
involved in the establishment of comfort stations, talks on
compensation may still run afoul of remaining ambiguities.

the japanese say claims that comfort women were forcibly
conscripted remain unproven. such an assertion seems aimed at
reducing japan's culpability and parrying demands for
compensation, women's groups here say.

compared to ngo's, governments have been more cautious in
pressing such claims given japan's enormous economic clout.
hobbled by a troubled economy, the philippines has been the most
solicitous of japan which is the country's largest aid donor,
accounting for about 40 percent of official development aid.

foreign undersecretary tomas padilla told reporters tuesday
that manila wants to satisfy the victims without straining
relations with tokyo.

that may prove to be a delicate balancing act should more
filipino comfort women come forward and demand redress as henson
has done.

henson told reporters last week that she had already forgiven
the japanese, but added they should not go scot-free for what
they had done. such a sentiment may find broad support.

though filipinos do not have the intense dislike for the
japanese that the koreans do, many still have painful memories of
abuses suffered under the japanese occupation.
(end/ips/np/cw/ri/ln/92)

** End of text from cdp:reg.philippine **
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