The Japanese government does not apologize, I do not die -the suicide of a "comfort woman" survivor in the Philippines

Located in the "Filipino Palace League" office in the "comfort woman" rights protection organization in Queusong, the capital of the Philippines, the entire wall of the entire wall is full of photos of the victims of the "comfort woman". The crime of heavement.

Esttelita, 92, is one of the survivors of the Philippines who are still alive. Her tragic encounter still plagued her like a nightmare.

According to Sharon Silva, the coordinator of the "Philippine Grandmother", during the Japanese army's occupation of the Philippines from 1942 to 1945, about 1,000 local women served as "comfort women".

One day in 1944, Estllita, who was only 14 years old, was abducted by Japanese soldiers on a bazaar in his hometown of Barcroord, a hometown of Barcord, and became a "comfort woman".

"Every time they rape me, I cried and covered my eyes with my hands." Esmtelita choked in an interview with Xinhua News Agency. "Once, the Japanese soldiers criticized my head, and I fainted for three days."

After Japan surrendered in 1945, Esmtelita left his hometown and went to Manila alone. She was worried that the encounter of "comfort women" may make her unable to look up in the village for a lifetime. She got married and raised 6 children in Manila. "I never told my husband's past, because this made me feel shame."

Esmtelita kept the secret for nearly half a century until a Philippine "comfort woman" victim named Rosa Hanson first disclosed his experience in 1992, and other victims stood up one after another, charged allegations The Japanese atrocities asked the Japanese government to apologize and compensate.

Silva said that a total of 174 victims of "comfort women" joined the "Philippine Grandma". There are still few people who are still alive today, the oldest 96 years old and the youngest 92 years old.

Silva stops silently in front of the photo wall every day. What she was most worried about was that as the number of survivors continued to decrease, they could not wait until the Japanese government's official apology. "They need to extend justice. First of all, the most important thing is the apology of the Japanese government. This history must be written into textbooks for young people to learn and remember." She said.

However, the Japanese government has never apologized on the issue of "comfort women", but also obstructs the victim's rights protection activities. In December 2017, a "comfort woman" commemorative statue fell next to Manila Bay. The Japanese government strongly dissatisfied and continued to pressure the Philippines. Four months later, the statue was demolished.

In Silva's view, the Japanese government tampering with textbooks distorting history, which led to the lack of correct awareness of the history of the World War II history.

Esmtelita lives with her daughter in the suburbs of Manila. Despite her weakness, she still insisted on running, participating in forums and rally, asking the Japanese government to formally apologize and compensate. "I won't stop. If I die, my descendants will continue to expose the crime of war, and I don't want the next generation to suffer the same bitterness." She said.

(Xinhua News Agency, Manila, August 13th, reporters Yan Jie and Liu Ye)

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