The Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation yesterday held a memorial for 59 Taiwanese women who were used as “comfort women” for Japanese troops during World War II, and urged the Ministry of Education to include this part of history in the national curriculum.
The meeting was also held to observe International Comfort Women Memorial Day and remember Taiwan’s last comfort woman, who died in May.
In her opening speech, foundation executive director Tu Ying-chiu (杜瑛秋) quoted a Taiwanese comfort woman, who said that they were “deceived into accepting the job because they were under financial pressure.”
Photo: CNA
“She said they felt their bodies were dirty all the time in those days as comfort women. The experience affected their self-identity and resulted in them being discriminated against. We can only hope that the Japanese government will recognize its mistake, apologize and [offer compensation],” Tu said.
Taiwanese should face this era with honesty, view the comfort women system as a serious violation of women’s rights and include relevant records in the nation’s history, Tu said.
The Ministry of Education should also make it necessary to teach elementary, junior-high and high-school students about comfort women, so that they can learn about the importance of women’s rights, she said.
“The government should establish a national women’s rights museum to preserve relevant records and promote human rights education,” Tu added.
The Tainan Comfort Women Human Rights Equality Association also held a memorial ceremony around the city’s statue of an unnamed comfort woman. It is the only comfort woman statue in Taiwan.
Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who has been a long-term supporter of causes involving comfort women, attended the ceremony.
Association chairman Tung Shiao-yun (童小芸) said that Taiwanese comfort women had not been fighting for financial compensation, but respect and dignity.
“Japan can settle comfort women issues with South Korea, apologize and agree to establish a foundation to compensate South Korean victims, but what about Taiwanese comfort women? So far, there has not been an official apology and compensation from the Japanese government and leaders. Nevertheless, our determination to pursue truth and justice will never cease,” Tung said.
“Japan and Taiwan simply cannot ignore the unfair treatment that Taiwanese comfort women endured during World War II simply because the two countries have good relations now,” Tung said.
‘OBNOXIOUS MAN’: The KMT’s Chen Ching-hui moved into Chung Chia-pin’s path atop the podium and reached for him before he grabbed at her legs with both hands Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) yesterday said he slipped and lost his balance, and did not know who was around him, after jumping onto the speaker’s podium at the legislature in Taipei. He apologized after a collision with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Ching-hui (陳菁徽), who moved to intercept him as he mounted the podium. There was pushing and shoving when the session started in the morning as KMT lawmakers attempted to block access to the podium to shield Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) so he could preside over the session. Video footage showed Chung step on a chair and
While it is common to see bumper stickers informing other drivers about important information, such as “baby on board” or “rookie driver,” some motorist in Taiwan are using creative statements to warn other drivers to keep a safe distance to avoid a collision. A photograph recently circulating on the Internet showed a van in Changhua City with a bumper sticker saying that the driver received their license after taking the test three times, so it is dangerous to drive close to the vehicle. The person who took the photograph said all vehicles behind the van appeared to “subconsciously” maintaining a safe distance. Some
Taipei police on Saturday arrested 24 female Thai tourists on suspicion of working as hostesses and engaging in illegal activities at an underground bar in Zhongshan District (中山), the distict’s police precinct said in a statement yesterday. The police also arrested five other people involved in the operation, including the 29-year-old bar owner surnamed Chiang (蔣), and 17 customers, the statement said. The 24 Thai women were fined an undisclosed amount in accordance with the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法) by the police and transferred to a National Immigration Agency (NIA) special brigade in Taipei for repatriation to Thailand. The cases of
SHOW OF SUPPORT: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said 508 guests from 51 delegations are expected to attend today’s inauguration ceremony in Taipei Delegations from Taiwan’s diplomatic allies and other friendly countries have arrived in the nation to attend the inauguration of president-elect William Lai (賴清德) and vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) today. From the presidential election on Jan. 13 until today, 687 foreign guests from 73 delegations have come to Taiwan to deliver congratulatory messages to the newly elected leaders, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Among them, 508 guests from 51 delegations, including eight led by heads of state, are attending today’s inauguration ceremony and other related events, it added. Pope Francis appointed the Holy See’s Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines Charles John Brown