Dutch PM regrets Indonesian war victims feel misunderstood, but stops short of apology

DutchNews, August 17, 2015

Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte said on Saturday he regrets the fact that Indonesian victims of the Japanese invasion during World War II feel misunderstood, but stopped short of apologising.

‘The Indonesian people still feel misunderstood because of a lack of understanding by others for the horrors of the war in Asia. I regret that,’ he said during the annual remembrance ceremony in The Hague on Saturday.

‘Seventy years after the Japanese capitulation we are more than ever conscious that this period of our history demands continuing attention and an active remembrance,’ Rutte said. 

‘Let us ensure that the lack of understanding and the grief of the victims is slowly removed.’ 

Independence

Immediately after the capitulation in what was then Dutch India, the local population called for independence which the Dutch were not prepared to grant. The result was a war between Dutch soldiers and the Indonesians which lasted from 1945 to 1950.

The organisers of Saturday’s ceremony told the NRC: ‘The period following the end of World War II was a chaotic and violent time, during which many people were unable to leave the Japanese prison camps and thousands more were interned.’ 

On Friday Rutte told broadcaster Nos that ‘it has taken a long time for the Dutch and Indonesians to recognise that what happened during that period was horrific’.

Community Leader: Don’t Doubt Papuans’ Indonesianness

Jakarta Globe, Roberth I. Vanwi, Aug 12, 2015

President Joko Widodo, center, and the first lady, Iriana, center second from right,
 arrive in Jayapura, Papua, in 2014 as they are welcomed by Papuan Governor Lukas
Enembe. left, and his wife Yewuce, right. (AFP Photo/Rusman/Presidential Palace)

Jayapura. Celebrations of Indonesia’s 70 years of independence this year reflect Indonesian patriotism across the country as much as Papuans’ love for it, a senior Papuan community said on Wednesday, stressing that Papuans, too, are Indonesians.

“Have you noticed that people in Papua do respond positively to the government’s urging to raise the Indonesian flag and other Independence Day paraphernalia?” George Awi told the Jakarta Globe.

“This tells us Papuans share the outlook of a common archipelago with other Indonesians. But the government needs to continue developing this land, regardless of the obstacles. Indonesia also needs to prove it loves Papua.”

A dearth of mutual confidence is at the heart of the festering issues in Papua, George said. Only recently, he added, have Papuans started seeing Papuan faces in government offices and in other undertakings. All this was despite the insistence in Jakarta that Papua was, and continues to be, an integral part of Indonesia.

“But opportunities are now open to those who can compete; we now have a Papuan at the head of the provincial police. The government deems us trustworthy so we need to repay this by keeping Papua safe and peaceful,” George said.

“Don’t underestimate the Indonesianness of Papuans,” George added. But what of those who demand independence? “That’s the task of the government and our collective responsibility to ensure they, too, enjoy the results of an advancing Papua.”

“This country loves Papua; that much is clear. We now have the Special Autonomy Law; President Joko [Widodo] visited us three times in one year. That capable Papuans can now move Papua forward is not just hot air.”

Meanwhile, the Papuan provincial government will take a “sensible but lively” approach to the 70th anniversary of Indonesian independence.

Elia I. Loupatty, assistant for development and people’s welfare at Papua’s provincial secretariat and head of preparations for Independence Day, said, as entertainment for the locals in Jayapura traditional games will be organized as well as a marathon and an arts, sports and culture competition.

“We are mindful of the traffic and other logistical challenges so we will focus most activities at the Kusuma Trikora Military Cemetery for a public commemoration ceremony and at the Mandala-Jayapura Stadium for the flag-raising ceremony,” Elia added.

Representatives from Papua New Guinea and other neighboring countries will attend the ceremonies in Papua, similar to previous years. “They will arrive on Aug. 15 or 16, and we look forward to welcoming them as they are our close neighbors,” Elia said.

Indonesia celebrates its independence from Dutch colonial rule on Aug. 17.

Jambi Village Discovers Treasure Trove in Dutch-Era Safe

Jakarta Globe, August 13, 2011

Residents of Koto Baru Hiang village in Kerinci district, Jambi, said on Friday that they had unearthed a veritable treasure trove of World War II-era money from an old safe.

Ahmad Nasril, the village head, said the discovery was made when the safe, which had been sitting unused in the village hall as long as anyone could remember, was opened during recent renovation work.

“The safe had always just been hidden away in a room in the village hall that people believed was haunted by a ghost, because it was always so dark,” he said.

The safe’s rediscovery came after the village received funding to renovate the hall, itself a relic of the Dutch colonial era. Part of the work involved fixing up a section of the ceiling that had collapsed in the very room where the safe was located.

“When we finally brought the safe out into the light of day, we used the chance to prize it open,” Nasril said. “That’s when we found several bundles of old money from the Japanese colonial era.”

The Japanese occupation of Indonesia lasted from 1942 until the end of the war in 1945.

Nasril said that while the money did not bear any dates for when it was printed, it could be tracked to the Japanese occupation because it read: “ De Japansche Regeering Betaalt Toonder Half Gulden ,” or “The Japanese Government Will Pay the Bearer Half a Guilder.”

However, he said the total value of the money remained unknown because many of the notes had been damaged by mold, attributed to a half-century of humidity and rainwater leaking into the safe.

Nasril said the safe also contained documents with the old Indonesian spelling, including a notice decreeing the implementation of a livestock tax, dated July 1, 1947.

“This particular document shows just how compliant the Kerinci people were about paying taxes back then, even if it was to an occupying authority,” he said.

The village hall had been used as an administrative office by the Dutch, who reoccupied the archipelago shortly after the Japanese left in 1945. Later it was used as a center for the traditional rulers of the district.

Nasril said the money and documents would be stored at his house for safekeeping while the Kerinci administration was notified about the discovery.

“This is clearly a very significant find for us, especially coming so close to Independence Day, when we look back at our history,” he said.

Antara

Indonesian navy finds Japanese bastion in Makassar

Antara News, Fri, February 11 2011

Makasaar, S.Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Indonesia Navy Main Base VI in Makassar found the sites relics of the Japanese bastion when tracing river delta in Lakkang village, Tallo sub district, Makassar on Friday.

The Commander of Navy Main Base VI Intelligence Team, Major Dismet Kolmet, said here, Friday that the team found some signs that showed the tunnel was the bastion of the Japanese army while leading the survey.

"We found seven bunkers here. We estimate the two bunkers were booth weapon that could be used to shoot long distances," he noted.

He estimated, there are several bunkers located in the vicinity of ammunition, because usually hideout bunker is built circularly.

The team derived by the navy also requested information from some local residents whom are estimated still having relationship with the history of the old bunkers in Tallo river mainland.

"We recommend the location to be secured first before cleaning done because it is possible to found mines or other dangerous objects at the excavation site," one of the team sweeping member said to the local people.

The navy requested the culture and tourism office of Makassar to involve preservation of archaeological heritage center and archaeologists to examine the location before the people digging and cleaning the historic areas.

The Head of Resources and Community Participation, the culture and tourism office of Makassar, Andi Mirza Zainal, said it would immediately make a written request and an audience with the center.

"These are historical assets that can sell Lakkang as a tourist village. So, we will immediately contact the archaeological center and invites Hasanuddin University to research the area," he said.

The head of Lakkang village, Andi M. Fara, explained, some local people who had long lived in the area estimated that the bunker was built in the 1940s when Japan was in Makassar.

In fact, the local people said, the place was once used as a consolidation or secret meetings by the kings of South Sulawesi.

He added, many foreign tourists who had been visiting Lakkang are attracted by the seven bunkers located in Tallo river delta, Makassar city.

"The condition of the bunkers is not too good, because it is buried in silt soil sediments. We hope the villagers social service by involving the navy can support the efforts of our village to promote the appealing objects to the tourists," he said.

The head of Lakkang village stated, the historical relics in their areas is expected to be a tourist attraction to visit the location of bunkers that could only be reached by using a small boat or pincara (raft-like transportation mode).

Editor: Suryanto

Indonesian Jews fondly remember tropical home

Scholars, ex-members meet in Haifa to discuss a now-extinct Southeast Asian community.

The Jerusalem Post, By GIL SHEFLER , 12/29/2010

In 1938, as Nazi Germany absorbed Austria and anti- Semitic violence worsened, the situation of Jews in Europe became desperate. Lines of would-be émigrés formed outside embassies hoping to get permits that would allow them to escape.

Most were turned away.

Once upon a time in the Dutch East Indies (Photo by: Dr. Ely Dwek)

The Lehrers of Vienna were among the lucky ones. They boarded a boat that took them halfway across the world to Indonesia, where a relative who had been working as a physician had helped obtain permits for them.

Shoshana Lehrer, who was then four years old, recalled arriving in the Dutch East Indies and her encounter with the small but vibrant Jewish community.

“It was very hard, we were like olim,” Lehrer, who lives in Haifa’s bayside suburbs, said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. “I never wanted to speak German so I had to speak Dutch with the other kids, which wasn’t easy. We were very poor, living together with other refugees in houses rented out for us by the Jewish community. It was a hard life,” Lehrer said.

“In Vienna I had a room and in Indonesia I had nothing but my bear. But although we had a very hard time there I loved it, it’s a beautiful place. It really felt like it was my country.”

The history of the Jews in Indonesia was the subject of a two-day symposium at the University of Haifa that ended on Monday. The gathering included many firsthand accounts by former community members like Lehrer, who spoke about what it was like being part of a tiny Jewish minority in what is now the most populous Muslim country in the world.

Prof. Rotem Kowner of the university’s Department of Asian Studies, who organized the event, said there was an unusual revival of interest in the remote and largely forgotten Jewish community.

“This is an interesting story of a community which was reformed in Israel after it had fallen apart,” Kowner said. “Seven years ago, the community members here decided to officially form an organization and sought funding but were largely ignored. The Dutch weren’t interested and the Indonesians certainly weren’t. Up until then not a word had been written about them.”

Lehrer is the head of Tempo Dulu, the association of Indonesian Jews in Israel, whose name means “former times” in Indonesian. She said the idea for members of the community to meet regularly emerged in 1995, when a Dutch film crew interviewed several of its members for a documentary.

“We meet in kibbutzim once or twice a year and at least 50 people come,” Lehrer said of the get-togethers, where participants often share spicy homecooked Indonesian food. “It’s not just members of the community but their children and grandchildren sometimes come, although they’re not as interested.”

Jews first arrived in the islands of Southeast Asia from the Netherlands when they were being colonized by the Dutch East India Company in the 19th century. These Jewish merchants and plantation owners were later joined by Jewish Iraqi businessmen, who had created a network of trading posts covering most of Asia from Mumbai to Shanghai.

Finally, the community was bolstered by refugees like the Lehrers fleeing Nazi persecution in Europe.

The Indonesian Jewish community was never big. At its peak shortly before outbreak of World War II, it numbered 3,000 people, based mostly in Surabaya, the island of Java’s second largest city; Batavia, later renamed Jakarta; and a few other smaller cities and towns.

With the exception of the refugees, life for members of the community during those years was one of privilege. Old photos reveal festive banquets held in large mansions, sports competitions and many religious ceremonies.

“We had a sports car which my father would drive around the island,” said Dr. Ely Dwek, who was born in Indonesia to Iraqi Jews but has lived in Israel most his life.

The Jews of Indonesia did not, however, escape the horrors of WWII. When Japan invaded the Dutch colony in 1942, most Jews were put together with other non-Asians in internment camps where conditions were extremely harsh. Many died of malnutrition, disease and violence inflicted by the Japanese and their allies.

Shoshana Lehrer was separated from her father and put in an internment camp with her mother for three years before the allies liberated them.

“My mother always said it was bad, but it was still better than what would have happened had we stayed in Europe,” she said.

After the war the community found itself in a precarious position, caught between the nationalists, who demanded independence, and the Dutch, who sought a return to the status quo before the war.

When the nationalists finally gained the upper hand in the fighting in 1949 it became increasingly difficult for Jews as well as for other non-Asians to remain. The Lehrers left for the Netherlands in 1952, never to return. Others moved to the UK, US, Israel and Australia. By 1965 there were only a few dozen Jews in Indonesia.

Nowadays an estimated 20 Jews live there. Judaism is not a recognized religion in the country and in 2009 the old synagogue in Surabaya, which seats 200 people, was forced to close under pressure from Islamists because of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Asked if she would like visit her childhood home, Lehrer, who has fond memories of the country, said she had mixed feelings.

“I would like to go back, but it has changed quite a lot so I’m not sure what I’ll see,” Lehrer said. “It is a place of 18,000 islands, a really beautiful place.”

But despite the community’s exodus the story of Jews in Indonesia may not be over yet.

Dr. Giora Eliraz of the Hebrew University referred on Monday to a recent New York Times article on a newly formed Jewish community in Manado, a city in a largely Christian part of the island of Sulawesi.

According to the article, pro- Jewish sentiment is widespread in the region. A giant menorah was recently erected on a mountain top and several families who claim Jewish ancestry are reconnecting with Judaism and even opened a small synagogue.

“The Jewish origin of these individuals is ambiguous,” Eliraz said. “There seems to be some Christian evangelical influence at work. Nonetheless, this may mean the curtain might not have set on Jews in Indonesia yet.”

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Soeharto’s politics during the Japanese occupation

Dicky Christanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 11/28/2010

This book offers a rather unique perspective on Soeharto, the former president infamous for his militaristic leadership during his 32 years in office.

Based on various do-cuments and books, including Soeharto’s 1989 autobiography My Thoughts, Words and Deeds and interviews with Soeharto’s former Japanese superiors and his fellow Indonesian officers, David Jenkins, an Australian journalist and writer, is trying to offer us insight into Soeharto’s thoughts and strategies.

Early on, the book tries to provide multiple perspectives. For instance, in November 1942, in the early years of the Japanese occupation, it is said that Soeharto, a former Dutch KNIL (Koninklijke Nederlands-Indische Leger) sergeant, was “jobless and in great confusion” when just across the street, the Japanese were offering security positions to locals.

Soeharto was reluctant. He wanted to apply for the job but on the other hand he was afraid the Japanese would find out about his background as a former Dutch sergeant.

Soeharto recalled that “he finally managed to make his way to the force without revealing his army background” (page 14).

This is an important episode. Had the Japanese known that anyone previously worked for the Dutch, he or she would be sent to prison.

But Jenkins doubts Soeharto’s statement. His comparative data shows another fact that “a thorough yet tight screening method had been conducted by Keinpetai, an intelligence unit under the Japanese military, in recruiting local police candidates at that time” (page 14).

Thus, it would be almost impossible for the Japanese to let such a potentially dangerous person join the force.

Jenkins also supports his finding by interviewing Tsuchiya Kiso, a former Japanese army intelligence officer who knew Soeharto. Kiso tells him that “it was only in the beginning that the Japanese officers weren’t aware of Soeharto’s past as a Dutch sergeant” (page 15).

This of course raises another question: why the Japanese decided to let Soeharto join the force?

From what I have read, the sole reason behind the Japanese occupation force’s decision in welcoming Soeharto to its ranks, first as a policeman then an army officer, was simply because Soeharto was never considered a threat, but rather an officer with great potential (page 32).

Tsuchiya Kiso, who later recruited Soeharto to PETA, a local army battalion that was initially formed as a Japanese reserve army to fight US soldiers during World War II, acknowledged that he was fully aware of Soeharto’s background as a Dutch sergeant but nevertheless decided to accept Soeharto because, “Our need for such a professional profile had made me go against the army headquarters’ order to avoid recruiting any person affiliated with the Dutch” (page 83).

Soeharto earned the Japanese’s respect and trust. Second Lt. Nakamoto Yoshiyuki, Soeharto’s former superior officer, said that all Soeharto’s former Japanese trainers recalled the former president as “modest, clever and one who never lost control” (page 172).

These Japanese officers apparently never realized that Soeharto, from the time he joined the police through his time as a soldier with PETA, had grown dissatisfied with the Japanese occupation, especially with its practice of romusha, in which thousands of people were enslaved and put into forced labor to construct railways, roads and buildings (page 191).

Unlike Suprijadi, a fellow officer of PETA, who dared to confront the Japanese by organizing a local revolt in Blitar, East Java, in early 1945, Soeharto was at that time occupied with training a new PETA battalion also in Blitar when the Japanese occupation ended with Japan’s surrender to the US forces on Aug. 15, 1945.

Besides revealing Soeharto’s dedicated career during the Japanese occupation, the book unveils some interesting facts that might have helped develop Soeharto’s militaristic leadership skills.

Soeharto, for example, is described to have inherited a great distrust of the Muslim hardliners and the communists on both the Japanese and Dutch sides because “the followers of these two ideologies have shown great militancy and often unpredictability” (page 48).

The book also describes Soeharto as a person who showed a great interest in learning from the keinpetai’s method of interrogation, which was famous for its cruelty (page 24).

Another fact that has been unearthed is how the Japanese trainers successfully implanted the importance of showing solidarity especially toward subordinates through months of hard training.

Later on during his military and political careers, Soeharto was known as a commander who offered great protections, both literally and figuratively speaking, to his subordinates who paid great respect and loyalty to him.

Harsutedjo, the book’s translator, says, “Soeharto’s cronies will always consider him a hero since he is like a great protector of their corrupt behavior.”

Harsutedjo was once affiliated with the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), which was outlawed by Soeharto. Many of its activists, including Harsutedjo, were sent to prison without proper trial.

The book also tells the readers how Soeharto maintained relations with those around him during the Japanese occupation.

It is rather surprising to find out that Soeharto in his early presidential tenure, visited several of his former Japanese officers as a sign of respect (page 112).

On the other side, it is also clearly described how Soeharto made enemies with some of his former colleagues at PETA. Soeharto for example, rejected the appointment of Pranoto Reksosamoedro, a military caretaker, by then president Sukarno after the abortive coup of the PKI.

According to the book, the rejection was actually only a reaction or some might say Soeharto’s revenge against Pranoto who had unveiled Soeharto’s smuggling activities when he was a military commander in Central Java (page 119).

Despite some minor weaknesses in the book — including some awkward expressions (probably the result of a poor translation) and in places very long explanations — this book will serve as good company to those interested in history.

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Former Sex Slaves Call on Japan for Full Apology

Jakarta Globe, November 25, 2010

Portraits of former Indonesian sex slaves during Japan colonization called Jugun Ianfu (comfort women) exhibited at Erasmus Huis in Jakarta. Six former Korean wartime sex slaves and more than 200 supporters gathered Thursday in Tokyo to call on Japan for a full official apology and compensation in a petition to Prime Minister Naoto Kan. (JG Photo/Safir Makki)

Tokyo. Six former Korean wartime sex slaves and more than 200 supporters gathered on Thursday in Tokyo to call on Japan for a full official apology and compensation in a petition to Prime Minister Naoto Kan.

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, they submitted a petition of around 600,000 signatures collected in Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and other regions.

“I really hope for no more wars, which would inevitably create victims like me,” said one of the former comfort women, 83-year-old Gil Won Ok from South Korea.

South Korean lawmaker Lee Mi-Kyung also visited with a petition signed by 177 South Korean parliamentarians.

The elderly Korean women and their supporters faced abuse from dozens of Japanese nationalists who staged their own protest outside the parliamentary office building where they had gathered.

Up to 200,000 women from Korea, China, the Philippines, Indonesia and other countries are estimated to have been kidnapped and forced to work as “comfort women” in military brothels used by Japanese troops during World War II.

Japan has apologized for the military’s involvement in crimes against the women, but denies responsibility for running a system of military brothels before its surrender to Allied forces in 1945.

The issue has long proved an irritant in relations between Japan and its neighbors.

The movement seeking an official apology and compensation from Japan has gained momentum following political change in the country, with the center-left Democratic Party ousting the conservatives last year, organizers said.

Agence France-Presse

Aging Filipino women who claim to be former wartime Japanese sex blow whistles in front of the Japanese Embassy in Manila, Philippines on Wednesday. The group demands from the Japanese government an apology and the redress of the crimes committed against Filipino women during World War II. (AP/Aaron Favila)

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Japan to enhance relations with Indonesia

Antara News, Wednesday, September 1, 2010 22:20 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Japanese government will increase its relations with Indonesia, even closer than an extended family, a Japanese envoy said in Indonesia.

Japanese Ambassador to
Indonesia Kojiro Shiojiri

"Our relations are very good and special, in fact Japan considered Indonesia as a very important partner in view of our historical background," Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Kojiro Shiojiri said when visiting ANTARA national news agency here Wednesday.

Therefore people to people contacts are also very important to promote the relations, but the challenge in the globalization era is how to develop stronger relations based on the same platform, he said.

"My goal on Indonesia is to bring the two countries to a higher and promoted level, as Indonesia really means a lot to Japan," he said.

In this context, Ambassador Kojiro said that life is like driving a car, to move forward the driver has always to look through the rear view mirror.

Therefore, Indonesia and Japan must always look back and respect the history of both nations especially when the two countries were still engaged in World War II.

In the economic field, Ambassador Kojiro said that Japan would like to enhance the relations by more than merely a`win-win solutions to gain added value from their cooperation.

"We need to create something different like "win-win plus alpha", which is an additional added value obtained from combining the Japanese Bushido spirit and Indonesian people`s hardworking character," he added.

Kojiro said that something different must be reached from the cooperation because Japan considers Indonesia a special partner.

The economic and financial cooperation must not only cover investment, but also production which are new to Indonesian.

Japanese businessmen are now focusing on Indonesia after the global financial crisis has affected most countries in the world, and Indonesia but at a lesser scale, he said.

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Indonesia's Comfort Women Break the Silence

Indonesia's Comfort Women Break the Silence

Jakarta Globe, Report Katrin Figge | August 18, 2010

The exhibition ‘Jugun Ianfu - Comfort Women’ features portraits of 18 women, most of whom are now in their late 70s or early 80s. Accompanying text tells the stories of the women and their experiences during World War II.  (JG Photos/Safir Makki and Amee Enriquez)

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“As a 13-year-old girl, Ronasih was picked up on her way home from school by a soldier nicknamed Sideburns and locked up in a nearby barracks. There, she was raped systematically for three months by Sideburns and his pal.”

This is the story of Ronasih, from Serang, West Java, but it is shared by many other young Indonesian girls who became victims of sexual violence during World War II.

They were forced into prostitution by the Japanese military or repeatedly raped and sexually abused in factory warehouses, railroad cars and even their own homes.

It is a dark chapter in history that few people openly talk about. These women, known as comfort women or the Japanese term jugun ianfu — jugun means following the military and ianfu means comfort women — still carry the stigma and shame of what they had to endure.

“Her father visited the barracks several times and in vain offered himself as free labor in exchange for his daughter’s release. Not until the end of the war was Ronasih, very thin by then, released. ‘I had to crawl home, I couldn’t even walk anymore, it hurt all over.’

“Immediately after the war, she underwent surgery for internal injuries. ‘I only married late because I first wanted to think, my wounds hadn’t healed yet, I was afraid, I wanted to get better first.’

She’s been married five times, divorced several times after just a few months, and has never been able to bear children. ‘I did get injections from the doctor, but it’s God who determines whether you have children, not people.’ ”

Ronasih’s narrative is part of an ongoing photo exhibition, “Jugun Ianfu — Comfort Women,” by Dutch journalist Hilde Janssen and photographer Jan Banning at Erasmus Huis in South Jakarta.

Encouraging comfort women to break their silence, Janssen and Banning traveled the country to hear and record their stories.

The exhibition is a result of this undertaking — portraits of 18 women, most of whom are now in their late 70s or early 80s, accompanied by text that tells their stories.

It also features Japanese war propaganda posters found in archives in the Netherlands. These posters stand in stark contrast to the pictures of the women, which present a rarely talked about side of the story.

In addition, Janssen and Banning published al book, “Shame and Innocence: The Suppressed War Chronicles of Indonesia’s Comfort Women,” in both English and Dutch.

Banning also published book of his photographs, “Comfort Women.”

“I so much wanted to be ugly because the ugly girls they quickly sent away. But the beautiful ones had to stay.” These words accompany the portrait of Emah, from Kuningan, West Java.

The photo shows an old woman wearing a black blouse with purple flowers and a serious look on her wrinkled face. The two sentences sum up the horror and desperation she still feels to this day.

Even though she later got married, Emah was never able to have children of her own.

Even without the accompanying text, the women’s portraits, which exude pain and sadness, speak for themselves.

Janssen said the project was not easy to complete. Finding the women was difficult, and once they were located, some were unwilling to talk about their experiences. Many others had already passed away.

“We had to approach them discretely because feelings of shame remain severe,” Janssen said. “Often, they couldn’t bring themselves to say the word rape, were reduced to nervous giggling and called it ‘forced adultery’ or ‘doing it.’

“Even in their 80s, some women still face abusive sneers,” she added.

“As much as they would like to erase the traces of their wartime history, they drag it along all their lives: the humiliation and pain, their childless existence, the failed marriages.”

But despite the topic’s sensitive nature, Janssen felt that bringing it into the open was the right thing to do.

“While [these women] struggle with the physical and emotional impacts, the Japanese perpetrators have gone free,” she said. “The circle of silence needs to be broken, the voices of the women no longer suppressed.”

Yuniyanti Chuzaifah, chairwoman of the National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan), who opened the exhibition last week, agreed that it was time to shed light on this issue.

“The great characters that emerge before us through these portraits are women who had the courage to share personal experiences of sexual violence that have been undermining their lives for over six decades,” she said.

“They have raised their voices not only to demand a formal apology and compensation; they broke the silence to prevent future generations of women from falling victim to similar acts of sexual violence.”

According to Banning, it is estimated that there were at least 200,000 comfort women in Asia, with 20,000 in Indonesia. He previously worked on a similar project about men who suffered abuse as forced laborers on the Burma and Sumatra railways during the war.

“A lot of the men had trouble talking about this experience,” he recalled. “They felt humiliated and ashamed.”

He added that the comfort women would have felt the same way, even worse. “In fact, we also tried to include Dutch [comfort] women in this project,” he said. “Out of the estimated 200 to 400 [Dutch comfort] women, only a handful have ever come out in the open.”

Yuniyanti said: “The fate of comfort women forms an integral part of our national history. Not only does it concern a period that is a crucial part of the Indonesian independence story, the issues related to comfort women are also still relevant today. This is evident in the way in which this sensitive issue was suppressed and shelved by the New Order regime [of former President Suharto].”

She said the stories of comfort women were kept secret because they were seen as tarnishing the nation’s honor. She added that the same thing has been happening for the last four decades regarding cases of sexual violence against women.

The issue of the May 1998 riots, when women of Chinese descent became victims of mass rape and sexual attacks, has been largely ignored until now, Yuniyanti said.

“While praising the 1998 events as a starting point for the democratization process in Indonesia, the May 1998 tragedy itself is only mentioned as a mere riot, ignoring the faces of the grieving mothers who lost their children and the women who are not able to talk about their personal experiences without risking being criticized for undermining Indonesia’s reputation,” she said.

“Female victims of sexual violence are also being silenced by their own families and communities, as they prioritize safety and want to avoid the disgrace and cultural shame attached to the ‘sins’ of these women.”

The physical and psychological harm that these women have experienced can never be undone. Nevertheless, their stories need to be told.

“I think we do not only live for ourselves,” Banning said. “I think we should try to play a role in society with whatever means we have. We wanted to bring this story to the surface.”

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Japan, RI in promoting peace and security

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Japan, RI in promoting peace and security

The Jakarta Post, Kojiro Shiojiri, Jakarta | Sat, 07/24/2010 9:45 AM | Opinion

It’s no big secret that Indonesia and Japan are good friends. We have a long history of cooperation, and in many ways, we have been making positive and constructive contributions to the region and to the world. But I believe that there are still much more we can do together.

While we are quite used to hearing about Indonesia and Japan cooperating in the economic field, we should not shy away from more active cooperation in dealing with common threats to the peace and security of our region and the world.

There are many things that can be achieved if Indonesia and Japan work together to deal with issues like international terrorism, post-conflict nation building, maritime security and disaster management.

I would like to suggest a way forward in this regard, i.e., building up concrete successful examples of our cooperation in these fields. In doing so, we should start shifting from merely working side by side, to working as an integrated team, thinking together, acting together and sharing responsibilities together in dealing with common threats to the security and prosperity of the international community.

Some things are already happening to this end. One example is in the area of disaster relief. In Banda Aceh, Yogyakarta and Padang, Japan has always been working side by side with Indonesia to help alleviate the damage and suffering of natural disasters. But now, Indonesia and Japan are working together as co-hosts of a multilateral disaster relief exercise called ARF DiREx 2011.

The exercise will be held in Manado in March 2011, with participation from many countries, with the aim of improving the disaster preparedness of both civilian and military authorities of countries in the region.

This is a concrete example of how Indonesia and Japan have started to “think together” and “share responsibilities together”, in addition to just “acting together” in response to a certain event.

Another example is the change in the quality of our navy-to-navy cooperation that is starting to be observed.

In the past, most of the visits made by Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) vessels to Indonesia have been ceremonial in nature, such as the participation by JMSDF (Kashima, Yugiri and Shimayuki) in the Sail Bunaken international fleet review in August 2009.

However, the recent visit by JMSDF destroyers Sawagiri and Ohnami to Jakarta was qualitatively different.

As these were destroyers dispatched for anti-piracy activities in the Gulf of Aden, the JMSDF crew was able to share practical and operational knowledge and experience in countering piracy with the Indonesian Navy.

As both Japan and Indonesia are archipelagic states, we share a common interest in the safety of navigation of the seas. The benefit to both sides of information sharing and enhanced cooperation in this filed is clear.

These are just examples, but notice the qualitative change in the nature of our cooperation. We are not just participating in your party as a good neighbor, but we are starting to plan a party together for everyone in the community to benefit from.

Just imagine what we can achieve, if we started to think and act together, in a number of other areas like Middle East Peace, peace keeping, nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

Why do we want to do so?

First and foremost, because Japan and Indonesia share a common interest in the security and stability of our region, and in effectively addressing the new threats we face.

Second, because of the fundamental values that Indonesia shares with Japan, such as democracy and human rights, tolerance and the rule of law. We also have a strong cultural affinity towards each other.

And third but not least, because the importance of Indonesia as a player in the international community is increasing. Indonesia, as a member of the G20 and a leader of ASEAN, has the strong enthusiasm and commitment to contribute to the peace and the stability of the world community.

The point I want to make is that no matter how much the strategic environment in our region might change in the near future, these attributes of Japan-Indonesia relations will never change. This means that the reasons for Indonesia and Japan to cooperate will continue to exist well into the foreseeable future.

To put it in simple terms, we, Japan and Indonesia, are “Strategic Partners for Good”. This partnership is not just in words, but actual and genuine. Our relations have entered a new era in which we must further deepen our cooperation under a new sense of mission. In this new era, let us think, act and take responsibility, together!

The writer is Japan Ambassador to Indonesia.

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