This issue below is out of my research focus about Malaysia, so I am afraid that I am not in a position of making any comment on it. However, I personally wonder why suddenly this statement by former Perak Menteri Besar Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin appeared on the Harakah Daily.
As the Japan Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, where I have been several times in the 1990s, told in the article below, Japan has been making tremendous efforts to promote goodwill and peace with Malaysia after the Second World War. Economic assistance, technology transfer, construction, and education programmes are some of them.
Because of the complicated racial problems inside of Malaysia, I deeply understand that there are still people who do not want to accept Japan and the Japanese people among those who had received harsh treatment from the Japanese Army during the wartime. However, it is also true that various efforts to recover from the wounds have been made officially and unofficially from the both sides. Besides, there are already many scholastic research findings to reveal the facts about the Japanese Occupation of Malaya.
It may still take time to completely settle down this unforgettable issue for the Malaysian people, but I do hope that this kind of reports will be treated very carefully and delicately not to worsen the situation between Malaysia and Japan. (Lily)
Malaysiakini (http://www.malaysiakini.com）
(1)'Whither RM207bil Death Railway compensation?', 5 January 2013
Until today, neither hide nor hair of the estimated RM207 billion Japanese compensation, for using over 30,000 Malayans as forced labour for the infamous Death Railway from Siam to Burma during World War II, has been seen by surviving victims or their heirs, claimed former Perak menteri besar Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin.
"We don't know if the money is still in the keeping of the government or has been disbursed to the victims.
"There were 30,000 who had survived to come back to Malaysia, though some had died, they have heirs who formed the Association of former labourers and heirs of the Siam-Burma 1942-1946 railway construction," Nizar was quoted in a Harakahdaily report.
According to records, Nizar detailed that out of the some 30,000 survivors, 60 percent are Malays, 20 percent Indians, 15 percent Chinese and five percent from other races.
If his calculation holds true, he estimated that each family stands to receive at least RM 3 million each.
Since their official registration on January 11, 2011, the association involved had applied several times to recover the monies from the Malaysian government, which had accepted the compensation from the Japanese government, but to no avail.
No explanation from gov't
Nizar said that until today, they do not know if the compensation is in the national treasury of Amanah Raya, as no explanation has been given by the government despite repeated applications by the NGO representing the Death Railway victims and their heirs.
This, he said is despite the Japanese embassy already confirming that the monies had been transferred to the Malaysian government long ago.
He claimed he has met with Japanese embassy officials and has sighted official documents which detailed the transfer.
During World War II, the Japanese occupation authority had conscripted Malayans as forced labour and used prisoners of war to build the infamous Death Railway, which it needed to bolster its supply route for its forces in Malaya and nearby Asian countries.
Tens of thousands of labourers suffered greatly in the process with many perishing in the effort.
Stories depicting the harrowing tale behind the construction of the infamous railway were immortalised in Landasan Maut, a local novel by Salleh De Ran, and the Hollywood movie Bridge on the River Kwai.
(2) Explain RM207bil compensation, says Anwar, 8 January 2013
by Hafiz Yatim
PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim has asked the BN government to explain what has happened to the RM207 billion compensation fund from Japan to surviving victims and the descendants of over 30,000 Malayans used as forced labour for the infamous Death Railway from Siam to Burma during World War II.
He claimed that the money was not transferred to the Treasury when he was finance minister in the 1990s.
“I have said that this money was not disbursed to the Treasury. This RM207 billion is something which the present BN government can’t stay silent (about)," he said today.
“(It's) like the transfer of suspected illicit funds following the report by the Global Financial Integrity group, where over RM190 billion was unaccounted for.
"So far, there has not been any comment from the prime minister or the Treasury on this issue. There is a clear neglect of the country's finances."
Anwar was asked to comment on the revelation by former Perak menteri besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin that the Japanese government had paid compensation to the Malaysian government in the 1990s.
Nizar had said that he does not know if the money is still in the keeping of the government or if it has been disbursed to the victims.
"There were 30,000 who had survived to come back to Malaysia. They (and the descendants of those who died) have formed an association of those involved in the Siam-Burma 1942-46 railway construction," Nizar was quoted saying in a Harakahdaily report.
'Review AES'
On another matter, Anwar reiterated the need to review the Automatic Enforcement System as it is a burden to motorists.
"About 400,000 summonses have been issued and Pakatan leaders will move to have these withdrawn," he said.
The Road Transport Department has temporarily suspended prosecution of alleged offenders due to legal concerns.
The system has been in place since last September.
(3) Japan embassy never confirmed RM207bil was paid, 8 January 2013
The Japanese embassy in Kuala Lumpur has today denied that it confirmed the RM207 billion was paid out by their government to Malaysia as compensation for the victims of the ‘Death Railway project’ which ran from Thailand to Burma.
In a statement sent by the embassy at Jalan Tun Razak, second secretary Takaharu Suegami said the matter was outside the involvement and knowledge of the Japanese government.
“We must remind you that the embassy has never confirmed that RM207 billion was paid to the Malaysian government as compensation to the victims,” he said.
A copy of the letter was sent to Harakah Daily editor-in-chief Ahmad Lutfi Othman, and was faxed to Malaysiakini today, where Takaharu referred to the two articles carried by the PAS mouthpiece titled ‘Embassy confirms huge compensation paid to Malaysian government’ on Jan 3 and ‘Embassy clarifies report on death railway’ which appeared yesterday.
Suegami referred to the Second World War as “unhappy events” and that war compensation on the matter had been fully and finally settled under the San Francisco Treaty which entered into force in 1952.
“Furthermore, for your reference, there is the Sept 21, 1967 agreement between Japan and Malaysia where in order to promote economic cooperation, Japan agreed to supply grants to Malaysia of the products and services of Japan to the total value of RM25 million.
“The necessary arrangements for its implementation were already conducted by the two governments and in the agreement, the Malaysian government has agreed that all questions arising from the ‘unhappy events’ during World War II which may affect the existing good relations between the two countries were settled,” he said.
The second secretary added that all the supplies in accordance with the agreement were completed on May 6, 1972.
Deep remorse
He further said that Japan has always engraved deep remorse and apologised for the damage and suffering caused in the past through its colonial rule and aggression to the Asian countries which it had occupied.
“On various occasions, Japan expressed these feelings of remorse and apologised, and its resolve to ensure that such an unfortunate history is never repeated as shown by the statement by the then-prime minister Tomiichi Maruyama in 1995,” he said.
“Japan has made utmost efforts to build a future oriented and cooperative relationship with Asian nations and will continuously work to achieve the peace and prosperity of the world in the future as well,” said Suegami.
Previously, Malaysiakini had cited the Harakah Daily report on Jan 5 where it quoted former Perak menteri besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin as saying that the amount of RM207 billion had been paid. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was also asked to comment on the issue.
（End）
PS: Malaysiakini (http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/219040)
Finance Ministry: RM207bil Japan compensation 'a hoax', 15 January 2013
by Bernama
The Finance Ministry today said claims that the government received compensation amounting to RM207 billion from Japan for Malaysians forced to work in the construction of the Siam to Burma railway during the Second World War, were false.
In a statement today, the Finance Ministry clarified that the allegation, based on a memorandum allegedly issued by the ministry dated March 29, 2011, was false because such a memorandum did not exist.
"The memo is a fake and a police report was lodged on Sept 26, the case is still being investigated by police," said the statement.
The statement said the Finance Ministry had to clarify the matter as several opposition bloggers had alleged that Malaysia had received the RM207 billion compensation from Japan but the money had disappeared.
This also had prompted the Japanese Embassy to write to the ministry on Jan 9 to seek clarification as according to the embassy, Japan had never paid the RM207 billion compensation.
- Bernama
(End)
