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8-The Canadian Champion, Tuesday, August 31, 2004 Professor gets first-hand account of Second World War atrocities during trip to China By STEVE LeBLANC The Champion It was a voyage of discovery aibeit, flot a joyous or ight-heart- ed one. Part of a i 7-member educationai expedition ihis summer, local history professor Charles Leskun joumneyed to China- enjoying a first- hand look ai the country's unprecedented eco- nomic development and social change. However, the 50-year-oid Miltonian and his teliow gioberonters were there Io unearth the past - speciticaily, the atrocities suffered ai the hands of occupying Imperial Japanese forces betore and during the Second World War. Wbiie ihese horrendous acis arenit exaciiy a secret, Mr. L-eskun stresses ihat they're hardiy common knowiedge when compared 1(9 the Flolocausi. "The co3mmon recognition is whai happened 10 the Jews, the 12 million or so that were murdered by the Nazis," expiained the York University professor, a co-author of two Canadian history books cun'entiy being used as part of many Ontario high sehool curriculums. "Ai this point in ime, very few Canadians eilher know about il (atrocities in China) or are able 10 remember il." In their ongoing efforts b bhelp change that, Mr. Leskun and company traveled exiensiveiy throughouî China over a i 6-day period speaking 10 dozens of war victims, many of whom have only slanted comîng forward wiih their nightmarish stonies in receni years. One who struck a particularly sîrong chord with the Milton historian - who's been interest- ed in this part of the war since his own universi- îy days - was Madam Wan Ai-hua. Now in her eigbties, she was among untold thousands of Chinese and Korean sexual slaves for the Imperial Japanese soldiers, who referred t0 them as comrfort women. A newly-wedded 14- year-old ai the ime of her ensiavement, Madam Wan Ai-hua recalled being sexually assaulîed up 10 20 times a day, as well as being severely beat- en afler two unsuccessful escape attempîs. Altbough finally managing 10 gel away, her horrible ordeal was far from over. Seen as dam- aged goods upon retuming 10 her village, she was chastized by her husband and family - a fate not uncommon for these comfort women, whose shame usually far outlasîed their abusc. "Most of themn stili bavent corne forward because of their sense of guilt and shame," Mr. Leskun explained. As horrifie as this sexual slavery was, il repre- senîs merely one component of the immeasura- bic violence inflicîed upon the Chinese people. Mirroring the Nazis' systematic slaughter of 'f000 by GRAHAM PAINE Milton professor Charles Leskun has been studying the atrocities of the Second World War for mnany years, but got a much greater insight into these crimes against humanily during his trip ta China. the Jews, Imperial Japanese soldiers executcd their fair share of mass murders- in one case killing an estimated 20,(XX0 Chînese along a river side. Mr. Leskun talked 10 one survivor who in the widespread confusion of the imes actually joined a large group of marcbing Chinese, not realizing aIt irsî of the impending siaughîer that was 10 corne. Fortunaîely, he and two friends w'.re able Io make their way 10 the back of the uine and Ilie hrough a nearby wall -tbougb sîaying close cîoough 10 wilness the mass execu- lion. "Apparently their were two higb ranking Imperial Japanese officers that had a competition going over wbo could kili 100 Chinese people first," added Mr. Leskun. "Tbey bad 10 exlend the 'game' when they boîb reacbed il aI the same lime. Il was just horrendous stuif going on." Complemcnîing traditional firepower was a slew of chemnical and biological weapons - all of which were used in abundance throughouî the country. The fallout from this type of warfare was so great that there's a particular communiîy stili widely known as 'Rotion Legs Village'. where Mr. Leskun's group visited during their first week and talked 10 many anthrax victims. Among them was an oid man named Cheng Chong Wen, who acîually considers himself lucky 10 have survived the war aI ail. "Il was incredible 10 sec ail the people who stili have open wounds," said Mr. Leskun. Also paralleling the Nazis in terms of slave labour, Imperial Japanese soldiers forced much of China's maie population 10 work in mines and facionies. Whîle Mr. Leskun had been pns'y 10 these atrociies long betore the trip- having studied îhem for years and spoken 10 many Chinese immigrants wh1o'd surs îved the war- he stressed that visiîing the places wherc those affronts 10 humaniîy îook place shed a whole neso light on the situation. "I soas ierribly moved by the cîrcumstances of the people we inlerviewed,." he remarkcd. "But on the llip side, 1 was equally iouched 10 hear about ihe random acîs of kindness that wenî on during ibis lime." While he's quick 10 point ouI that the Japanese people should obviously not be beld accounitable for the sins of their Imperia] predecessors. Mr. Lcskun says lt'o a shame that the Japanese gov- emment bas yeî 10 make an officiaI recognition of ils war crimes - despite efforts since 1997 by chief advocaîe Wang Xuan and a host of sup- porters 10 bring these atrocities 10 a more formaI ligbt. "lt's more or less been a wbiîewash," said Mr. Leskun. He'd love noîhing more than 10 play a small pant in rectifying that, but will be content with broadening Canadian youth's knowledge about Ibis horrifie part ofîbhe war with his fellow bisto- nians - which will be done through a soon-to-be written book documenîing the group's recent tindings. "My two hopes would be that the more people read and talk about Ibis the leos likely youtb will ever follow orders Io act in Ibis manner again, and that more advocaîes corne forward 10 help the Chinese people gel some kind of compensa- tion," be said. Steve LeR lotie an be reached at W ~COGECQ 'Cogeco Cable Programming Schedule - Tuesday, August 31 - Monday, September 6, 200.4 1bmly Local TeleVision Channel 14 ..w......oc-j .10H. 1 .ir U..m m, i w w og o. a9,10, lia. 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