Sarah Tsang

Statement at Press Conference

May 15, 2003

            My name is Sarah Tsang and I will be graduating from the University of British Columbia this year in Honours History and International Relations. 

          I am excited to represent the student voice in this Canadian delegation, as I have studied in depth the atrocities committed during the Asia-Pacific War.  Although two generations removed, I still remember the tone of anger and bitterness my grandmother used, when she recalled wartime events while I was growing up in Hong Kong.  However, I only truly began to understand what had happened during the War, when I wrote a research paper on the Rape of Nanking in my first year at UBC.  Only then did I realize the mixed emotions on wartime wrongs; I myself was struck by an overwhelming sense of mourning at the huge tragedy and loss of human life.

          I decided to see what Japan was really like for myself by going on exchange during my second year of university.  Through my travels across the country, I met many hospitable and friendly locals, which contradicted the ruthless military machine I had read or heard about before.  I did, however, find that the War was not really something that was talked about among the younger generations of Japanese – a phenomenon that has been dubbed as a “collective historical amnesia”.

          Returning to Canada, I chose to write my Honours thesis on women victims and survivors of rape and enforced prostitution during the War.  This was a difficult topic, as the accounts both angered and depressed me.  My training as a historian urged me to remain objective and detached from the subject material, yet my moral convictions as a human being could not help but express disgust and almost disbelief that a person could commit such evil against another.

In essence, this current court battle over redress for biological warfare victims and survivors is about human dignity & righting past wrongs.  During the “Preventing Crimes Against Humanity” Conference held at UBC in March, I saw for myself the “human face of war”; the horrible scars engraved on survivors, whether physical, emotional, or psychological, and the effects of which last a lifetime.  These men and women inspire me, as they are a true testament of courage and perseverance in the face of staggering odds.  Their cries for justice MUST be acknowledged and acted upon by the Japanese state.

Most importantly, I wish for people to consider what kind of example this is leaving for younger generations.  These unresolved scars of war, if left to fester, may poison relations and carry over as a bitter legacy for those to come.  To counteract this, balanced education is of utmost importance – I was in Japan when South Korea recalled its Ambassador over the textbook controversy in the year 2000, which goes to show just how explosive these issues can become.  One of the things that we as Canadians can be proud of, though, is this resource guide for high school students, published through the BC Ministry of Education and the organizations represented here today, which is one-of-its-kind in that it presents an accurate narrative of the Asia-Pacific War, and encourages students to act upon that knowledge.

Personally, I have often struggled with the boundary between being a scholar and an activist.  But through writing my thesis and participating in real-life applications such as the past conference, I know now that there is no such divide, because knowledge, in fact, increases responsibility & demands a response.   And that is why I am participating in this delegation to appeal for redress and reconciliation.