Compensation to Internees

It was a long time ago. From 1942 to 1945 on the island of Java we were the Dutch, British, Americans, Belgians, Hungarians, Romanians and all sorts of other nationals. We were also “guests” of the Japanese Imperial forces in their concentration camps. Even Axis nationals were interned because they were “whites” and therefore perceived to be dangerous to the “Japanese Greater Co-Prosperity Sphere.”

It was a long time ago, it was stupid on both sides, and it’s all behind us. We survived and got on with our lives. The past cannot be altered and must be viewed within the context of its time. Shumway makes a good case for not holding the past accountable by today’s standards. We have learned and we have grown. Paying each other off for past mistakes cannot do much good. It may in fact rekindle feelings which by now are best forgotten.

MARC FOORMAN

Encino