Ignorance and forgetfulness

We have been back in London now for two days. I have been on a self-imposed moratorium of sorts, to not do anything and basically chill out for a few days. Today, I will start work again. The 'to do' list is fairly long, so I will need to devise an action plan and get a sense of my bearings. But before I do that, there is something weighing heavily on my mind and I need to write it down, lest I too forget and by my act of omission condone genocide.

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One of the things I have learnt most from this trip is the importance of not forgetting as a means of honouring those who have survived and those who have been murdered. No matter how many times we hear these stories, they must be retold again and again. At one point during this trip, Shiv and I felt we were 'holocaust-ed out' and we even asked if what we were doing would add further value to an event that has been analysed, revisited and commemorated before. But I am now convinced that yes, even if it is told a hundred thousand times, it must be told again.

I was reading The Guardian newspaper yesterday about the Labour government's perceived meltdown and the current economic crisis. It was titled "If a week is a long time in politics, it's an entire career in economics." It makes me think that when it comes to history, especially of the sordid kind, the timeframe for memory is just as short.

To hear Chasia, Cholem, Fania... all those people we spoke to on our recent trip to Lithuania, is to have the words "never again" etched in the back of our minds. As such, while this may not be the forum, and I must say upfront that I do not intend to dilute this blog journal with its main focus and objective on the Jewish Holocaust in Lithuania - something is niggling at me and as such, I am compelled nevertheless to put it down. The topic I wish to raise is that of the Asian Holocaust, as a sidebar and food for further thought for readers that may have chanced upon this blog and abhor the thought of genocide and mass murder in all its forms.

Why am I compelled to mention this tragedy? For two reasons. Please bear with me as I try to explain the complicated emotional response I feel.

1) When I visited The Green House, there was a room dedicated to Righteous Gentiles - those who had, at their own personal risk, saved Jews during the war in Lithuania. One of those given prominent space is Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese Deputy Consul in Lithuania, who issued visas to save the lives of Jews. (Read more here.)

My first response, to be honest, was surprise, then shock, and then, a sense of rising anger and cynicism within me. (Those of you who have read my earlier entries will know that I am Chinese, hence my involuntary response.) However, after I had time to consider my response, I realised that I had made the fatal error of feeling revulsion towards Sugihara for the simple fact that he is Japanese. I had to consciously bypass my emotional response and reason to myself - he may be Japanese, but he and those who committed murder in Asia are not one.

I look back now and realise what a supreme effort of reasoning and compassion survivors like Fania embody. As Fania kept reminding us, she cannot forgive those who perpetrated those horrible crimes but she does not hate nations. (If you want to read the previous entries on Fania, look under "Labels" on the right and click "Fania".)

So, why did Sugihara's display in the museum evoke this need in me to include a mention of the Asian Holocaust? Because when I mentioned to a few people in the museum that it was ironic that a Japanese official showed such compassion, all I got in return were blank stares. No one asked what I meant by that. Perhaps they were not interested, perhaps they felt it would detract from the memory of Jewish experience. Whatever the reason, I am convinced that there is a dearth of knowledge about Japanese war-time atrocities. Therefore, I feel I must at least make space to mention this.

2) Below you will see a picture of a chopstick sleeve I saved from my trip in Lithuania. I won't mention which restaurant I got it from. You will see that it is a photo of a Japanese pilot, probably a kamikaze pilot, who knows? The characters on the top left means "sushi". Now, I want to ask you a question. If you went to a German restaurant and they gave you a serviette or napkin with a photo of a Nazi SS officer printed on it, what would your response be?



When I showed this chopstick sleeve to my companions, they shook their heads in sympathy and said, "it must be ignorance." Yes, it is ignorance. Ignorance because revisionism is alive and well when it comes to Japanese atrocities in Asia. And so, for the record, I am compelled to do something, anything, rather than merely shake my head and say 'it is ignorance.' So please get educated and share with your friends that there is such a thing as an Asian Holocaust, where an estimated 3 to 10 million Asians were massacred by the Imperial Japanese forces. For further reading and to be informed, you will find a list of sites under the heading "Asian Holocaust" on the right. Share this information. We must not forget. There is no competition among victims. Only the need for equal acknowledgment and recognition.