Date of letter:1993-04-20
Address of author:Yongqing, Langfang, Hebei
Date of event:1942
Location of event:Yongqing, Langfang, Hebei
Name of author:GAO Baochen
Name(s) of victim(s):GAO Dengjia (GAO Baochen’s father)
Type of atrocity:Slave Laborers (SL), Murders (MU)
Other details:In 1942, GAO Dengjia was taken away and detained in Tanggu Camp. He then was forced to work at mountains in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. He was beaten to death by his supervisor at work. LIU Linge and MA Ruifu from the same village witnessed the crime.
Teacher Tong,
I think you must be quite busy now. My name is GAO Baochen, male, 56 years old. I recall that my father, GAO Dengjia, was taken away by the Japanese and detained in Tanggu Camp in 1942. He then was forced to go by sea to South Mountain in 月野村, Gunma Prefecture, Japan. He worked on the mountain to dig caves and carry stones. The Japanese treated Chinese workmen as slaves, beating them, scolding them, not feeding them and torturing them. Chinese laborers were miserable there. Some Japanese supervisors would hold wooden sticks in their hands or something similar and beat Chinese laborers anytime, anywhere they wanted. Some old and weak Chinese were beaten to death. My father GAO Dengjia was one of them. LIU Linge and MA Ruifu from our village witnessed it. Now that we are led and protected by the great Communist Party of China, I want to demand justice from Japan. I demand 100 thousand U.S. dollars from Japan to compensate my father’s four-year salaries and our family.
Wish you in good health, Teacher Tong!
Wish our dream would come dream soon!
Best regards,
Witnesses: LIU Shuge (name seal)
GAO Baochen (name seal)
Shangwuzhuang Unit, Sanshengkou Commune, Yongqing County, Hebei Province
04/20/1993
Village Committee of Shangwuzhuang Unit, Sanshengkou Commune, Yongqing County
