Date of letter:1993-02-28
Address of author:Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province
Date of event:1942
Location of event:Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province
Name of author:Men Enlin
Name(s) of victim(s):Men Guirong（Men Enlin’s father）
Type of atrocity:Others (OT)
Other details:About in 1942 before liberation, the Japanese forced my father’s shoe shop to supply over hundreds of shoes, without giving any supply or money. Under Japanese oppression, father had to make shoes and send them to the Japanese. However, they said he did not make it on time and locked up my father. When my family provided ransom my father was nearly dying.
Master Tong Zeng:
Hello!
Though there are a lot of things to say, I have no idea where I should begin. First, I would like to express my appreciation for your initiative. Thank you for speaking out for the victims of the Japanese Invasion War in China, and demanding justice for those common people who suffered in the war, which can bring comfort to the spirit of the deceased! I don’t know how to express our feelings to you. The significance of this matter is much more important than some compensation amounts, after all how much money is enough for you to buy a life? The absolute vicious Japanese Imperialism committed monstrous crimes in Northeast China!
My father Men Enlin rented a house and opened a small shoe shop in Ranfang Hutong, Daowai District in Harbin before the Liberation. He made the shoes himself and sold them in the shop (cloth shoes). When he was busy he would hire some apprentices. Even such a small shoe shop did not escape the evil hands of the Japanese. My late father had told us repeatedly: the Japanese wanted to requisition shoes, and ordered us to produce their order before a deadline. However, they gave neither money nor materials, yet under the threat of bayonet my father had no choice but to work day and night to complete the order. Little did he expect that when he pulled a cart to deliver the shoes by himself, he was arrested by the Japanese Military Police accusing that the delivery was delayed! He was imprisoned for several months, and severely tortured…… It was about 1942, when we ransomed my father out with a huge amount of money, he was barely breathing! Under the oppression of the Japanese invaders, we had no place to air our grievance, and nowhere to demand justice! I could not remember how much ransom was paid to rescue my father (my late father told me it was a large sum of money) I only knew that a small portion of it came from selling everything that could be sold in the small shoe shop. The majority was borrowed money from loan sharks! After my father returned, he was seriously ill, there was no money to seek medical treatment. The small shoe shop on which we depended to make a living for several decades was gone. What could our family of more than a dozen people rely on to earn income? At that time my grandma was nearly 70, my elder brother was only a little over one year, plus my two uncles and two aunts as well as their children, and my two unmarried aunts. My father wanted to commit suicide several times, but after much consideration he had no courage to abandon the old and the young. My mother stayed beside my father and cried every day, the whole family had no food, no clothing, no drug and no medicine; only the usurious loan with exorbitant interest rate ……How could we spend the days to come? Later on, an anti-Japanese armed force soldier whom my father had once helped with his hiding learned of our predicament, and gave us some drugs. He admired my father’s courage in not betraying him even under heavy torture. This underground party member told my father: You can rest assured, elder brother, take it easy, the Japanese would soon go away, the anti-Japanese armed force in other counties were fighting hard, Harbin would soon be liberated! It was these inspiring remarks that enabled my father to survive staunchly, and “persisted” till the Liberation! At last, a good era when the poor becomes master of the country was in sight.
Master Tong, I read reports saying you are soliciting signatures from 100 million people. Is it possible that I can sign name on behalf of my dead father? Where should I go to sign the names? Should I sign the name in Harbin and then mail it to you, or you have special forms to let people from different places to sign names directly on the form? Please tell us.
Am I able to demand repayment of this debt from the representative of Japanese Military Police in Harbin on behalf of my dead father? How should we write complaint materials? I urgently look forward to your instructions, and obtaining your help.
Address for return mail: 12 Haping Road, Harbin 150040
Men Guirong
1993.2.28
