Date of letter:1993-05-20
Address of author:Dali City, Yunnan Province
Date of event:1942
Location of event:Qinyuan County, Changzhi City, Shanxi Province
Name of author:Yin Qiwei
Name(s) of victim(s):Yin Qiwei’s father, younger brother, younger sister, aunt, cousin, and two uncles
Type of atrocity:Others, Murders(OT, MU)
Other details:I am native to Qinyuan County, Shanxi. In 1942 my house was burned down, property robbed, my father, brother, sister, aunt and cousin were buried alive and my two uncles were killed.
Comrade Tong Zeng:
Hello! Are you busy in work?
The blood debt owed by the Japanese Imperialism to the Chinese people can never be repaid in full. Our descendents of later generations should never forget its crimes.
I am a native of Huodeng Village, Qingyuan County, Shanxi Province, now retired. I now live at Xiaguan Sanatorium for Retired Veteran Cadres in Yunnan. In 1942 the enemy implemented ‘Burn All, Kill All, and Loot All’ policy in the Northern China base area. My home was one four-side enclosed compound, totaling 18 rooms, plus half a compound whose two rooms were for raising horses, cows, and pigs. The two rooms in the south side were mills. Three rooms in the east side were used to store horse carriage, fodder, farming tools, all of them were burned to ashes.
Cow, horse, and five pigs, ten chicken, clothing and grain were looted.
My father, younger brother, younger sister were buried alive by the enemy, meanwhile my maternal aunt and her son who lived at my home were also buried alive. My maternal uncle and paternal uncle were killed. While this blood feud was not avenged, I spoke about the enemy’s crimes at small and large meetings over the past several decades. Debt of blood must be repaid in kind. The invasion army should in the first place be annihilated on the Chinese territory, it’s a pity that they were allowed to return alive. Yasuji Okamura, the East China Commander in Chief of the Japanese Invasion Army, a war criminal who created the ‘Burn All, Kill All, and Loot All’ policy, was tainted red with the blood of the Chinese people, he should be handed over to the Chinese people for punishment, but unfortunately he remained at large and returned to Japan.
As family member and relative of the victims, I hereby represent elder and younger siblings and grandsons in my family totaling 15 persons to resolutely demand the Japanese government to pay compensation. This is a righteous demand, they should openly acknowledge criminal deeds, and guarantee never to intrude into Chinese territory or kill any Chinese in the future.
Finally I thank Comrade Tong who represents the volition and demands of millions of Chinese victims and their family members!
Regards
Yours faithfully
Yin Qiwei
May 20, 1993
