Date of letter:1993-11-11
Address of author:Yongqing County, Langfang City, Hebei Province
Date of event:1942-01
Location of event:Daqiang River, Hebei Province
Name of author:Meng Lvcai
Name(s) of victim(s):Meng Lvcai
Type of atrocity:Slave Laborers（SL）
Other details:In 1942, the Japanese soldiers mopped up in Daqing River, Hebei Province and caught Li Shuchun and me. We were detained in Beijing for three days and then were sent to Japan to do hard labor. Every day the Japanese soldiers forced us to work nakedly to prevent us from escaping. They did not give us enough to eat, and beat us with whips and iron rod every day. Chinese Slave Laborerss suffered inhuman tortures. After the surrender of Japan, I returned the motherland. I require the Japanese government to compensate me for my loss in mind and body in the 4 years.
Mr. Tong:
I am a victim as I was sent to Japan to be a forced laborer. I am Meng Lvcai, born in Xiaohuizhuang, Diwu, Yongqing, Hebei. In January 1942, I and Li Shucun from my village were captured by the invading Japanese army during a raid in northern Daqinghe, Hebei, escorted to Nanyuan, Beijing where we stayed 3 days and then sent to Tanggu Camp. Later they were forced on a Japanese ship and sent to Tsukino, Tone, Gunma, Japan. It was in the evening then. We walked about 3 km towards a ravine and reached a big mountain. We lived in a cave before the mountain. Thereafter, over 400 Chinese people were forced to dig tunnels for the Japanese army. We worked naked and ate poorly. We became skinny due to starvation. We had to keep doing heavy work at day and night and would be beaten by whips or iron sticks if we worked slowly. The Japanese army treated Chinese laborers unimaginably cruel. We lived a life worse than livestock’s. Over 200 laborers died under whips, iron sticks and Japanese dogs. The remaining over 120 laborers became a bag of bones because the life was so difficult.
In about October after Japan surrendered in August 1945, we were finally given flour-made food to eat. In March 1946, the American army led us on an American ship and we reached Qingdao, Shandong two days later. The Japanese government knows well of our suffering in Japan.
Mr. Tong, please demand the Japanese government to compensate economic losses to Chinese laborers for our over 4-year heavy work in Japan and spiritual and physical suffering with the help of the International Red Cross so that we can see our great motherland prosper without any worry in our late years.
Claimant: Meng Lvcai, Xiaohuizhuang, Diwu, Yongqing, Hebei
Witness: Ma Ruifu, Shangzhuang, Sanshengkou, Yongqing, Hebei (he was taken to Japan with me)
Li Fashan, No. 2, Row 30, Group 6, Zhongshanmen New Village, Hedong District, Tianjin (He was also a forced laborer in Japan)
