GOVERNMENT POLICY ON

Mr Tee Kim Leng asked the Prime Minister whether the Government has adopted any policy regarding the reported discovery by the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce of the "mass graves" of people said to have been massacred by the Japanese in early 1942.

The Prime Minister: Mr Speaker, Sir, questions of war reparation, including compensation for atrocities and war damage, were the responsibility of the United Kingdom Government who in 1951 signed a treaty of peace with Japan. The Government has written to the U.K. Commission asking the U.K. Government to take up the matter with the Government of Japan to seek amends and atonement for the atrocities that they committed.

The U.K. Commission has referred the matter to London and sought further information as to the scale of the present discovery of the intended remains. They have enquired whether the number of the persons involved may run to several thousands or something much less. They would like to know whether this evidence is related to some hitherto unrealised atrocities or of one already known. The U.K. Commission wrote to say that they believed that this recent discovery is evidence not of an atrocity as yet unknown but is connected with the massacres that had taken place, and were known to have taken place, though the actual sites of the graves may not have been known in detail.

There are no reliable figures as to the total number of persons who were massacred by the Japanese invading forces in 1942. Some estimates put the figure around 10,000, and some much more, but certainly thousands of families have beloved ones who were missed shortly after the Japanese invasion. All of them were taken away from screening camps and were never heard of or seen again.

While it may be difficult to ascertain the actual identity of the persons who had been massacred or their immediate dependents and families for compensation to be made direct, there is no doubt that the people of Singapore, as a whole, suffered by these massacres. It is our view that atonement should be made to the people of Singapore collectively.

The Government is also considering the acquisition of the site where these bones have been discovered in order that a suitable memorial can be put up in, memory of the men who have been massacred. If the area is suitable, a green belt to provide for a small park may also be designated.

Mr Tee Kim Leng (Pasir Panjang): (In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, if the Japanese Government refuses to compensate for this reasonable request, then what steps will the Singapore Government take in the matter?

The Prime Minister: Mr Speaker, Sir, I need only point out that foreign affairs is in the hands of the British until independence through merger. I am quite sure the Barisan Sosialis now understands how stupid the proposal was that the next constitutional step for Singapore was full internal self-government with foreign -

Mr Speaker: Order. I am afraid that answer is completely out of order. I think that question is hypothetical anyway, and I must disallow it.

The Prime Minister: Mr Speaker, Sir, may I just go on? I was on the point of going to the meat of the matter.

Mr Speaker: I have disallowed the supplementary question as being hypothetical.

Tun Lim Yew Hock (Cairnhill): A supplementary question.

Mr Speaker: Tun Lim.

Tun Lim Yew Hock: The Minister for Finance was recently in Tokyo. He was there in all anxiety to foster good relationship with the Japanese Government and Japanese industrialists. May I ask the Prime Minister whether he did make use of the opportunity just to sound the Japanese Government about the cry of the people of Singapore when those bones were exhumed?

The Prime Minister: I do not wish to prejudice private conversations on this matter, but I would like to say that the Japanese officials who were in contact with our officials and who happened to have been in Singapore previously fully appreciated the feelings on this matter. I think they may be more than prepared to make some atonement for the atrocities that had been committed.