The Full Romusha Story Needs to See The Light of Day The Jakarta Globe, Wednesday, January 28, 2009
David Jardine’s article in the Jakarta Globe on Jan. 27 is a most timely reminder of a very dark chapter in Indonesian history, which to date has received inadequate attention by historians. This tragedy unquestionably blighted Sukarno’s reputation, and while I agree that the label “quisling” should be rejected, Sukarno’s cooperation with the Japanese deserves to be reassessed in light of the romusha. Surprisingly, very little seems to have been written on this subject. Mochtar Lubis wrote a novella titled “Romusha,” which I believe was restricted by the Attorney General’s Office when it was originally published due to its uncompromisingly anti-Japanese stance. I am also reminded that Tempo published an article many years ago in which romusha survivors of the notorious “railway of death,” near the River Kwai, were located and interviewed, still living (not repatriated) in Thai villages close to the railway where they had remained since the end of World War II. I look forward to reading more articles by Jardine exploring this subject and (perhaps) others of related historical interest. Glenn Bruce Source: THE JAKARTA GLOBE URL: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/opinion/article/7529.html Firefox 3: Lebih Cepat, Lebih Aman, Dapat Disesuaikan dan Gratis.http://downloads.yahoo.com/id/firefox
