Chinese and Japanese lawyers have issued a joint declaration
urging the Japanese government to take full responsibility for the
Chinese people who were harmed by chemical weapons abandoned by
invading Japanese troops during World War II.
The All-China Lawyers' Association (ACLA), the China Foundation
for Human Rights Development and a Japanese delegation of lawyers
who have helped Chinese victims of chemical weapons issued the
declaration in Harbin, capital of northeast China's
Heilongjiang Province, on Tuesday.
The declaration states that currently relevant government
departments of China and Japan are discussing how to destroy all
the chemical weapons abandoned by invading Japanese troops as
quickly as possible. But the Japanese have moved too slowly in
destroying and retrieving the weapons. Risks remain and have the
potential to harm the health and lives of innocent Chinese
civilians states the declaration.?
It urges the Japanese government to apologize to the Chinese
victims and move quickly to collect and deal with chemical weapons
properly. The declaration also asks the Japanese government to
guarantee ongoing treatment and provide everyday necessities for
the victims.
Liu Yong, who is in charge of the ACLA team claiming
compensation from the Japanese said he hoped the declaration would
press the government to be more active in its handling of the
issue.
"The declaration also expresses our gratitude to Japanese
lawyers who offered free assistance to Chinese victims of chemical
weapons," Liu said.
After Japan surrendered in 1945 its forces buried large
quantities of chemical weapons in China. The country's official
statistics show that more than 2,000 Chinese people have been
harmed by these.
?
Fifty-one Chinese citizens exposed to Japanese chemical weapons
have had medical check ups over the past three days. According to
Chinese and Japanese lawyers who helped arrange these checkups the
condition of these victims was not promising.
Initial check-up results show that their eyesight is
deteriorating gradually, they have suffered damage to their skin
and their breathing has been affected. The immune system of some
has been weakened and they are more susceptible to disease, said Li
Xiaojun, vice-president of the No. 2 Hospital of Heilongjiang
Province, where the checkups were conducted.
A member of the delegation of Japanese physicians said that
currently many of these victims could be cured but they should be
treated quickly.
(Xinhua News Agency March 23, 2006)