Comfort woman homes in south
23/5/2005 8:29
The Japanese army established seven comfort women houses in Haikou,
capital of Hainan Province, during World War II, two senior citizens said in a
letter to the media.
Wu Kunren, a 70-year-old retiree from the Haikou
Cultural Center, told a newspaper in a letter that Japanese invaders set up the
seven houses on or near Zhongshan Road after they occupied Haikou in February
1939.
Women captured from China and other countries were kept in the houses,
where they were forced to serve as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers, Wu
said.
Taichanglong Hotel (90 Zhongshan Road), opposite Wu's childhood home,
was converted to Shouwu Comfort Women House after being occupied, Wu said.
In
his teenage years, Wu watched women going in and out of the hotel every day. He
learned the truth about the houses later from his friend Li Chuanqing.
Li,
74, once delivered meals to women in the comfort houses.
In 1943, when Li
was 12, he worked in Sanxing Restaurant - current site of Hainan Drug Department
Store - near four comfort women houses.
Li was sent to each of the seven
houses during a one-year period while working at the restaurant.
Li said each
woman lived in a single room. When he delivered meals, Li dared not look around
for fear of being beaten by Japanese soldiers. But he did hear Japanese soldiers
laughing lasciviously, beating women and cursing ferociously.
Li pointed out
all seven sites. Funaijia Comfort Women House was at 62 Zhongshan Road. The old
building was torn down and replaced with a lamp market. The ABC Comfort Women
House was located where the department store of Hainan Xingfa Labor Insurance
Company now stands.
Shouwu Comfort Women House was located at 90 Zhongshan
Road. Guangsong Comfort Women House was located where Hongbang Machinery and
Electronics Store stands. Chaori Comfort Women House was at 3 Zhongshan
East-West Alley. Yiliu Comfort Women House was behind Haikou Department Store on
Jiefang Road W. It was torn down.
There was another comfort women house on
Renhe Lane, Li said, but he was not able to specify the
location.
Xinhua
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