SIR: An apology has not yet been given by Emperor Akihito for the treatment meted out to Far East Prisoners of war, and yet this government sanctioned giving the Emperor Britain's highest award for chivalry, the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
Awards for gallantry are not so easily earned, and yet those men who willingly gave their lives and those who still live with their physical and mental scars are once again forgotten.
It is just another bauble to the Emperor of Japan, but to those who witnessed the horrors of a Japanese Prisoner of War camp it is a huge insult and one that comes from their own government.
We at Atherton and District White Ensign would like to express our support for ex-POWs and internees and hope pressure from the many groups like ours will soon bring a proper and full apology.
Mike Walsh, Public Relations Officer,
Atherton & District White
Ensign Association, Spa Road, Atherton
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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