Pertanyaan

Romusha is a Japanese word for laborers, but it came to mean forced labor during the Japanese occupation of Indonesia in World War II. It is estimated that in Java, between 4 and 10 million Romusha were forced to work by the Japanese military. Before the Dutch capitulation in 1942, the Japanese had identified Java as a major source of labor. In the beginning the Romusha were promised good food, wages and accommodation in return for carrying out easy work for the Japanese. Few even brought their wives and children to these camps. However, they found themselves dumped in huts, driven to exhaustion and brutally beaten by the Japanese and Korean guards. They were unable to buy extra food and became sick, bewildered and frightened. As the number of Romusha volunteering for the work declined, the Japanese began using force and intimidation with the threat of punishment. Using this method, the Japanese gained many extra laborers. In April 1943, the Pekanbaru railway began to construct. The Romusha were used to build the embankments, cuttings and passes with nothing more than pickaxes and shovels. Later in 1944 they also built the camps that the allied Prisoners of War (POW) lived in along the length of the railway. They also worked as miners in the coal mine near the village of Petai. The treatment received by the local Romusha was far worse than that of the allied prisoners. With very little food, experiencing malaria and dysentery and no access to medical treatment, the sick people were left to die alongside the railway. There are varying reports on the number of Romusha that were sent to work on the railway, although many states that the number was more than 120,000. Of this number, it is estimated that only 16,000 survived the work on the railway, less than 20%. Compared to this, it is estimated that around 85% of the allied POW’s survived to see the completion of the railway and the end of the war. When liberation of the allied prisoners began at the end of the war, little was done to ensure the wellbeing of the Romusha who were left. The majority of the Romusha never returned home and stayed in Sumatra in areas surrounding the railway. Some remain there to this day. Why did people want to volunteer themselves to be Romusha? A. They were promised to receive good food and wages by the Japanese. B. It was a mandatory from their king and sultanate. C. They were asked by their family and colleagues to join. D. They wanted to develop the country with the help of the Japanese. E. They would live in prosperity by joining the Romusha.

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