BRITAIN: War payments denied because of race

Hundreds of British prisoners held by the Japanese during World War II were denied compensation by the British government because of their race, the June 14 British Guardian reported. A 2001 secret government document written by a senior Ministry of Defense (MoD) official, said race was a "deciding factor" in considering which British former POWs were granted compensation for their suffering and which were refused. The memo surfaced as part of a case brought by Diana Elias, 81, who was refused an US$18,100 payment because she had no "blood link" to Britain. Elias, a British citizen born in Hong Kong to an Iraqi mother and Indian father, was imprisoned in 1941 when the then British colony was invaded by Japan, and held for four years. Elias's solicitor, John Halford, said that at least 1100 British citizens had been denied compensation because of their race.

From Green Left Weekly, June 22, 2005.

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From GLW issue 630