APAC Alert - September 1988

              Asian
Pacitic
American
Coalition
U.S.A.
r*
.**'
^
Asian
Pacific
Amencan
Coalition
USA
1489 Dolores St.
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 362-0323
YEAR 7  No.9
SEPTEMPBER
1988
JUSTICE AT LAST1
August 11, 1988 marked a
historical occasion when President
Reagan signed H.R. 442, the Civil
Liberties Act of 1987, into law.
Sitting ten feet away from the
President, I was priviliged to be a
witness to history being made. The
tragic events in 1942 that resulted
in the internment of 120,000 Japanese
Americans, without charges or trial,
was finally being redressed.
There were tears in many eyes as
President Reagan spoke the words that
many had waited so long to hear. The
long and hard uphill climb had been
made, the impossible dream had come
true, the battle against prohibitive
odds had finally been won.
As one who personally benefits
from HR442, I must note that this is
really a victory for American
democracy because so many non
Japanese Americans, with nothing to
gain from this Bill, fought so hard
for it's passage. It proved that the
Constitution did indeed mean
something.
As we rejoice, we need to
remember the debt we owe to the few,
like the late Edison Uno, who many
years ago had the vision and courage
to initiate the Redress movement.
Likewise the blood and guts of those
Japanese Americans who gave their
lives on the battlefields of Europe
and Asia provided the indisputable
evidence of loyalty, without which
Redress would not have been possible.
We owe much to the leadership of
our Asian legislators, Senators
Spark Matsunaga and Dan Inouye, and
Representatives Bob Matsui, Norman
Mineta and Patricia Saiki.
Not as well known, but of vital
importance, was the contribution of
our legislative strategist, Grant
Ujifusa, who was so instrumental in
helping gain White House support of
HR442.
(see JUSTICE, page 2)
CITIZENSHIP FOR FILIPINO
WAR II VETERANS
APAC/USA National Board voted
unanimously at its August 20-21
meeting to urge Congress to make good
on a 46-year old promise of
citizenship for Filipino veterans who
fought for the United States in World
War II by enacting Rep. Mervyn
Dymally's H.R. 1244.
As many as 200,000 Filipinos
fought in the Philippines as part of
the U.S. armed services during the
war. Tens of thousands died in
battle on the Bataau Death March, in
prisoner-of-war camps and as
guerrilla fighters harassing Japanese
troops. In 1942 Congress passed a
law offering citizenship to the
Filipino veterans and any other
foreign nationals who joined U.S.
forces.
As many as 11,000 Filipino
soldiers became citizens under the
law. But for nine months at the end
of the war the U.S. government
withdrew the official who had been
processing naturalization application
in Manila. As a result many Filipino
soldiers never heard of the offer or
had no way to apply.
An estimated 1,700 Filipino
veterans in the United States, most
of them in California, have been
waiting for years for citizenship.
But the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-0
in June, after 21 years of legal
battles, that the veterans could not
be granted citizenship based on a law
that expired in 1946.
Since the Supreme Court
decision, the Justice Department has
begun steps that could lead to the
deportation of many veterans. Their
only hope is Congressional action
that would make them eligible for
naturalization outside normal
channels.
(see VETERANS, page 2)