Legislative Findings and Intent

(a)I Liheslaturan Guåhan finds that on December 8, 1941, the Empire of Japan invaded and captured the Island of Guam several hours after launching the attack on Pearl Harbor that propelled the United States into World War II.

(b)Guam was under Japanese rule for nearly three

(3)years during the War, the only populated American soil captured and occupied by the enemy in World War II. Their captors treated the people of Guam harshly. As American liberation forces began their march across the Pacific, most Chamorros were forced to move into concentration camps. The invaders used many Chamorros as laborers for carrying supplies and ammunition, and for building infrastructure to advance the Japanese war efforts.

(c)The largest of these concentration camps was located in the Municipality of Yona, in an area known as Manenggon, at one time housing over eight thousand (8,000) men, women and children who had been forced to march to the remote site in early 1944.

(d)Conditions in the camp were horrendous, the prisoners constructing their rain shelters and sleeping areas from palm fronds. Many captives suffered from malnutrition, dysentery and a long list of other health CH. 68 USE AND DEVELOPMENT OF GOVERNMENT AND OTHER LAND problems. In addition, physical abuse inflicted on those held in the camp was common, and beheading was a frequently used punishment.

(e)I Liheslaturan Guåhan further finds that each survivor’s personal and deeply moving stories of his or her ordeal and experiences must be preserved and documented.

(f)These stories, and the history of the imprisonment of Chamorros in concentration camps in Guam during World War II, are a part of our island’s history. It is also essential that the stories, artifacts and physical location of the campsite be incorporated in an appropriate memorial that will enable present and future generations to learn from and understand the horrors of war and a defining moment in the history of our island.

(g)It is the additional finding of I Liheslatura that the Manenggon Memorial Foundation was established with the sole purpose of recording, honoring and memorializing those who perished and those who survived.

(h)Further, the efforts of Ms. Rita Franquez must also be recognized, as she was the responsible individual who approached Mr. Dwight Look. Mr. Look, agreeing with Ms. Franquez, believed that the Manenggon story must be told and forever remembered through a monument in honor of those who endured captivity. In order to see this goal come to fruition, Mr. Look deeded that portion of his property upon which the Concentration Camp was located to the government of Guam for the purpose of creating a memorial for such a purpose.

(i)It is, therefore the intent of I Liheslaturan Guåhan to lease the property deeded to the government of Guam by Mr. Look to the Manenggon Memorial Foundation so that a proper memorial may be constructed and the stories, artifacts and site may be protected in perpetuity.