Continuing on from my blog post on the Bataan Death March at the Historiat, here is a list of the 10 most infamous Japanese internment camps in the Philippines:
10. Camp O'Donnell. Camp O'Donnell has already been mentioned in the Historiat piece, so I'll outsource to there, but it's worth noting here that the camp was initially built by American forces to house its own occupying army in the Philippines. Twenty thousand Filipinos and 1,500 Americans are said to have died there, mostly from disease and malnourishment, but also from summary executions and lethal beatings.
9. Davao Prison and Penal Farm. Davao was built in 1932, again by American forces, as a prison for both common criminals and anti-American guerrillas. When the Japanese Army ousted and occupied the Philippines, Davao was used as the Army's official garrison. The relative prestige of the location didn't make life any easier for the prisoners housed there, though. A favorite method of execution for the Japanese officers running the camp was beheading.
Read Full Article »