Memorial sought for internment victims

Japanese-American residents of Bainbridge Island, Wash., should have their own memorial for being interned during World War II, an activist says.

Clarence Moriwaki said his committee is determined to demand the creation of a memorial dedicated to those placed in internment camps during the war, The Seattle Times reported Saturday. Moriwaki notes the number of survivors is decreasing each year.

"Time is not our friend on this endeavor," Moriwaki said.

"Almost every week another one of our original community members passes away."

He said of those Bainbridge Island residents interned during the war, the nearly three dozen still alive deserve to see the creation of a memorial before they, too, are gone.

"My hope is that one of the remaining survivors we want to honor will be there to cut the ribbon," Moriwaki told the Times.

To date, Moriwaki and his supporters have raised $2.7 million of the nearly $5 million the memorial is expected to cost.

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