HELD BY JAPANESE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 201, 25 August 1945, Page 7

HELD BY JAPANESE

DOMINION PERSONNEL APPROXIMATE NUMBERS Parliamentary Reporter. WELLINGTON, this day. "The mumber of service personnel from New Zealand who are understood to be held as prisoners of war by the Japanese is 92 and the number of missing is 163," said the Minister of Defence, Mr. Jones, in response to *an inqui" to-day.

In addition there are 30 men of the New Zealand merchant'marine and 330 civilians he.ld by the Japanese, while 31 civilians are classified as missing. The totals are 4GI prisoners and interned and 194 missing.

The Minister added that of the prisoners of war and civilians reported to be held- by the Japanese 64 were located in Japan, 13 in Malaya, 67 in Shanghai, 44 in Thailand, 37 in Hongkong, and 117 in various other places. The civilians were all either New Zealanders or were recorded as having some connection with the Dominion through their next-of-kin or otherwise.

Mr. Jones said it would be appreciated that although the details were the latest that were available of those who were understood to be in Japanese hands or who had been classified as missing, following operations by or against the Japanese, they were in many cases far from up to date. They should therefore be treated with considerable reserve. It should be borne in mind that very little recent information had been received about the actual location of many of those who are understood to be held by the Japanese. Furthermore, there were included in the figures a few civilians who were last reported as being interned in the Philippines and who. although no official information had been received about them, had probably already been liberated.