JAPS MASSACRED BY NATIONALISTS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 250, 22 October 1945, Page 5

JAPS MASSACRED BY NATIONALISTS

159 KILLED IN PRISON Shooting: Again Breaks Out In Batavia t N.Z. Press Association—Copyright Eec. 10 a.m. BATAVIA, Oct. 21. . The complicated position in Java is indicated by the number of reports. - of clashes in which Indonesians, Japanese,- Dutch, Eurasians, British and Indians, are involved. Indonesians yesterday massacred some 150 Japanese in Buta Prison, Semarang, and killed 26 unarmed Japanese in the street. They also killed three Netherlander in another prison in Semarang. Japanese soldiers in Semarang are reported to have cut down unarmed Indonesians who were unwilling or unable to reveal the whereabouts of leaders of the extremist youth organisation. An official spokesman of the 23rd Division stated that the -British and Indians landing at Semarang yesterday engaged in a four-hour battle in which two Gurkhas were killed.and six wounded. Fighting began when shots <vere fired from the shore against the landing /orces. Shooting again broke out in Batavia last night when a clash occurred between British and Indian troops and Indonesians. Thirteen Indonesians were killed and two Indians were wounded. Scope of British Task "The British commander in Java, Lieutenant-General Sir Philip Christison, is not authorised to interfere in , the internal political situation in the Netherlands East Indies," says an official statement on the tasks of this, command issued by the Southeast Asia Command headquarters. . "Apart from the areas under British control," says the statement, "the whole of Java is in the hands of "Indonesians and -s claimed to be administered by the self-styled Republic Government under the leadership of Dr. Soexarno. General Christison has occupied key points in Java and Sumatra, his tasks Nirig limited to disarming the Japanese and dealing with Allied prisoners of- war and internees. . _ "In no circumstances could he have been made responsible with the forces then at his disposal for maintaining, public order in the islands unless the co-operation of the. Indonesians themselves had been assured. -But the situation has been seriously complicated by the, strength of the Nationalist movement and its attitude toward the.resumption of Netherlands sovereignty. "It will shortly be possible to increase the numbers of French and Dutch troops in Indo-China and Java, and this will enable the French and Dutch authorities respectively to assume full control. With Courage. and Efficiency 'iThe Supreme Commander has reported to the home authorities that in the meantime the troops in his command have accomplished with willingness, courage and efficiency all that the British policy demanded of them. They are behaving with exemplary forbearance in extremely difficult circumstances. "Command forces, totalling about 300,000, in addition to the forces in Burma, have arrived in Malaya, Sumatra, Java, SJam, FYench IndoChina, Hongkong' and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and every available ship and transport plane.is m full use, together with warships and bombers wherever possible. "Over 250,000 Japanese have been disarmed in South-east Asia and 8.0,000 prisoners of war and internees evacuated. "In French Indo-China -there have •been sporadic attacks by armed bands who attempted at various times to capture points vital to the maintenance of public services and communications." ■A British-French communique says that French reinforcements arrived at Saigon on Friday.. Gurkhas confiscated a quantity of firearms and arrested a number of Annamese in a house-to-house search m North Saigon. .