Falkland occupiers begging for food expelled official

Press, 17 April 1982, Page 8

Falkland occupiers begging for food expelled official

NZPA London Hungry Argentinian soldiers were begging Falklanders for food, the British Deputy Governor , of the Falklands. Mr Dick Baker, said yesterday when he arrived in London after being ordered off the island. Rations did not seem to be getting through to the troops, and the islanders, who were showing passive resistance, he said, were being asked for supplies. “They come to the doors: they came to mine. They told me in sign language what they wanted. “They looked very miserable; People are giving them food, as we did. As my wife said, it could be your own son standing there," said Mr Baker, who flew back to Britain with 30 other, islanders. About half had been ordered to leave and others had. various reasons for going, he'said. Mr Baker was given a debriefing. session with Foreign Office officials, led by a Foreign Office Minister 'Mr Cranley Opslow). before being allowed to speak to reporters at Gatwick Airport. The Foreign Secretary (Mr Francis Pym), in a 8.8. C. special broadcast to the islands yesterday, said he was very concerned at the deportation of senior officials and administrators and was renewing his efforts to get an International Red Cross team on to the islands. “We understand that there is. no ill-treatment, but we are concerned that the senior administrators should have been withdrawn. “We are very worried about the Falkland islanders. Almost everybody is thinking about them for part of the day. “They are behind us' in trying to get the Argentinian, forces to withdraw, hopefully by peaceful means, but the principle of what is at stake is very. well understood here,” he said. Mr Baker, whose official title is chief secretary, said the general attitude of the soldiers was “very correct.” “They have tried to be correct, though inevitably with a large force of young, some of them undisciplined,, chaps around, there are going to be some lapses. “There have been one or two mostly empty houses broken into, and one or two garages with things stolen. “It’s just people who are

curious, looking idr souvenirs. But the Argentine officers take this very seriously, although they have difficulties in investigating." He had heard no reports of any violence, and declined to comment on whether islanders were putting up any active resistance, or if they had managed. to hide any arms. “There is what you might call passive resistance,” he said. "What we have been doing is to maintain the essential services for the normal life of the islands to go on — to do anything that is good for the Falkland Islanders. “Morale is very good indeed. Morale among the occupying forces I am not so sure about.” Some areas had been barred to the islanders, but generally there was a certain amount of freedom to move around. The Argentinians claimed the islanders could leave if they wished, but this was a “catch 22” because they themselves controlled all flights. He said the Falklanders were - naturally “very cross and extremely upset” at the invasion, of which they had about 12 hours warning. “It was pretty clear some-' thing was going to happen. There were a number of us who still thought there wouldn't be an invasion even

though we thought forces were massing. “We thought it was a threat for us to come to the negotiating table. I still think it was a reasonable thing to think.” Mr Baker, who was at. Government House during the invasion, said: “I take my hat off to the Royal Marines who were on the islands. "They resistedas best they could until it got to the stage where the Governor had his very difficult decision to make.” .. He had seen one, dead Argentinian, and three, others wounded, though- there had been reports of bodies being washed up. The Argentinians had wanted him to leave with Governor Rex Hunt, but Mr Hunt won him a reprieve. "As senior member of the British administration, obviously the Argentines wouldn't want me there. “I was under sentence of departure all the time I was there. Once they had their so-called governor-sworn in, they told me I-would have to leave, I got the order of the ' boot you might say." - Mr Baker praised the media, in particular .the 8.8. C. World Service, for the amount of news that was reaching the islanders. Of his own future, he said: “I certainly intend to go back if I can.”