BRITONS OF BORNEO

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 44, 21 February 1942, Page 7

BRITONS OF BORNEO

Long Journey to Java

(Rec. 9 a.m.) BATAVIA, Feb. 20. After an adventurous 600-mile journey through darkest Borneo, along a route only once previously traversed by a white man, a British journalist and a party of 33 Britons from Sarawak, who have been missing since Christmas, have just arrived in Java. They were residents of Sibu, 140 miles north of Kuching. The party included three women, one of whom became a mother during the the journey, and also the mother of a three-weeks-old baby and a 77----year-old Scot. The party decided to leave Sibu after food riots broke out among the Chinese following the bombing of their area. They set off up the Rejang River in 50-foot proasnative canoes hollowed out of treetrunks—and travelled 180 miles up the Rejang with Dyaks—headhunters of Borneo —as guides, then set off on foot for the border of -, Dutch Borneo.

Even the Kayan guides, who took over from the Dyaks, lost their way. Finally the party reached the head-waters of another river, down which they travelled in proas to the east coast of Borneo. They reached Batavia 49 days after leaving Sibu.

sation. One of the ships is in an Australian port. It will carry supplies enough to last 50,000 people for many days.

Australia has offered to bear the first £50,000 of the cost. India is prepared to send a ship with special food for Indian prisoners of war.

The International Red Cross and the British Foreign Office are trying to arrange for Japan to grant facilities for the ships to sail.