HELD BY JAPS

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 48, 25 August 1945, Page 6

HELD BY JAPS

N.Z. PERSONNEL

LATEST INFORMATION

The number of service personnel from New Zealand who are understood to be held by the Japanese is 92, and the number of missing 163, according to the latest information. In addition, there are 30 men of the New Zealand Merchant Marine and 339 other civilians held by the Japanese, and 31 civilians are classified as missing. These figures were given yesterday afternoon by the Minister of Defence (Mr. Jones). He said the civilians were all either New Zealanders or were recorded as having, through their next-of-kin or otherwise, some connection with the Dominion. Of the number of prisoners of war and civilians reported to be held by the Japanese, 64 were located in Japan, 132 in Malaya, 67 in Shanghai, 44 in Thailand, 37 in Hong Kong, and 117 were held in various other places. Mr. Jones added that it would be appreciated that, although the details were the latest that were available, they w?re in many cases far from up-to-date. They should therefore be treated with considerable reserve. It should especially be borne in mind that very little recent information had been received about the actual location of many of those who were understood to be held by the Japanese. Furthermore, there were included in the present 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.