SOUTH-EAST ASIA THEATRE

Evening Star, Issue 25563, 15 August 1945, Page 6

SOUTH-EAST ASIA THEATRE

OCCUPATION PLANS COMPLETE FIGHTING MAY CONTINUE FOR A WHILE (Rec. 10.35 a.m.) LONDON, Aug. 14. Lord Louis Mountbatten has returned to his headquarters at Kandy from conferences in Potsdam and London. He is ready to convert his invasion forces into occupational troops to accept Japanese surrenders in South-east Asia and the East Indies. Lord Louis’s chief of staff, General Browning, at a Press conference, declared that there was not the slightest indication anywhere in the S.E.A.C. area that the Japanese were surrendering, yet. Hundreds of thousands of Japanese in the S.E.A.C. theatre may' continue to fight on after surrender by Tokio, refusing to lav down their arms until the order bearing the Emperor’s seal is conveyed to them. The commander’s plans, however/ are prepared to meet all contingencies. “ AA r ar prisoners and civilian internees will be a particularly .serious problem in Malaya in view of the large numbers held there by the Japanese,” said General Browning. “Every effort will be made to return the prisoners straight to their homes as soon as possible after the arrival of British-forces.' AVe do not know what their health will be like, so hospital ships, doctors, and medical supplies will be among the first sent in.”