POLITICAL PRISONERS

Grey River Argus, 20 February 1932, Page 6

POLITICAL PRISONERS

PORTUGUESE EXILES. ESCAPE IN EAST INDIES. (Aus. & N.Z. Cable Assn). (Received February 19 at 7.10 p.m.) BATAVIA, February 19. Among the nine Portuguese exiles who escaped from imprisonment at Dilly, as cabled yesterday, there were an ex-Colonial Minister of Portugal, a military captain, a lieutenant, a police commissioner, a nephew of the present President of the Portuguese Republic, an aviator, a journalist and a navy captain. All were picked up at midnight drifting in a lifeboat in mid-sea. An Australian schooner, the Jewasunye, rescued them. The exiles said that they had been rowing for hours to get outside the Portuguese territorial waters. They were handed over to a Dutch steamer, the Van Riebeeek, the captain of which asked them to return to their prison territory in Timor at Dilly, but they refused, and asked for the protection of the Dutch flag, upon which the Dutch captain took them to the Sunday Isles. Upon their arrival at Koepang, theauthorities examined their identification papers,, which were found to be correct. The Van Riebeeek is expect ed nt Java on February 25th.