DUTCH INDIES

Grey River Argus, 30 October 1942, Page 2

DUTCH INDIES

JAPANESE TERRORISM DURBAN. October 28 Dutchmen who have just escaped from the East Indies give a grim picture of life under the Japanese. All male Europeans aged 16 to 60 are interned. Women and children arc free, but they have no resources. fihe children are not allowed to go to schools. Strict rationing, with forced labour and. lower pay which the Jap-< anese imposed, have caused greatdiscontent among the natives. The general poverty led to an epidemic of thefts, to which th e Japanese replied by cutting off the hands of suspectsor by public'executions. The Dutchmen’ revealed that Quislings, whom the Dutch interned at the time of the invasion of Holland, were at first

freed, then re-interned by the Japanese.

SYDNEY. October 29

The Japanese are encountering serious economic problems in the Netherlands East Indies. Great industries have been choked by lack of shipping. The naitves are disillusioned but passive. Europeans and native alike queue up at public kitcnens for vegetable soup and ri<>-» This picture was drawn by a young Dutch Army officer, who has reported at General MacArthur’s Headquarters after escaping from Batavia. The big towns in Java, were strongly garrisoned by enemy troops, said this officer. Japanese soldiers spent all day in training and physical culture. After the Japanese occupied 7he island, they adopted terrorist tactics, and commonly beat up people to get information. Europeans in essential services wer P left to work, but most were interned. A few months ago, all Europeans at one large centre were interned because the Japanese said they were not co-operating. Although allowed to -go free, European women were not allowed to receive cash when their personal funds were exhausted. They were forced to public kitchens set up bv the Japanese. The enemy’s “Asia for Asiatics” propaganda, directed at natives, had been greatly offset by the disillusionment brought by their harsh treatment and cruel punishment for minor looting. One form of Japanese punishment for this offence was to tie a heavy weight around a native’s shoulders, tie his hands behind his back, and a noose around his neck, so he would strangle himself when he dropped exhausted. Throughout the Netherlands East Indies, the Dutch language could not be used officially. Letters must be written in Malayan. Newspapers were published in Malayan bv natives under Japanese supervision. The enemy attitude was that the war in Java- had finished. There was no black-out and- all air shelters had been demolished, but parties of Dutch ■troops still operated in the mountains.