CHINESE BELLE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXVI, Issue 25, 28 December 1945, Page 5

CHINESE BELLE

BEATEN BY JAPANESE. MELBOURNE, Nov. 22. Floggings and humiliation inflicted on tiie beile of Chinatown in Rabaul, a beautiful English-speaking Chinese' girl, by the Japanese Gestapo in i\ew Ireland, have been disclosed to itabaul headquarters of the tralia-New Guinea Administrative Unit, states a Melbourne Herald correspondent. Because the girl could speak English, the Japs said she was a spy and thrashed her in efforts to get information. The girl, who has only just recovered from injuries inflicted by torture a year ago, told the following story : "A Japanese named Matarabei took me to his house late at night I denied I was a spy, and he said I was lying. i "Taking one of my hands, hethrew me on the floor by a jiu-jitsu trick. He did this about 100 times. "Next he punched me about the face and threatened to behead me. There' was' a large mirror in the room, and he told me to look in it. "He drew a sword and placed it against my neck. He asked me if I was afraid. 1 told him I was not—that God would help me. "He said 1 was too cheeky, and made me stand up. I was then tied to a post. Soon alter a letter arrived from the Kempetai saying 1 was wanted there.

FLUNG INTO CELL. "At the Gestapo office I was asked if I had been spying. When I denied it I was punched and punched. Ten l native boys were then lined up and the boss boy wanted to take off my clothing. I objected, and he and No. 2 boy punched me repeatedly while I was handcuffed. I was then flung into a' cell in which natives were imprisoned. "The No. 1 boy fold the natives they could do what they liked with me," hut they were very good to me." "Next day the Japanese told a, police boy standing by with a cane to* give me 10 strokes. "Two native boys whipped me in relays, and during the whippings I was questioned by a Gestapo Japanese • named Wenno. "He then ordered me to take off my clothes, and when I refused two native boys tore them off. • PAINFUL OPERATION.

"Wenno kept on striking my hands with a cane. It was nearly dark by this time, and I was allowed to put on only my dress before being taken out for another beating. "By this time my wounds were raw, but it was not until a week after the caning that a Japanese doctor came. When I was held down he lanced my wounds with a rusty pocket knife. "A few days later my wounds were so bad that another doctor— a good one this time—came, and while I was held down he la.nced and dressed them without an anaesthetic. The pain was terrible.

"The Gestapo kept me there for" two months before letting me return to the Chinese camp." This Chinese girl, when liberated, had a huge suppurating wound ex-jj tending from the thigh to half-way i? up the back. (;■,■/