Liability Of War Prisoners For Service

Northern Advocate, 16 March 1944, Page 4

Liability Of War Prisoners For Service

The liability for further military service of prisoners-of-war who have gained freedom has been dealt with by the Adjutant-General in a letter to the New Zealand Returned Services Association and advised to the Whangarei association executive at its meeting this week.

“It is not generally realised the prisoners-of-war who reach their home country may belong to one of several classes and their treatment varies accordingly,” stated the Adju-tant-General. The classes were: (a) Escaped prisoners-of-war or prisoners-of-war freed as a result of enemy territory being captured; (b) sick and wounded prisoners-of-war repatriated as a result of the decision of a mixed medical commission in accordance with articles of the Prisoners-of-War-Convention; (c) prisoners-of-war who have been released on parole: (d) protected personnel repatriated under the provisions of the Red Cross Convention. The Adjutant-General discusses in detail international agreements and their provisions and states that all classes, with the exception of prison-ers-of-war released on parole and s.fek. and wounded pr-isoners-of-vwar can be again employed overseas. Captured protected personnel are not prisoners-of-war and as their duties are of a non-combatant nature and they care for enemy wounded as well as their own there is no restriction on their re-employment.