MILD TREATMENT OF ENEMY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 11 September 1945, Page 5

MILD TREATMENT OF ENEMY

RELEASED INTERNEES,PUZZLED London, Sept. 9 “The Japanese are being handled with the cleanest white gloves,’’ says the “Daily Mail’s” Singapore correspondent “The released internees cannot Understand what is going on. and they are not the only ones. Not a single arrest so far has been made of the brutes who imposed their degrading will on the civilians in Singapore. “Only yesterday I was walking with a liberated planter when a Japanese officer passed. The planter stiffened and 'aid in a trembling voice: ‘That man had my hands tied behind my back and then beat me with his fists because 1 didn’t bow when he brought round a general to spit on us.‘ “The Japanese strutted down the road and climbed into a limousine to be driven away by his own driver to Johore.

“The military authorities are severely reprimanding correspondents for crossing the causeway to Johore. They said that they promised the Japanese that no British would intrude there.” RESOURCE AND COURAGE London, Sept. 10 Lady Mountbatten, wife of the Com-mander-in-Chief of SEAC. Admiral Mountbatten. is at present visiting prisoner of war camps in Siam. She received an enthusiastic welcome at Nakon Pathohn. 40 miles from Bangkok, where she met New Zealanders Australians, British, Canadians and Dutch at a cai.-p which was supposed to be a medical one. She described it as a miracle of resource and courage. The prisoners of war, inspired by an Australian lieut.-colonel, improvised equipment Hundreds of operations were performed with instruments fabricated from scrap metal. CURRENCY CRISIS A currency crisis developed after the official announcement that Japanese currency is worthless, says Reuter's Singapore correspondent. " A great majority "f the inhabitants are unable to buy food as the new Allied currency is not yet circulating in any quantity. A fresh distribution of rice, sugar and salt has relieved the situation.