TRAIL OF THE BEAST
VANDALISM IN RANGOON SPECTACLE OF GARBAGE AND FILTH LONDON, May 17. “ Rangoon, although coming back to life, still presents the most horrifying spectacle of sadistic vandalism the piind can imagine,” reports an observer with the British forces. “There is not a house without broken windows, smashed doors, and timber stripped, and nearby is an accumulation of garbage and filth. The air is thick with flies. All the damage has not been done by warfare. “ The damage that startles and horrifies is that done to dwellings and shops. The Japanese, apparently realising they could not hold the city indefinitely, proceeded to tear its heart out and repaired nothing. During the Japanese occupation life was a reign of terror for the population. Food was always short, and the very suspicion of espionage was enough to bring torture. To own an electric torch was a crime. The most shocking sight was the cathedral, which the Japanese used as a factory to make sauces and saki. It is a most horrible accumulation of garbage and filth, and millions of flies rise in clouds, filling the air with a buzz that can be heard 50 yards away. It will take months to clean Rangoon.”
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19450519.2.103
Bibliographic details
Otago Daily Times, Issue 25848, 19 May 1945, Page 7
Word Count
203TRAIL OF THE BEAST Otago Daily Times, Issue 25848, 19 May 1945, Page 7
Using This Item
Allied Press Ltd is the copyright owner for the Otago Daily Times. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons New Zealand BY-NC-SA licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Allied Press Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Log in