NO SIGNS OF SURRENDER

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23283, 20 August 1945, Page 5

NO SIGNS OF SURRENDER

Enemy In Burma Forceful Demands Postponed By Telegraph —N.Z. Press Assn - (Rec. 8.30 p.m.) LONDON. Aug. 18. The Japanese forces facing the 12th Army on the Burma front show no signs of surrendering, says a Rangoon correspondent. It is probable that forceful demands for their capitulation will be held up until General MacArthur has obtained the Japanese signatures. The enemy is still trying- to escape across the Sittang River. More than 12,000 Japanese were slaughtered in the battle of the Sittang Bend. British troops north-east of Pegu rolled down a runaway railway truck containing bales of "surrender now" leaflets to the Japanese lines. The truck drew the enemy fire but the leaflets are now in Japanese hands. Brilliant Exploits A brilliant tailpiece to the Burma campaign has been provided by the 12th Army whose exploits have been overshadowed in the closing stages of the war. The 12th Army inherited from the 14th Army the task of catching those Japanese left in Burma. The Army in 11 weeks killed 20,000 and took 1375 prisoners. It lost only 332 dead, 1013 wounded and 38 missing. In the last three weeks the troops fought waist deep in water and mud. The country is so wet that they were unable to count many of their victims who were washed away in floods. Huge explosions in the Moulmchi area in Burma indicate that the Japanese are carrying out demolitions in violation of the surrender terms, states Reuter’s correspondent in Rangoon. Reports of unprovoked acts of aggression are still coming in to headquarters. A Spitfire, flying low over Moulmein, was fired on. Plans to receive between 50.000 and 60,000 Japanese have been completed. Big Problems Ahead The Allied Commander (Lord Louis Mountbatten), in an order of the day to forces of the South-east Asia Command, warned the men, particularly the British, not to imagine that because the war was over they could go home immediately. Problems of the occupation were even greater than in Germany because of the greater distances involved. Several 4* 4*4.4< *F t .*~4*4>4(4 , 4 t 4~ , 4 t 4.t 4* 4* 4*_4*4* 4* 4*4* 4* 4* 4*

hundred thousand Japanese over thousands of miles must be disarmed and disposed of. Tens of thousands of Allied prisoners of war and internees must be repatriated as soon as possible. Hundreds of thousands of square miles desolated by the Japanese must be taken over to prevent famine and disease.

All these things must be taken over under military administration. It was impossible to estimate how long it would be before the civil governments could take over.

Comforts for Prisoners Beaufighters and Mosquitoes will fly ceaselessly, to-day and to-morrow, over prisoner of war camps from the Burma border to Bangkok dropping food, cigarettes, tobacco, medical stores and comforts for British, Australian, American and Dutch prisoners, of whom there should be 20.000 in 10 camps scattered along the railway, west of Bangkok. There has been a rush to volunteer for the job and pilots say they are determined to get through no matter how heavy the flak may be. The prisoners are believed to be living under primitive conditions with few clothes.