HONGKONG HORRORS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 62, 14 March 1942, Page 5

HONGKONG HORRORS

ANXIETY OF RELATIVES RED CROSS PROTEST London, March 11. Torn by anxiety at the news of the Japanese atrocities, relatives of British men and women who were left in Hongkong besieged the Colonial Office seeking information about the fate of husbands, wives, sons and daughters. An official stated that nothing further has been heard of the members of the garrison and the women who stood by them. There is no news of further escapes. The British Red Cross cabled to the International Red Cross at Geneva for the transmission of the following message to the Japanese Red Cross- “The British Red Cross is appalled by the treatment by Japanese troops of prisoners of war and Asiatic and Eiucjean civilians in Hongkong. We beg you to dran the attenti m of Prince S’ imadzu, president of the prisoners of war relief section of the Japanese Red Cross, to the announcements of torture and indignities to which British nationals have been subjected after the occupation of Hongkong. Please request him to take every step to give Red Cross protection to the unfortunate captives, to ensure that such treatment shall not occur in the future.” ARGENTINE PLEA SENDING OF OBSERVER Buenos Aires, March 1.1. The Foreign Minister conferred with the Japanese Ambassador regarding British complaints of ill treatment of war prisoners at Hongkong. Argentina, which represents Britain and Canada in the- Far East, has already made representations to Tokio and is now seeking to send an Argentine observer to Hongkong. It is reported that Argentina has asked Japanese permission for a British ship to carry food and meditMl supplies to Hongkong and Singapore.