Terror By Night MURDER, ROBBERY, ARSON AND WANTON DESTRUCTION BY PARTISANS IN SOUTH KOREA

Wanganui Chronicle, 6 November 1950, Page 5

Terror By Night MURDER, ROBBERY, ARSON AND WANTON DESTRUCTION BY PARTISANS IN SOUTH KOREA

SEOUL, Nov. 5 (Rec. 8 pm).—Thousands of Communist partisans, assisted by North Korean army remnants have begun a reign of terror in the country districts of South Korea. Striking by night, they are murdering, robbing, tiring buildings, destroying property, and taking hostages. Official sources say the position is serious and getting worse.

Kim Tai-Sun,- director f of the national police, estimates that there are between 45,000 and 50,000 active Communist partisans and North Korean army remnants still in South Korea. , Kim said the Communist underground organisations had started operating again in the South and partisans were active in many widelyscattered areas which neither the United Nations troops nor South Korean police Avere yet able to secure. Many police stations were burned down and scores of police killed or wounded during the past week. Many kidnappings had taken place with the aim, the police believe, of terrorising the villagers into co-operating with the Communists. Thousands of people may starve this winter because the Communists are robbing farmers of crops, pigs, cows, chickens and even their s?.H, and also are preventing late crops from being harvested and the grain sent to market. American Marshall Aid officials said the Communist terror made it practically impossible for them to enter three of the eight South Korean pro-

vinces to investigate the food situa- | tion. American Eighth Army sources i reported American and South Korean i troops are continuing to mop up ! enemy elements in South Korea, but I successes to date unofficially are de- | scribed as “limited.” In the former North Korean capital. I Pyongyang, today American Army [authorities enforced rigid security measures against a sudden outbreak ; of sabotage. A regimental combat team of paratroopers has been posted I to guard all important intersections bridges and approaches to the city Thousands of looters and other criminals have been arrested. Some arc believed to bo former Communis: soldiers, or deserters from the South Korean army. Enforcement of these measures follows the recent outbreak of numerous incidents, believed partly encouraged by current United Nation.*, military setbacks on the Northern front. One of the gravest incidents: has been the destruction of almost one entire city block when an incendiary bomb was lobbed into a building, paratroopers systematically searching the city have uncovered many caches of weapons, ammunition and explosives. In one tunnel, they also found buried 80 bodies, so decomposed that, they could not be identified as Americans or Koreans,