NEVER HATED BEFORE

Chronicle (Levin), 9 April 1946, Page 7

NEVER HATED BEFORE

POIGNANT WORDS OF DUTGH OFFICIAL

"I've never liated auyoue before, but 1 do huto the Japanese now," wei e the t poignaut words of a Dutch ofiiciai who is present in New Zealand reeuperatiug after several years internment by the Japanese in Java. Interviewed in Pahiatua, this interesting Dutelnnan ile* scribed the cruel metliods adoiited by the Japauese in the interests of their new Asiatic order. Rarely if ever weri: men, their wives and children interiied in tlie same camp, and if they were, steps were soon taken to bring aboiu heart-breaking separations with no hope of ncws of t'he whereabouts or welfare of the other members of the family. The Japanese delighted in ehanging personnel of the internment camps quite frequently, a policy whicu eaused hardship, and even death, be sides tending to undermine the niorale of those interned. Thousands died in

the internment camps just from starva tion. The Japanese provided rice in minute quantities, occasionaily served sonie vegetable soup, and very occasionaily drove an old cow or pig or two into the camp where the internees were permitted to slaugliter the animals theni | selves and determine their disposai among the hundreds and often tliouj sands. In other camps, the women were ■ r'orced to teml pigs, clean their stye.land even slaughtor them for thei. sadistic guards. Black marketing wapractised by the Indonesians, but th internees were very severely dealt with if caught purchasing additional lteiu of food to ensure retaining tlv'eir slendei grip on life itself. Nevertheless, from sheer necessitv the internees were com pelled to barter awav most of thei. precious belongings in this way, even to their slioes, preferring to go th rough ^he agony of walking barefooted. They even prised out the gohl from thei teeth to get money, and many of thesv cavities liave since been relilled by Wel Jington dentists. The Japauese, like most soldiers, were keen souveuir huut ors and the wily Chinese proved them selves excellent "go betweens. " The women and children were forced ti carry out pick aiul sliovel work.in mos; camps, along with the men. The Jap anese did supply the camps with sonu vegetable seeds, but would not permii the internees to use garden tools ii many cases which meant cultivation b

haad in the true sense of the word i in ground as a rule most unsuitabk ! i'or the growing of vegetables. Timi jund time agaiu, interiieos were shiftei : lo other camps wlien the vegetable. - i were nearing the timo when they coub be used to iinplement their nieagre dier j only io start the process all over again j but lioping that the other internee- [ niore fortunute tlian theniselvcs migh I ieap the reward of Llieir initial labour Every camp was full ot prohibitions and any infringeiiient soon brought retribution if discovered. The ordinan guard apparently liad uiilimited |>ower.so far as punishinent was coiicerned and the gaol compounds witliin the camp were the seenes of daily beating.aiul other vicious and diabolical forms tf piini.shment. The Ja[>aucse slrange! enough were reasonabl.v coiisidorate oi the children except that from about eleven onwards they were separale from their families aiid niado to go to work in the various camps in Avhich they were segregated from time to time. Pathelic reunions occurred frequently by reason of the eonstaut shifting ot the [tersoiuiel of the various internment camps. For instance, our frietul was looking over the new persoiinel oue day when to his jo.v atnl amazemeut, lie saw liis own l(>-year-old son in the group •' 1 was so happy," he said, "and it can bc ajipreciated hovv genuine were his feelings. " Wlien the war terminated father and son journeyed to Bandong 'o locale the vounger son aged 1-, only to learn that their wife and mother had secn sent to Batavia. Tliese Dutch people, since their release, havo learn; that Iled (Toss parcels were sent ti them, but the Japanese never hande'' them over. Thousands of Dutch am' other Europeans are still sheltering i' their former internment camps through out Jai'a, oiving to the present unfor tunate Indonesian situation. And the" are starving too, yet the Australian wharf labourers still persist in refusing to load ships with food to reliove thi.position in the Dutch East Indies. Con sequently sonie of the food that they do load for England comes all the way baek to Java sonie three months later for the relief of the people starving there. "It's all so silly," this Dutchmen said "It would do some of these crank-principle-bitten Australian wharfies good to have to wait three months t'or their neoessaries of life." There is no doubt that these Dutch people are genuinely grateful to the people of New Zealand for their wond erful hospitality and for the oppor tunity of forgetting all their own per sonal troubles and assisting them to io cover their mental and physical balance.