FIRST OF DEPORTATIONS

Chronicle (Levin), 14 August 1946, Page 5

FIRST OF DEPORTATIONS

Receive'l Tuesday, 10.45 p.m. HAIFA, August 13. The lirsl deportation ship let't for Cyprus early this morning' carrying some 500 illegal innnigrants, reports Ihe Associated Press correspondent. Sir Alan Cuiiniughum has announced that only illegal immigrants who arrived al'ter August 11 are being deported to Cyprus or elsewhere. They would be fed during the voyage and where detained they would receive every convenience to the standards of Ihe ' British Army's trealmeiit of troops. The correspondent says tlie first deported immigrants tuken ironi the. j Vagour, had spenl 32 liours in sight of'j Palestine. They walked along lliej llaifa dock before they embarked on tlie troopship Bnipire Ki\al. The innnigrants for an hour had refused to respoiul to loudspeaker appeals to trans-i fer shijis. Police luiarded the Yagour i and I ransferred a few passengcrs by | force but most went unassisled. There • were shonts of "Fascists ami Naz..." The illegal immigrants from tliel slooj) {leiirielta S/.olo will be embark-j ed on Ihe troopship Fmpire Heywood; this morning, also bouud for .Cyprus. The correspondent adds tliat there! were eomplui'iils from the Refugees toi correspondeiils, of brutaJ treatineiit by j the soldiers wlio boarded the Yagour j to enforce the ordei to change ships. I Cori'espondeul s saw no evidence of this

and a British officer denied the eharges. Tlie Government of Cyprus has issued a prochunation tliat tlie refugees will be detained .under military siqiervision unhi arraugeiuents could be made for their departure. None of the Jews would be allowed to become residonts of ( "yjirus.