RIGOROUS SEARCH

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24410, 23 September 1940, Page 8

RIGOROUS SEARCH

FLYING-BOAT PASSENGERS iFrom Oub Own Correspondent) : SYDNEY, Sept. 18. Women'passengers by..Quantas flying boats have complained that they have been stripped and searched by Javanese half-caste women at Sourabaya Empire flying boats make an overnight stop at Sourabaya and Eers are searched under Customs atid National Security Regulation? of the Netherlands East Indies. " Recently an elderly English woman biokp down and wept at Sourabaya.'' an official said " She came from India and objected to the rigorous search made bv a half-caste woman. Men are also subjected to a thorough personal search. There have been many bitter complaints especially from the women." A K.N.I.L.M (Royal Netherlands Indies Airways) official said: "Our passengers and crew are subjected to exactlv the same treatment at Sourabaya. Some passengers have complained Misunderstandings occur because many English people regard halfcastes as an inferior race. In the Netherlands Indies half-castes have full status. Manv high Government oosts are occupied by half-castes Admittedly, the Netherlands Indies Security Regulations are more severe than those operating in Australia. Close nolicine is necessary to prevent the smuggling of currency. At the same time, there are. manv features of the Australian Customs inspection at Darwin which our passengers find iust as irksome." Asked whether their passengers complained of treatment at . Darwin, fi Quantas official said: " Yes. There also seems to be trouble there. The time and methods taken to search passengers' baggage seems to be the trouble at Darwin."