HC Deb 24 January 1945 vol 407 cc793-4
10. Mr. Sorensen

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether there is any likelihood of further repatriation of prisoners of war and civilian internees now held by Japan; whether, in view of a previous announcement that two repatriation ships would leave Japan but only one arrived, the service of a second ship has been agreed to; approximately, how many civilian internees remain; whether the condition of these is satisfactory; and whether he has any further reports of the condition of prisoners of war in Southern Asia.

Mr. Eden

As regards exchanges of prisoners of war I would refer to the reply to the Question on the Paper to-day by the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Mr. Lipson) which was not answered orally.

We have been trying for a long time past to obtain the agreement of the Japanese to a second exchange of civilians. Some of the difficulties have been overcome. Final agreement has not, I regret to say, yet been reached. So far as is known some 17,000 civilian internees remain in the hands of the Japanese. Conditions in those internment camps which have been visited are on the whole tolerable. Conditions in internment camps in the Southern area which have not been visited are not known. The position in Hong Kong continues to give anxiety.

As regards the condition of prisoners of war in the Southern area there is at present nothing to add to the statements made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for War on 17th November and 19th December.

Mr. Sorensen

Could the right hon. Gentleman indicate what was to have been his reply to the hon. Member for Cheltenham?

Mr. Eden

It was quite a brief reply to say that, despite several approaches, the Japanese Government have shown themselves uninterested in exchange of prisoners of war and have refused even to contemplate an exchange of sick and wounded. A small batch of telegrams from British prisoners of war has been received in the past two days, which indicates a beginning of further communications.

Mr. Sorensen

Does the statement mean that the right hon. Gentleman is optimistic about future satisfactory developments?

Mr. Eden

I thought the hon. Gentleman was going to ask me whether I was optimistic about the conduct of the Japanese Government.

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