BRITISH PRISONERS OF WAR, FAR EAST

HC Deb 24 January 1945 vol 407 cc822-3W

Mr. H. Lawson

asked the Secretary of State for War by what means prisoners of war in Thailand are able to receive messages broadcast to them from All-India radio.

Mr. A. Henderson

We assume that the Japanese authorities pick up such messages by monitoring All-India Radio broadcasts. As replies to them are occasionally picked up from Japanese broadcasts, it seems that they sometimes pass them to prisoners of war in their hands.

Mr. McGovern

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what provision is made by the Japanese authorities for sending letters to the relatives of soldiers captured at Singapore and Malaya, as some of these relatives have not heard any information since September, 1943; and, in view of the recent sinking of ships with British prisoners aboard, will he make an effort to secure greater opportunities for the sending of letters.

Mr. Eden

Under the Japanese system the responsibility for regulating correspondence from prisoners of war and for censoring that correspondence is placed in the hands of the camp commanders. I have repeatedly urged on the Japanese authorities that all prisoners of war in the Far East should have a more generous quota of letters allowed to them. So far no satisfactory replies have been received to our representations. The Japanese Government has also been pressed to telegraph lists of all prisoners of war reported missing as a result of the sinking of ships carrying such prisoners, but I regret to say that complete lists have so far not yet been received. I can assure the hon. Member that we are constantly urging all these matters upon the Japanese.

Mr. Lipson

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if all possible steps are being taken to persuade the Japanese Government to agree to an exchange of, at least, the more elderly prisoners of war.

Mr. Eden

Despite several approaches the Japanese Government have shown themselves completely uninterested in exchanges of prisoners of war and have refused even to contemplate an exchange of sick and wounded.