Saturday, Sep 13, 2003
Saturday, Sep 13, 2003 |
| Miscellaneous | ||||
|
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Miscellaneous
-
This Day That Age
Reuter's Special Correspondent reported from Seoul that Indian troops, guarding Korean war prisoners who did not wish to go home, succeeded by using gentle persuasion with their charges. On two occasions, Chinese and North Korean prisoners, arriving at their Indian Village camp in the demilitarized zone, broke into rioting. North Koreans threw stones and tried to assault Communist observers, and Chinese prisoners muttered curses and insults. But, each time, Indians went unarmed among the violent ex-Communists to quell them. In a stern but fatherly way, the Indians went about guiding their charges. An Indian guard would approach a Chinese shouting abuses at a Communist fellow-country man and throw his arm round him. Making silent gestures in front of the prisoner, the quiet Indian would show the prisoner that his hysteria has had no effect and created no impression. The Chinese, trained by a life of observing face and respecting example, would quietly follow the guard through the routine of arriving at the Indian camp. Indian guards armed with rifles and machine-guns had been instructed not to use their weapons except in times of dire emergency. But a senior Indian officer doubted if Indians could prevent a determined attempt at a mass breakout by prisoners. The Indian hoped mainly to use their positions as neutrals to give their charges confidence. The Indian Chief of the Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission, General K. S. Thimmaya, made this clear when he told arriving prisoners through an interpreter, "Remember, you are still gentlemen. You will have a chance to decide your own future. In the meantime, act like the soldiers you are."
Printer friendly
page
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
|
|
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | The Sportstar | Frontline | The Hindu eBooks | Home |
Copyright © 2003, The
Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu
|
