AT107 109
GAILY TELEGRAPH
BRITON SWIMS RIVERS IN
A
FLIGHT FROM CHINA
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
HONGKONG, Monday.
BRITISH officer of Hongkong Police held captive in China for five weeks dodged armed guards, swam two rivers and waded through ditches and miles of piddy
MORNING STAR
While guard has bath, Briton flees China
HONG KONG. Monday. BRITISH police inspector Frank Knight swem two rivers and waded through ditches and miles of ricefelds to escape from China early today after being held captive for 36 cays.
He told a Press conference he had climbed out of the window at the Chinese army hostel at Shum Chun when "one guard was having his bath and the other was on the telephone."
"The border was only five miles away as the crow flies, but the way I went it was more like 25 miles."
LOST WEIGHT
Insp. Knight
dragged Was across the border at Man Kam To on October 14 after an argu- ment between the workers and the Hongkong authorities over a barbed wire border fence.
"I was well treated during my time there," he said. "I lost pro- bably 15 to 20 pounds in weight but that was nothing to do with the way I was treated needed to lose weight."-Reuter.
fields to escape to Hong- kong today.
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The officer, Insp. Frank Knight, 37, from Dagenham, Essex, was dragged across the border bridge ar Man Kam To by Chinese workers on Oct. 14 after
an argument over border fence.
Describing his escape from a Chinese Army hostel near Shum Chun, he said: "I waited till one guard was having his bath and the other was on the telephone, and then climbed through a back window of the room.
"The border was only five miles away as the crow flies. But the way I went it was more like 25 miles."
12-hour ordeal
Walking in darkness for nearly 12 hours and making his way through "quite a big village," Insp. Knight crawled through a drain under the border fence into British territory. Forty-five minutes later he was picked up by a British Army Jeep, very tired, soaked and shoeless.
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The escape follows
reports. since denied by the Government, that Insp. Knight had been re- leased by the Chinese two days ago in exchange for five Com- munists detained in Hongkong.
Insp. Knight said he did not believe be had been " ' allowed to escape.
He said there was no attempt to indoctrinate him. I was well treated during my time there. Mostly I had pork, vegetable and rice to eat, a little fruit, some- times a bottle of beer and some- times a glass of port wine.
"The first thing I am going
to do now is to relax for a while and get together with some close friends for a nice meal."
Insp. Knight was one of three Hongkong policemen being held in China. There has been no word of the other two, both Chinese constables.
TALK WITH FATHER
'Safe and well'
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Insp. Knight telephoned his father, Mr. George Knight, 77, in Dagenham, last night to let his family know he was safe and well.
Mrs. Marina Whatling, one of Insp. Knight's eight sisters, said: "It was wonderful to hear his voice again. It was So unex- pected."
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