CO129-563-17 Sino-Japanese War- attacks on shipping. For extracted photographs see CN 3-12 27-9-1937 - 17-1-1938 — Page 190

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[6th witness Li Tai.]

[7th witness Lai Yau.]

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545. And what happened to you after she anchored off Kowloon? A police launch

came and took me ashore.

546. And then where were you taken? I was taken to a hospital-whether it was the

Kowloon Hospital or not I cannot say; there I was given some medicine.

547. Did anyone speak to you in a language you could understand whilst you were

on the German vessel? Not one.

548. Chairman : How many junks were there in all fishing off Chelong lighthouse that

morning? Twelve that I could see.

549. Do you know whether this vessel shelled any of the other junks? Yes.

550. Before it came to yours or afterwards? This ship shot at the others first.

551. Were you the last one attacked? The very last to be attacked.

552. (Witness left the witness box).

553. Seventh Witness. Lai Yau, duly declared, states:-

554. Mr. Whyatt: How old are you, Lai Yau? I am thirty eight years old.

555. What do you as an occupation? I am a fisherman,

556. In September of this year were you working as a fisherman aboard a junk No.

3407? Yes, sir.

557. What is your native place?

Macao.

558. Do you remember going on a fishing expedition on board this junk in September

this year? Yes.

559. Where did you sail from? We went from San Mei to Chelong.

560. Where did you come from before you got to San Mei? From Shaukiwan.

561. What day did you get to Chelong? The evening of the 21st September.

562. And when you got to Chelong could you see the lighthouse? Yes, I saw the

lighthouse.

563. Was that in the day time or in the night time? Night time.

564. Well do you remember the following morning, the 22nd? Yes, I remember it

was in the morning when we sailed out.

565. When did you arrive off Chelong lighthouse? Speaking of the 22nd Septem-

ber, it was between 8 and 9 a.m. when we arrived there.

566. Where had you been the night before? We sailed from San Mei in the evening of the 21st September. We went slowly along towards this lighthouse at Chelong. We arrived in the morning between 8 and 9 a.m. off the lighthouse.

567. What time did you start fishing that morning? About 6 a.m.

568. And at the place where you started fishing that morning could you see that spot in the daytime? No, we could not see the lighthouse from where we were. 569. Very well, you started fishing that morning. Whilst you were fishing did any-

thing unusual happen that you can remember?

About 9 a.m. I heard gunfire. 570. After you heard gunfire did you see anything? A submarine was chasing and

attacking junks.

571. What you called a submarine why do you call it a submarine? I do not know

the proper term for this kind of vessel-because she dives.

572. How far was she away when you first saw her? When I first caught sight

very far

I could only see the shape of a vessel.

of her she was

away;

573. Did she come near? Later on she fired at another junk.

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[7th witness Lai Yau.] [8th witness Lai Pak-yau.]

574. How many junks were there on the fishing ground altogether? Twelve in all. 575. After firing at the other junks did she come closer to your junk? Yes, she

drew nearer and nearer.

576. Can you give us any idea how near she came? About four or five times the

length of this court.

I did not

577. Did you notice anything about her when she came as near as that?

see very clearly because I got frightened and I went inside the hold, to hide myself.

578. Did you see any men aboard her? I did not notice any men because I got

so frightened that I went inside the hold to hide myself.

579. What happened when you got down into the hold?

my vessel.

The gun fired and hit

580. How many times was your vessel hit? Three shots.

581. And what happened to your vessel after it had been hit three times? Then

the bow of the junk went down first.

582. And what did you do? We then severed the mainsail from the mast so that

the people could sit on it.

583 Did you do anything else to the mainsail? We tied the poles to form a kind of

a raft.

584. How many people got on to the mainsail? Ten.

585. And how long did you remain drifting about on the mainsail? Five days and five

nights.

586. And what happened to you at the end of that time? On the morning of the

27th September a German vessel picked us up.

587. Do you know the name of the vessel? I do not know-I cannot read so I cannot

say.

588. And where did she take you to? It brought us to Hong Kong.

589. Chairman ; You were asked a few moments ago why you called this vessel a submarine and you said because it could dive. Did you see it diving that morning? Oh no, I did not see that vessel dive that morning.

590. What did you see it doing that gave you the impression that it was a submarine?

In appearance it looked like a submarine.

591. Have you seen submarines before? Yes.

592. Where? In Hong Kong.

593. After your junk had been struck for the third time and it was sinking and you got on to the mainsail, what happened to the submarine ? She had gone as we were clinging on to the mainsail.

594. So far as you saw did she attempt to render assistance to anyone from any of the junks? So far as I could see no assistance was rendered by the submarine, 595. Could you see any marks, any flags on this submarine, any distinguishing

marks on the sides at all? I saw no flag or any sign on this vessel.

(Witness left the witness box).

596. Eighth Witness. Lai Pak-yau, duly declared, states:- 597. Mr. Whyatt: Lai Pak-yau, you are twenty nine years of age?

598. You are a foki by occupation? Yes, a foki.

I am.

599. In September you were employed as a foki on board fishing junk No. 3407? Yes.

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