CO129-579-9 Sino-Japanese War- release of interned Chinese soldiers 27-1-1939 - 7-12-1939 — Page 52

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COPY.

SECRET.

ORDERS FOR THE COMMANDANT OF THE GUARD. CHINESE SOLDIERS INTERNMENT CAMP.

You will act as Commandant of the Internment Camp for

soldiers of the Chinese Army.

2.

As commandant you are responsible for the safe custody of

all interned Chinese soldiers, officers and men.

3.

You will be assisted by the Civil Police in maintaining

strict discipline amongst the internees in the camp.

(The internees are organized into squads under their own

leaders who are in turn responsible to you through the Civil Police for the good behaviour of their squads.)

4.

To enable you to enforce discipline and to prevent interned

soldiers from escaping, you are given complete discretion to take

such action as you may consider necessary to cope with the situation.

The sentries furnished from the Guard under your command

are hereby authorized, as a very final resort only, to open fire on

an internee attempting to escape or on the ring leader in a mass

disturbance.

The fact that such action will be taken by the Guard in

these circumstances will be clearly explained, through the Civil

Police, to the internees at frequent intervals.

5.

Should it become necessary for you to give orders to open

fire, or for a sentry to shoot on an escaping internee, aim will be

low but shooting will be for effect.

Shots will be aimed at the front of the crowd in a

disturbance or at conspicuous individual ring-leaders.

6.

You will immediately communicate any unusual occurrence in

connection with the internees through your Unit to the Duty Officer

at Command Headquarters.

Hong Kong, 3/12/1938.

Kowloon. 3.1.39.

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Sd. x x x x x

Brigadier, China Command.

A.A. & Q.M.G. i/c Administration

sd. R.J.F.A. Lawder, Captain. Adjutant, 1st Kumaon Rifles.