Copy of Minute.
H.M. Minister,
When I saw Gustavo Velasco on Saturday, 18th March, I got his answers to the five specific questions first. They are:-
2.
(a)
Yes. He saw them when he was passing the camps and when they were marching between their camps and their work outside.
(b) Yes. They were enlarging the airport and
felling timber.
3.
(e)
They grew vegetables for their own consump but did not keep poultry.
otion
(a)
(e)
Each prisoner is allowed one parcel a month. Probably not more than 7% or estimate) receive parcels. contain tinned food, but not
8% (a very rough- (The parcels may fresh food, and
other goods such as clothes, towels, tooth- paste. The donor hands the parcel direct to
the Foreign Department of the Japanese
adıministration, not to the International Red Cross. velasco and some of his friends sent in parcels
without receiving acknowledgement from the
prisoners and therefore, assume piiïerage on the part of the Japanese guards).
Velasco will give me a list of names on 25th March. At the time, he could only thing of 2nd Lieutenant Burt, liong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps Artillery, alive and well last September. Mrs. Burt is in Stanley Camp.
In regard to the Prisoner of war camps, Velasco added that there are three, North Point (formerly Canadian Troops' Barracks), Argyll Street, and shamshuipo - both the latter in Kowloon and formerly Chinese troops' barracks. When passing Shamshuipo, he
In the first saw prisoners forming long queues for rice and water. months.of the occupation, hawkors went to the camps and sold food to the prisoners at exorbitant prices, but this was stopped about April 1943.
the The prisoners were allowed to send brief messages to friends outside. They almost always asked for food.
5.
In April, 1942, three prisoners escaped from Shanshuipo.
One was shot.
6.
Velasco estimates that in September, 1943, there were 2,000 or 3,000 military prisoners. Many had been sent to Formosa,
7. As regards general conditions, Velasco says that, much dismayed and surprised by rapid fall of Kowloon anů Hong Kong, the Chinese panicked and looted to a considerable extent until the Japanese restored order.
8. The Japanese policy seemed to be to win co-operation of the Chinese. They distributed leaflets claiming to be "blood brothers" unlike the British who wished only to exploit Hong Kong. A good many Chinese took employment from Jeps, some out of the economic need (some names will follow), but majority are confident of impending return of British Government and will not work for the Japanese.
9. Velasco says that the official Japanese policy of friendliness was spoilt by roughness and bad behaviour of individual troops, but he did not give 1st hand account of any actual cases of brutality. will return to this point in our next talk.
I
10. The most important factors in the general conditions of the civilian population are Food, Health and Currency.
11.
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