TNAG-0039-FCO40-75-Border-incidents-with-China-1967 — Page 56

21 NOV 1967

FRANK KNIGHT: 36 Days Were Enough.

DAILY SKETCH

THE BAREFOOT

PATH TO PREEDOM

FRANK KNIGHT, a British police inspector, was resting in Hong Kong yesterday after a 25 mile trek through paddy fields to escape from the Chinese Communists.

his

But while he told the

story of dramatic escape, there was specula- tion that the Chinese, embarrassed by the kidnapping across the border 36 days ago, had turned a blind eye when he made his escape.

It is cited as evidence for this theory that he was able to cross the Hong Kong China frontier. normally patrolled by armed soldiers with dogs, without difficulty.

But Knight, who knew nothing of this suggested connivance, made his escape belleving he was in great danger.

This is

his dramatic

story as he told it yester-

day.

It all started when some 40 Communist Chinese farmers protested about a barbed-wire fence on the border at the Man Kam To trouble spot.

I intervened, and got bundled over the border. Accidentally, I think. In the crush of the Chinese trying to make a stand on the bridge.

But once across, there was no getting back-for the local Chinese were afraid to let me return without authority from higher up.

a

I was taken to an army hostel near the border.. and put into small, ground-floor room,

There were four guards watching me in a two-on, two-off duty squad. I was well treated, and mostly

had pork, vegetables and rice to eat. A little fruit, and sometimes a bottle of beer, sometimes a glass of port wine,

For the first 12 days. I was not permitted outside the room. Then I was allowed out for 30 min- utes after each meal.

I developed a daily routine, trying to stretch I out everything I did. tried to take an hour to do each thing. For in- stance, I spent an hour tidying up the room, That may seem like a long time · to you, but it isn't when you have nothing to do all day.

My only visitor was a man in civilian clothing who called himself a Peasants' Representative.

T first I thought I

Awould wait for my re-

lease to be negotiated by the British authorities.

But after five weeks 36 days to be exact-r thought I had been kept long enough.

I studied the movement of the guards carefully,

waiting for the best moment to escape by a window which was locked, but bolted from the inside.

For several days I worked the window bolts almost pose.

Then, on Sunday night, when one of two guards watching me was taking a shower, and the other guard was answering the phone. I climbed out and set off barefoot for the border.

As the crow flies, the border was only about five miles. But as I went it was about 25 miles.

The lighting was bad in the room, and I tucked my mosquito net in and left it bundled up on the side of the bed where the guard would look in through the window.

I made my way across some paddy fields to a hilltop to recče the area in front of me But it wasn't a suitable spot, so I went on through a big village, through quite a lot of rice, along a number of ditches, through sugar

cane and towards Nga. Yiu (on the Hong Kong side).

I could see Nga Yiu police post searchlight on. But then I saw a Chinese sentry in front of me.

I lay in a ditch for about 45 minutes, and then the sentry put his rifle on his shoulder and walked off towards the East.

I made a dash across while his back was to me, and reached a river. I crossed this, expecting to find the wire fence and British territory, only to discover there other river.

was

aq-

CROSSED this, too, to where part of the fence is over a drain. I managed to crawl through the drain - and I was British finally back in territory.

I met a woman farmer who gave me a pair of sandals. Then I met a military jeep and they gave me a lift back to Fanling.

I lost weight during my detention, but only because I needed to. 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.

And ring my father at home in Dagenham to tell him I'm well