Evening star., 1942-07-28
BY VAUGHN MEISLING,

Dy N1EAoA4Nop
Associated Press War Correspondent.
LOURENCO MARQUES. Portu-
guese East Africa, July rs DelayeO. !.
Hong Kong, once the "opulent
Pearl Of the Orient" has been re-
duced to q ghost town in the months
since the Pacific explosion OF last
December.
Some 1000, 900 Chinese have been
starved to such point that the
whole town has wraithlike appear
ance.
The Four Horsemen have ridden
roughshod over this once-smiling
city, and now famine, pestilence and
destruction of physical and moral
values stalk the former British
crown colony. .a ~. r / Z
The Japanese conquerors, realiz-'
ing the increasing gravity Of the
internal sitsa tien. are doing their
utmost to eyacsgkte poorer Cainese'
residents to country districts Of
Kwangtung, Kwangsi and Fukien
Provinces, but are unable to remove
sufficiently large numbers in time
to cheat death.
l,O0O, 900 Persons Remain.
It is estimated that thus far
500 900 have left Of their own voli-
ton or by compulsion, but 1000 900
who remain face an increasingly
bitter struggle for life.
Isolation of Hong Kong Island
through rupture of all former trade
routes, including those supplying
fruits and vegetables from the main
land, has caused famine like condi-
tions. Rice costs eight times the
former price, and many other COM
modities are 10 or 20 times as costly
as they were.
Owing to the virtual cessation OF
business, Chinese are flocking to the
public rice queues in mounting num-
bers, although the cheap stocks dis
tributed are utterly inadequate.
Marched Through Streets.
Laden with coolies with their
personal belongings, British and
American men, women and children
were marched through Hong Kong S
most crowded streets by jubilant
Japanese as dazed Chinese looked
on when internment of Allied ma
tionals began on January S.
1t was the Japanese way Of rub
bing in. the humiliation of the race
which had ruled Hong Kong for a
century.
The white man had lost face.
Hong Kong had fallen in 18 days.
Some 5000 Americans, Britons and
other Allied civilians were interned
I was among 18O imprisoned in q
squalid waterfront brothel in the
poorest of the Chinese slums.
This dive, which the japanese
called hotel" was one of six such
establishments they picked out in
the Hong Kong slums for our pre-
liminary internment.
Packed Like Animals.
While Toxic boasted that Japan
was observing rules of the Geneva
Convention, we were packed like
animals-men, women and children
into vermin- ridden cubicles. many
without daylight, and forced to sleer
on bare opium couches, floors and
chairs reeking with filth.
For the first 30 hours there was
no food at all. Then there were
wretched rice rations. supplemented
by microscopic issues of vegetable.
and meat. Even these scant hand.
outs were pilfered by servants
necessitating watchful eye or
every crumb.
The drinking water was dangerou!
and we were not permitted to boi
it. There were no lights to be hae
at all. Walking narrow roof space
was the only exercise possible.
After II days of this we wer,
marched by armed escorts a mil,
and a half to steamer bound To-
the Stanley Internment Camp OF
the opposite side OF Hong Konl
Island.
Camp without Lights.
En- route we saw two gendarme
beat a Chinese to death after
trivial disturbance in a rice queue.
The Stanley camp was withou
lights, sufncient heat, beds, bed
ding, furniture or cooking facilities
AL the 5000 internees eventuall,
were billeted in the shell-damage'
prison and officers quarters and II
adjoining st. Stephens College TO
Chinese, where bodies of Britisl
soldiers still were found late in tn
spring.
} Electric current finally was re
stored after three weeks.
The Americans and others Quickt