The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-09-07
By ALBERT RAvENHoLT

WITH THE CHINESE EXPEDI.
TIONARY FORCE AT TENG.
CHUNG. Salween River Front-UP
In the Tengchung Valley-first
large community in China liberated
from the Japanese-the enemy has
been ruthless to the point where
Chinese farmers, conscripted to
build Notifications, were shot in
groups when the defense works
were finished TO prevent them from
escaping and possibly giving infor-
nation TO the Chinese Army.
But the japanese during their
more than two years OF occupation
have also been calculating and al
times far-sighted in their dealings
with the local peoples Of this once
one OF the worlds greatest jade
markets and largest trade center
between China and Burma.
In the Chinese version of town
hall. wherefrom groups of coolies
were continually being dispatched
TO the various Chinese divisions TO
carry wounded and ammunition, a
bearded old magistrate and his as
sociates told me of their sufferings
under enemy rule. AS they talked
they gestured with their long
stemmed pipes and sometimes a
workman who had paused to listen
would interrupt with a few Of his
experiences.
When the Japanese forces en-
tered Tengchung on May 10, 1912,
the majority of the villagers fled TO
the hills. Sometimes at night the
men sneaked back down into the
valleys and brought up food.
Burn Empty Houses
One day in all the market places
the enemy posted notices: all hous-
es found empty two weeks hence
would be burned. A few of the
women remained behind in the
mountains but the rest had to re-
turn or lose all. To each village
headman the Japanese authorities
sent list OF the number Of work
men and the amounts OF rice, pork,
beef and vegetables that must be
delivered to their depots. None of
the villagers was paid for this al
though some farmers we're paid In
Japanese military currency, rupee
notes printed in English, for other
services.
Several villages failed to produce
the demanded quota and Japanese
soldiers searched the houses and
took everything they found.
When the Japanese army first ar
rived the magistrates said enemy
soldiers in groups OF three or four
up to forty or fifty had come into
their villages at night and taken
their women. In the small village OF
Huang Pc a drunken Japanese cor
poral one evening killed a young
woman and her child. They saw
him sent under military guard to-
wards Burma.
After six months OF enemy occu-
patton a Japanese political director
arrived and the soldiers no longer
molested their women though they
were required to furnish larger and
larger numbers of laborers for the
building OF enemy Notifications
and roads. Peasants who tried TO
escape from the labor gangs were
shot. After a contingent OF the Jap
anese army's Korean prostitutes
were shipped in the soldiers did
most Of their celebrating in their
barracks area.
Few Turn Traitor
A Japanese political officer came
to each village and called the in
habitants out into the market |
place and lectured them on the ad-
vantages of cooperation with Japan.
A few of the Chinese, they said.
turned traitor and worked whole
heartedly with the enemy but mos'
lived sullenly in their houses and
hid when they saw Japanese APP
preaching.
Within the city OF Tengchung the
Japanese published a daily paper |