Evening star., 1946-04-21
Sa|uting Jap Puppet
Is Forced 10 Visit
Graves Of Victims
BY the Associaied Press

HONG KONG.-The little jap
anese Ieutenant-colonel stood stiffly
at attention in the warm sunlight of
Stanley Bay Prison, saluting like a
yellow puppet.
1t was a grim welcome kazuo
kogi received at the great, bare
prison he directed from 1912 to 1914
years in which scores of British and
Chinese were put to ignoble deaths
on trifling charges.
AS japanese judge advocate and
public prosecutor he is held respon-
slble by British justice and will be
tried as Hong Kongs No. war
criminal.
When Kogi arrived at the prison
his hands were tied behind him
with strong tWine. He was neatly
dressed in a clean but baggy yellow
green officers uniform, and he
methodically and silently carried out
the orders of the British, who posed
him for official photographs at the
scene of his crimes. It was here, on
October 10, 1943, that 33 of al Allied
prisoners were condemned to death
in bloody assizes.
Put Through PAGES.
Kogt stands no more than feet
inchA. His thick, bulldog features
showed no expression as commands
put him through his PAGES. His eyes
blinked almost continuously and he
licked his lips.
Only one man in the small group
of spectators felt any pity for this
small japanese who once had been
Japans top military-legal authority
in South China. That was a man
who had least reason to forgive
him, because he himself had suffered
under him as a prisoner and knew
personally some of the people who
had been rairoaded to death by him.
He was George Wood Giffen, Hong
Kong neWSpaperman, who had spent
three and one-half years in Stanley
prison camp on starvation diet.
But seeing Kogi stand there alone
and powerless in the warm sunlight,
Mr.. Giffen felt no rancor, only an
overwhelming sense of sadness and
the feeling that any punishment will
be futile.
II thought I wanted to see this"
he said. But now I wish I hadn't
come"
Marched to Graves.
Mr. Griffen followed slowly as
the Commands marched Kogi on
the double out of the prison and
down a small road toward the sea.
1t led past willow bordered ceme-
terry where are buried many STAN
ley camp internees who died of
starvation. /
The group walked silently along
a small Side-patch at the base of
the hill until they came to small
clearing in the waist-high grass.
The clearing was surrounded by
high hills that looked down on
shining waters where the first Brit
1sh landing party came ashore on
Hong Kong Island more than a
century ago.
Ranged around the hill like seats
in theater were small stone slabs
marking the graves of Chinese
executed by the Japanese Army.
And in the center of the clearing
were two common graves that held
the remains of 33 victims of Kogi's
justice. They were tortured and
then forced to kneel by the edge
of the pits into which their bodies
tumbled as the Japanese executioner
Topped off their heads.
One Small Sign.
One grave had been turned into
potato patch. A small board
thrust into the ground carried only
the simple notation "16 men-1
woman" The other grave had a
simple teakWood marker on which |,
were listed 16 names in japanese
Katakana inscription.
Among the names was that of
Chester Bennett, American hero of
Hong Kong who died because he
smuggled money into Stanley Bay
camp SO the internees could buy
extra food to keep them alive.
Kogi stood staring blankly at
the teakWood pillar as an inter-
prefer read off the names and Brit
iSh witnesses wrote them down
Then he was marched back to the
prison, and the dead in the deserted
clearing were left alone again in
their WindsWept niche by the sea.
There was nothing to be done for
them, no justice that could help
them back to life.
Il wish they would condemn Kogi
and then let him go free" said
Mr.. Griffen. That would be his
worst punishment. How can we
ever build a better world unless
we show that we are above his kind
pf raor1ooD