Evening star., 1952-06-12
Troops on koje Search
Emptied Compounds
For Missing Anti-Reds
BY the Associated Press


KOJE ISLAND, Korea, June 70.
American troops hunted today
for missing comrades of 399
frightened anti-Communist pris-
oners of war who broke away from
$500 marching Reds.
The breakaway came during an
otherwise orderly evacuation of
the fourth trouble ridden POW
enclosure at this United Nations
prison camp.
The anti-Reds POWs said the
missing prisoners had been hailed
before Communist kangaroo courts
before today's transfer. They
didn't report the number:
Death at the hands of their die
nard leaders was the fate of 16
POWs missing from an enclosure
emptied yesterday.
Reported Making Weapons.
The commander, Brig. Gen.
Hayden L. Boatner, is expected to
order evacuation Of Il fifth COM
pound, No. 66, tomorrow. Some
of the 2.700 ugly-tempered North
Korean officers and $50 non-coms
there are reported fashioning
knives and spears.
Gen. Boatner met today with
their leaders, some of whom were
shown the smouldering wreckage
of Compound rs. the first to be
emptied. Thirty-nine prisoners
died and at least $50 were injured
there in a Tuesday battle with
American paratroopers. The 39th
death was reported today. Many
of the 80 were speared to death by
fellow Reds.
Guarded by BritOnS.
Compound sc is guarded by one
company of the Kings Shropshire
Light Infantry of Britain, and one
company of the Royal Canadian
Regiment. However, indications
were that the United States 38th
Regiment would supervise the
evacuation.
The remains of 16 savagely
killed prisoners were dug up in
the third emptied compound, No.
n. But SO far soldiers found no
bodies in the fourth, No. 95. Un-
like II, there were no homemade
weapons or escape tunnels.
80 Per Cent Completed.
Transfer of POWs from No. 95
brought Operation Breakup to the
80 per cent mark. Gen. Boatner
intends to wreSt control of the
10000 internees from their Red
leaders by moving them to
new, smaller compounds and
splitting them into groups of
about 500.
Some 24,400 have been moved.
Thirteen compounds remain to be
emptie6 and there is a chance
OF violence in at least two Of them.
The transfer from Compound
95 was orderly, in contrast to
the hour-long fight that left 80
prisoners killed and $50 wounded
when the first compound-No. 76
was emptied Tuesday.
Many of the POWs who
broke away plainly feared death
at the hands of their Red lead
erS. Others who tried to escape
were dragged by the Communists
into Compound 81, their new,
temporary enclosure.
Nov we will live" one CRATE
ful North Korean soldier sighed
after he had safely fled the
marching Reds.
Red Stars Trampled.
The anti-Red POWs broke away
In groups of up to 100 men. They
tore off their Red star-decorated
hats. trampled them in the dust
and awaited the arrival of guards.
The evacuation started with ex-
change of Salutes and handshakes
between the leader of the COM
pound and Gen. Boatner. The AL
lied camp commander said no one
would be hurt if orders were
obeyed. He rejected the Red lead
er's request for an hours delay.
Intelligence officers found the
Reds documents burned. They
surmised word of the transfer had
come through the prison grape
vine." Leaders of compound 95
surrendered the bodies of eight
prisoners killed in an April 10
clash with Allied guards.
The 4,800 Reds were herded
temporarily into compound 81
where unarmed guards moved
freely among them.
The 399 who broke away were
taken for questioning to compound
81. Guards put with them two
Communists who scaled tht
barbed wire fence of 81.
The new official total of Is fresh
corpses dug up in Compound II
Is one more than yesterdays fig
ure. The Army found nine bodies
in one we'll and the others in
trenches and an abandoned we'll