Evening star., 1953-10-31
P0Ws Scream
Their. Rejection
Of Red Pleas
Only n Of 459 Go
Back After Noisy
Explanation Talks
By the Assoeiated Press

PANNUNJOM, Oct. 31.-Long-
defiant anti-Communist Korean
war prisoners marched from
their compounds today and with
shouts, kicks and screaming
curses overwhelmingly told Com.
muniSt explainerS they will not
go back to Red rule.
Only 21 of 459 North Koreans
elected to go back to the Com
munistS. the Indian command
said. This is less than 5 pei
cent, slightly more than the 2 OF
3 per cent of 92l Chinese who
said they would return at earlier
interviews
There will be no explanations
tomorrow. The repatriation
commission will take its usual
Sunday holiday.
Pelplng radio complained that
special agents" let only prison
ers considered reliable" attend
today's explanations.
POWs Come Out Peacefully.
The Koreans came out peace
fully to meet Red persuaders
after two weeks of negotiations
with 1t. Gen. K. S. Thimayya,
Indian chairman of the Neutral
Nations Repatriation Commits
sion.
But once before the explainers
most of the POWs were anything
but peaceful.
AS many as four Indian guards
were assigned to each prisoner,
but frequently this wasn't
enough.
One enraged prisoner broke
free and hurled a folding chair
into the faces of three smartly
uniformed explainers. All were
slightly injured.
In at least two instances pris-
oners kicked over field tables
used by the Communists with
their muddy boots.
Held Tightly by Indians.
Almost all of them screamed,
shouted and spat at the Commu-
mist agents. They writhed and
struggled in the tight grasp of
Indian soldiers.
You sons of dogs" the pris-
onerS screamed
You traitorS!''-~
"You want to make us dogs
of the RuSSianS!"
you Chinese foreign gooks!"
I'VE will come back and kill
you ALL"
Indian guards forced prison.
erS to listen to the explanations
as long as the Reds wanted to
talk-or until it became obvious
that the issue was decided.
Some interviews lasted only 80
seconds. Others continued for
nearly two hours.
Swiss, Swedish, Polish and
Czech observers were present at
all interviews.
U. N. Command Protests.
At one point the u. N. COM
mand protested because Indian
guards were using strong arm
methods to hold prisoners in the
interview tents. The U. N. COM
mand said that while the repa-
trlation commission authorized
the use of force to protect the
eXplalnerS, some prisoners were
being dragged back after saying
only that they wanted to go
south"
Some individual U. N. protests
were ruled out of order by the
Indian and NNRC representa-
tives.
There was no immediate COM
ment from Gen. Thimayya,
However, he said last week that
under his definition guards would
not be resorting to force if they
pushed or dragged prisoner
He said the decision to use ac-
tua] force would have to be
made if guards were to seize a
prisoner and fellow POWs
started to attack.
Red China's Peiping radio
acknowledged that the long de
layed explanation program was
underway again. But the broad
cast added:
Obviously now that the Syng-
man Rhee agents permit the
prisoners to attend the explana-
tions, they must have got words
from their American masters and
have prepared new tactics to
wreck the explanation work"
Third Explanation Session.
The explanation sessions to-
day were only the third since
the program was scheduled to
start September 26.
The Communists have until
Christmas Eve to try coaxing
back 1880 balky Chinese and
about 1900 North Koreans.
Previously las Chinese and North
Koreans have asked to go back,
The Allies have not yet
started explanations to % Ameri-
cans, / Briton and 331 South
Koreans. One American and
three Koreans have returned and
there were reports that other
Americans may soon change their
minds.
elLs g, A. elI.LG