Evening star., 1953-04-15
POW Convoy Route
Used by Reds as Safe
Road for Trucks
Continued From First Page }


The three conveys are carrying
part of 600 disabled U. N. troops
to be traded for $500 Red sick
and injured. beginning Monday
Meanwhile, the U. N. COM
mand said $50 Chinese prisoners
are being readied for exchange
$50 more than the TOO the allies
told Red liaiSon officers at Pan
munjom would be returned as
sick and wounded. There was
no immediate explanation for
the higher figure.
Brief Strike Put Down.
Even as the announcement
came, almost 750 Chinese Reds
on the first leg toward home re-
belled briefly against the U. N.
They refused for 2lz hours to
leave a landing ship that took
them from Cheju island to the
South Korean mainland, but
they finally filed of after armed
allied guards wearing gas masks
came aboard.
The Chinese all had asked for
return to their homeland.
An American officer said:
There were the usual nui-
Sance demands to haraSS us, but
most of the demands have been
resolved as of now"
There was no report here on
any further action toward re-
vival Of the full-scale armistice
talks.
The Communists have been
pressing the U. N. command to
reopen negotiations, but it has
said exchange Of the sick and
injured must come first. The !
truce talks have been deadlocked |
for . year and suspended since |
last october 8 over the issue of |
prisoner repatriation, last big
barrier to a truce.
In Washington, authoritative |
sources said the U. N. command |
is expected to agree soon to a
resumption of the talks. They
also said the command probably
would agree to a Red proposal
that Communists who refuse to !
go home be placed under con-
troll of a single neutral nation
with Switzerland preferred as
that nation. The Allies refuse |
to return any prisoner against |
his will. The Reds have insisted
that all war prisoners be repa-
triated.
Overcast Clears.
The Red truck conveys finally
were spotted by Allied planes
which will fly guard to shield |
them from any possible mistake
bombing.
Pilots said other Communist |
trucks pulled to one side of the
main road down the western side
Of North Korea as the conveys
rolled by.
The first convoy was sighted
shortly before noon 10 miles
north Of Yongpong. The second |
was seen at $3.50 p. m. near ST. |
nanju. A two day overcast !
cleared to permit Allied pilots to |
see and photograph the cara
vans. ~
The Reds said there were SO
trucks in the three conveys. They
all are aimed toward Kaesong,
where the 600 Allied troops will |
be held until released in groups
at Panmunjom. six miles away. |
About 100 are Americans, the
Reds have said, with about $50 |
South Koreans, and the rest |
split among other U. N. force.
An official Communist source at |
Panmunjom said American,
British and other non-Koreans
were among those already en-
route. -
Revolt Dies Quickly
The brief Chinese revolt in
the U. N. Navy LIST died quickly. |
About 25 of the ITO aboard |
debarked without trouble: the
others sat Sullenly in the hold |
and yelled a series of demands |
and conditions.
After they ignored a deadline
to leave the ship, armed U. N. |
troops went aboard. The Chinese
started moving soon afterward.
There was no sign of violence.
A few were Stretcher cases, some !
were amputees and many were
tuberculosis victims. Among
them was no quadruple amputee.
The short Sit-doWn strike ap-
parently was last-minute heck
ling shot by die-hard Commu-
ristS.
Two of the several demands
made by the prisoners were re-
vealed later as follows:
!. That a leader" from the
prisoner group be allowed to go
forward, inspect the destination
area and report back to the pris-
oner group.
2. That changes be made in
arrangements for unloading the
LST-that the prisoners were
dissatisfied with them.
Go to Hospital Camp.
The Chinese were taken to a
hospital camp at Pusan. There
the allies are holding another
160 disabled Chinese who want
to go home. making a total of
$50.
At Panmunjon1, staff officers
of both sides met for more than
one hour. The U. N. officers
asked the nationalities of pris-
onerS the Reds will return Mon
day, the first day of the ex-
change.
Air Force Col. William Doug
las Cairns Of Riverside, Calf,
proposed that a proportionate
number of all nationalities =.
be returned to US the first day."
North Korean Col. Lee Pyong II
said the Reds would inform the
y. N. as soon as possible.
The exchange agreement calls