The list contains over 1700 names and is particularly interesting as a record of the decimation, by disease or untreated wounds, of prisoners working on the Burma-Thailand railway. Sometimes those soldiers in charge of guarding the prisoners around the camp and the work site were dispatched from a nearby regiment or other units. Primarily a hospital POW camp it housed around 7,500 POWs mostly the US. Answer: Absolutely horrific. Some camps even provided POWs with small amounts of tobacco. Anderson School, Ipoh, Perak State, Malaya. Lance is a kind, caring, unselfish, loving person who always put others before himself. During the Second World War Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, most of the Indian POWs captured in Hong Kong were interned at a POW Camp here. He revealed that he traveled regularly to the prison to bring his son food and expressed himself worried about his sons physical and mental condition. Although the man suffered serious injuries and had his eyeball replaced, he was charged with "fighting back" (as per The Taiger). Each prisoner was fed about one teacup of cooked rice twice daily and given a canteen full of dirty water once a day. The National Archive has a large number (56,000 not a complete set) of: Japanese POW index cards 1942-1945 within its collections (not digital) these are held in Catalogue WO345. While there, the prisoners were afforded no sanitary conditions whatsoever. Of the 267 Australians onboard only 72 survived. The POWs declined offers to blindfold. 14 0 obj All POWs leaving Singapore did so from Singapores Keppel harbour which is now part of the main port authority of Singapore state. Low-income prisoners, including foreigners, are particularly vulnerable to social inequality. On April 23, 1942, the five hundred American and Western internees were moved to Camp Holmes from Camp John Hay, a former base of the Philippine constabulary, five miles away. The young man, who is now 32 years of age, is believed to be suffering from the physical and mental effects of 5 years in Bangkoks Klong Prem prison on the outskirts of Bangkok in Chatuchak. Such beatings could result from simply offending the guard in some way. Its not only the poor living conditions that endanger tourists imprisoned in Thailand, though. As a result, the Japanese Navy established Ofuna Transitory Prison Camp in Ofuna, Kanagawa Prefecture. All the prisoners were returned to their original barracks afterwards. Billy was held in Chiang Mai. In addition to those two hospitals, POWs were sometimes sent to nearby Army hospitals or hospitals that belonged to the companies where they worked. He has spent nearly 19 months in an Indian prison accused of being connected to the murders of a number of Hindu nationalists. British Army built, The Selerang Barracks were constructed between1936 - 1938 and used to house Australian POWs from 1942 onwards. The Tamahoko Maru was then almost blown apart and water poured in through a gaping hole in her side. They racially abuse and discriminate against western people that are residents in Thailand with a family for over 30 years, westerners there are the exa. Lack of water, outside latrines, lack of screens for doors and windows, crowded buildings and the general lethargy of the prisoners contributed to poor sanitation. After a few weeks, because of the obvious need, an additional building was obtained for male internees. In late August the Asama Maru reached Loureno Marques with some 800 civilians from Japan, South-East Asia and the Philippines, and within the following fortnight, the Tatura Maru and the Kamakura Maru arrived with a further 1000-odd from occupied China. On the 12th of September 1944 the convoy the Rakoyu was in was attacked by US submarines and the ship was hit by a torpedo from the US submarine Sealion. This list contains camp names which were only for Civilian Internees and these are noted wherever possible - however our database only lists those who had Military ranks and are of British, Canadian, Australian, South African, Rhodesian, New Zealanders and other Commonwealth nationalities where we have managed to find a source, our database lists only those who are military internees, not civilians or merchant marine for the most part. A type of military secret police, also largely responsible for counter-espionage activities. There is no guarantee that Lance Whitmore will be transferred back to the United Kingdom immediately although authorities do seem to be moving quite quickly with his case. The organisation of POW camps in Japan was repeatedly reformed and rearranged, so the main camps, branch camps, dispatched camps and detached camps opened during the war numbered about 130. to be used by the Japanese Armed Forces in the occupied areas. <> Unlike weapons and supply transports (which were sometimes marked as Red Cross ships), these prisoner transports were unmarked and were targeted by Allied submarines and aircraft very often the majority of these ships were sunk by the end of the war. Some camps provided overcoats for the winter and some did not. Ship sunk 21 September 1944 by an unidentified US submarine. We urge people to consider the unsanitary conditions, overcrowded cells and the constant threat of disease before they get involved in drugs. b "&*X( At that time, his father, 56 year Russell Whitmore expressed his frustration at the fate of his son. Lance is lucky that he is not being held at Bang Kwang Prison also known infamously as the Bangkok Hilton which is reputed to be Thailand harshest jail. We assist British citizens during their incarceration, and we also help family and friends affected by a relative or loved one's imprisonment. The detached camp was a branch camp of a smaller size, typically a mine or factory camp. Truthfully I really wish I knew nothing about Prisoners Abroad or prisons in Thailand. This was a civilian only internment camp, taken over by the Japanese in 1942. This turned out to be the tipping point as the move would endanger the lives of gravely ill patients and also lead to the spread of diseases. All of the main camps except Arbeitsdorf, Herzogenbusch, Niederhagen, Kauen, Kaiserwald, and Vaivara (1937 borders). Listed as an Imperial Japanese Navy gunboat and also as a freighter by different sources: sunk on 12/1/44. Many prisoners, however, indicated that because of the availability of fresh vegetables in the warmer months and local fish during winter, rations were in some ways better than at Jinsen and Keijo. Ireland had 222 British offenders in jail, while Australia housed 144. It was a place of starvation, torture and terror, a place of madness and, for many, death. Son Nguyen is an international writer and news commentator specialising in Thai news and current affairs. Before the death of his girlfriend and the drugs bust, he was a recognisable figure about the town with his friend Jake Mostraini living what many young twenty something western foreigners would consider a dream lifestyle in Thailand. Lance is lucky that he is not being held at Bang Kwang Prison alsoknown infamously as the Bangkok Hilton which is reputed to be Thailand harshest jail. She was deliberately scuttled by the Dutch to prevent her from falling into enemy hands but the Japanese refloated and salvaged her in 1942. stream This was theKempeitai (Japanese military/secret police) centre for hard labour, torture and execution. 723 survivors were rescued only to be put to work in conditions similar to those of the Burma Railway where death was commonplace. Because the prison censored my letters, I couldnt exactly explain the full horror of what I was seeing. Briton freed after 17 years in Thai jails feels 'let down' by FO Duncan Campbell Tue 15 May 2007 20.53 EDT A Blackpool businessman who spent more than 17 years in jail in Thailand, including. Now I could afford to buy proper food for myself, I didnt have to live solely on the inedible prison food any more. The head of the Food and Drug Administration, Paisarn Dunkum, says the distributor submitted all required paperwork . It is the long-standing policy of HMG to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances and we aim to do everything we can to prevent the execution of any British national anywhere in the world.. A key theme in Debbies online pronouncements is religion and the support it offers both her and her son in what appears to be hellish situation. Left Singapore on 4/9/44 bound for Japan with 950 British & Australian POWs from D party group 4, sunk in the same incident on 12/9/44as the Rakuyo maru and 520 were rescued by the Japanese and a few others by US submarines. The FCO, who claim to be fighting against the sentence, said: The British Government takes a strong and principled stance against the death penalty. There was once a Roman Catholic Chapel and also a small library consisting of books collected from some of the houses near the camps. The father broke into tears when his son was lead away again back to prison that day. Changi was liberated by troops of the 5th Indian Division on 5 September 1945 and within a week troops were being repatriated. A Babar Ahmad Syed Talha Ahsan Haroon Rashid Aswat B Leo Baron Ernest Bethell Conrad Black Edith Bone Kamel Rabat Bouralha Lee Bradley Brown Mervyn Brown Carmel Budiardjo C Linda Carty Sheila Cassidy David Cecil (producer) Brian Charrington Harold Cole D Cosmas Desmond E El Shafee Elsheikh F Joshua French G John Edward Greaves Sandra Gregory The two bridges were successfully bombed on 13 February 1945 by the Royal Air Force. Sailed from Singapore to Moji (Japan) departed 21/10/43 with 1155 POWs. Sailed from Singapore to Taiwan departed 5/6/44 with 800 POWs. Thailand is the most racist country in the world against ethnic European people. Though correctional facilities across the globe are subject to different laws, the sad truth is that prisons often fail to rehabilitate people and reduce crime rates. The camp commandants often refused to reply to questions put to them. Not one of them survived. Bang Kwang is one of the most feared prisons in Thailand housing inmates sentenced to long periods in prison from 30 years to a full life sentence. Of the 1210 people on board, a total of 339 were lost that night, 308 workers (including POWs), 26 prostitutes and 5 Japanese soldiers. In 2016, one of Lances legal team, Jeffrey Stevens. His sentence was dramatically cut because his. It left Manila on 13 December 1944 and over the next two days was bombed and strafed by American planes. x]u\?t#-%""e! Japanese staff worked and lived in the camp's administration building, which also contained storage and toilet facilities. It was this incident that prompted the famous POW rescue raids later in 1945. The survivors were put aboard the Brazil Maru which arrived in Moji, Japan, on January 29, 1945. The UK man is lucky to have the support of a committed and active family both at home and in Thailand who visit him as often as possible and provide an impressive level of support. Only 11 men escaped via holes in the perimeter fence, they later testified in war crimes tribunals. If you find an error or omission we would be pleased to hear from you and we'll correct or add any detail as necessary. All over Borneo hundreds and thousands of sick, weak, weary prisoners were marched on roads and paths until they fell from exhaustion, when their heads were beaten in with rifle butts and shovels, and split open with swords, and they were left to rot unburied. Jake Mostraini, the Australian man, must wait at least two more years to even apply and will serve a far longer prison term in Australia as his sentence in Thailand was two life sentence terms. When the POWs were unable to work because of illness their food ration was cut. This may have been because the wages were only on paper. With Interpols most wanted campaigns stepped up, that figure is now believed to have passed 2,500. Sailed from Singapore to Moji (Japan) with 1500 POWs on 25/4/43. Sailed back from Manila to Japan on 20/9/44 with 1289 POWs. Company guards were responsible for the POWs while they were at work. All the other guards received long prison sentences. The first project for the prisoners was to clean the building. Furthermore, the Japanese Government had been very negligent in keeping records of such historical facts during the war. 13 & 3 Camp, Cherison, Bandoeng, Java, JC /255 1 Allied Group Hospital, Lyceum, Bandoeng, Java, JC /156 Taiping Jail Perak ( amalgamated with ) Ipoh, Malaya, JC /288 Ipoh ( amalagamated with JC /156 ), Malaya, JC /296 Sungei Bulow, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Malaya, JC /316 Oesapa Bezar, Timor, Netherlands East Indies, JC /313 Los Banos and Santo Tomas Camps, Manila, Philippines, JC /1 Kanburi, Kanchanaburi, Khan Buri, Siam, JC /2 Pungyisho ( south of Tarsao ), Siam, JC /5 152 kilo railway camp, Hintock River Camp, Siam, JC /26 Tamuang,Taenvang, Tam Wang, Siam, JC /27 Wanyei, North Tarsao, 125 kilo railway camp, Siam, JC /34 Takelin, 101 kiol railway camp, Siam, JC /40 Linson, 202.5 kilo railway camp, Siam, JC /42 Kanyu, 140 kilo railway camp, Siam, JC /48 Pran Kashi, 208 kilo railway camp, Siam, JC /49 Tarkenun, 203 kilo railway camp and 211 kilo, Swinton's Camp, Siam, JC /50 Tampii, Arrahill, Jungle Camp, Siam, JC /53 227 kilo railway camp and 245 kilo, Siam, JC /55 Vajiravugh College, Bangkok, Siam, JC /56 Takanon, 228 kilo railway camp, Siam, JC /61 Klikrie, Klien Kli, Tarkenum, 240 kilo railway camp, Siam, JC /62 Ladya Railway Suppy Camp, Kanburi to Tarsao Road, Siam, JC /70 Bankow, Bangkao, 96 kilo railway camp, Siam, JC /71 Wampo South, 110 kilo railway camp, Siam, JC /72 245 kilo railway camp and 227 kilo, Siam, JC /81 Rin Tin, 82 kilo railway camp, Siam, JC /86 Tampii Camp, 147 kilo railway camp, Siam, JC /96 North Wamps, Wamps, 114 kilo railway camp, Siam, JC /99 Lampoe, 32 kilo north of Chieng-Mai, Siam, JC /126 230 kilo railway camp and 245 kilo, Siam, JC /133 Tamajo, 229 kilo railway camp, and 234, and 239 kilo, Siam, JC /137 Kachu Lu, Katchu Mountain Camp, Siam, JC /143 Bangan Camp, 9 kilo north of Brencasi, Siam, JC /159 Tarkenun,Swinton's Camp, 230 kilo railway camp, Siam, JC /164 Tarrua, 102 kilo railway camp, Siam, JC /178 Tagerry ( Burma/Siam border ), Siam, JC /190 Bontilon Camp, ( on Wampo to Tavoy Rd ), Bonti, Siam, JC /3 Kranji No. 15,029 men were treated in the hospital and 806 died and were initially buried here. 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