POWs were treated fairly

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-10-27 09:45

China voluntarily repatriated the first group of prisoners of war (POWs) fighting for the Unites States-led allied army soon after the Chinese army of volunteers won its first battle with the US army at Unsan before the end of 1950.

Chairman Mao Zedong personally gave the go-ahead when the Chinese army commander-in-chief, Peng Dehuai, put forward the proposal, according to Kun Ling in her biography of General Du Ping, which was published in April.

Kun Ling is the pen name of General Du's daughter.

Du, chief of the Political Department of the Chinese People's Army of Volunteers, was in charge of managing the POWs. He was also involved in negotiating the armistice.

His department issued strict orders that the Chinese army must treat the POWs fairly. The Chinese army also released seriously wounded soldiers into enemy occupied zones quickly after each battle in the hope that these soldiers would receive better and immediate medical treatment, Kun Ling wrote.

"Father said to the officers in charge of POW camps: 'The management of POWs will impact not only their repatriation but also our country's international image... We must ask all officers with the Department of POWs to study international law, become familiar with the Geneva Convention (relative to the treatment of POWs)... They must take the lead and demonstrate ... the great generosity of the Chinese people," Kun Ling wrote.

The top priority for Du and his officers was to enable the POWs to live and be healthy. Although China could not produce penicillin on its own, the army still saved some for treating seriously ill POWs.

The Chinese army command also had rice, flour and meat sent to the POW camp to improve the meals. Cooks were selected from among the POWs. They built ovens and were able to bake breads and prepare Western food, Kun Ling wrote.

The POWs also organized clubs and sports teams. They put on dramas and staged a small version of the Olympic Games, drawing some 500 to participate. Kun Ling recalled that her father watched a basketball match between the Chinese camp wardens and the POWs, but the Chinese lost the game.

The largest scale repatriation of ill and wounded POWs took place on April 26, 1953, during which 684 POWs from the US and its allies were released.

The Korean War armistice agreement was signed on July 27, 1953. Between Aug 5 and Sept 6, Du was in charge of releasing all the POWs, Kun Ling wrote.

According to Kun Ling, the number of non-Korean POWs released was 4,912.

China Daily