China's military treat POWs like friends

iam2am  Updated: 2004-05-28 16:59

In sharp contrast to US troop's cruel abuse of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan, Chinese People's Voluntary Army have given friendly and humane treatment to US POWs in North Korea war over 50 years ago, providing them the best service that only friends might enjoy, unlike the asphyxiation, sexual humiliation or other mental and physical mistreatment that US soldiers had done to their prisoners.

The prison camp, located in the North Phyongan of North Korean, had thousands of POWs from the so-called united forces. Ms. Zhou Yuanmin, a senior editor in People Daily and joined the management of US POWs in North Korea, said that there was a iron rule in treating prisoners, "no Chinese soldier should beat or scold US prisoners, or search their pockets. American prisoners were allowed to keep their own cigarettes and other personal belongings. The valuables like the golden watch were registered and managed by the Prisoner Management Authority, and were returned to the owners when they were repatriated." Ms. Zhou worked as a translator in the prison at that time.

According to her, China's military have taken various measures to ensure the US prisoners could sleep well, eat well, and live well. In cold winter days, China provided cotton clothes, caps, gloves, quilts and blankets to those invaders who have dragged the new born China into a war and killed thousands of Chinese and North Korea people. Those POWs could have rice, flour, potato, soybean and meat everyday, a living standard for regiment leaders. Unfortunately, some Chinese soldiers when transporting food to those prisoners died in the US planes' bombing. Considering the westerners' custom, Prisoner Management Authority even bought toaster to offer bread for the POWs. Zhou Enlai, China's former Premier, ordered to improve the POWs' food nutrition, and deployed more doctors to the prison to help POWs, while some doctors even denote blood in saving a US pilot.

The Prisoner Management Authority also tried many ways to improve the POWs' living situation, buying foreign books and establishing a library for the prisoners. Ms. Zhou said she also saw ice skate, chess, basketball and football for the POWs. Furthermore, there were musical instrument of western countries like saxophone for the POWs to play. Compared with US solder's humiliations to Iraq prisoners, China's military attached importance to the prisoners' religion, and held parties to celebrate Christian's Christmas and Thanksgiving Day, and Muslim's Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha. In November 1952, the Prisoner Management Authority even organized a "POW Olympics", and about 500 POWs participated the wrestling, boxing and basketball. However, the soldiers of the United States, a country that always portrayed itself the human rights defender and always criticized China, were doing great harm to Iraq and Afghanistan prisoners.

Visitors from the world, including the journalists from Newsweek magazine and international peace-lovers, have witnessed the China's friendly treatment to those POWs. The photos of prisoner's comfortable life, published by Newsweek, led to thanks letters from the POW's families in the United States. White, a reporter of The Associated Press, said in an article that Chinese People's Voluntary Army treated the US prisoners well, gave them the better food, and tried to help those injured POWs. Members of the Red Cross visited the prison many times and concluded that nothing went against Geneva Conventions.

China's efforts have transformed some prisoners from warmonger to peace-lovers. It happened at last that some prisoners refused to return to their country and insisted to work in China after the war ended. Some prisoners later worked in Beijing, Shandong, Tianjin and other cities with better condition. One of those prisoners later studied in Renmin University of China (RUC), a key national comprehensive university in China, and then taught English in Shandong University in Shandong Province.

The above content represents the view of the author only.

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