ON BOARD HMT DILWARA: War correspondents who have witnessed South East Asia Command’s officially acknowledged trepidation in accepting wartime “administrative risks” that might prejudice the post-war resumption of Imperialism, have been denied access to released Allied prisoners of war from Thailand, writes Charles A. Grumich, Associated Press war correspondent.

Instead the newsmen were kept aboard the ship incommunicado yesterday [Aug 28] and today while the first group of rescued prisoners were airborne from Bangkok — nearly 100 Americans, British, Australians, Dutch and Javanese — [they were] given a press release carrying a stereotyped version to suit the occasion. Although the world’s press was represented by correspondents, they were asked to accept as gospel a studied treatise which included a story of Siamese delight over the liberation forces …

Correspondents, idling unwillingly aboard ships on the high seas, pledged that they would not miss anything of news value, [and] have protested to Lord Louis Mountbatten who is reported to have replied: “Let them go ashore and cover the news.”

[The correspondents] were permitted to view the arrival of the Japanese peace delegation from Saigon and the signing of the document of surrender in the Government House, then hustled back aboard the ship...

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2020