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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (June 10, 1962)
2 B SUNDAY. JUNE 10. 1962 MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFOHD, OREGON Chinese Refugees Tell Story o (Editor'! not: During tht past month, i curioui social drama was portrayed on tht r o n 1 1 r of Communist China. For a law days, th Red Chinas seaming ly threw open the usually lightly controlled border to Hong Kong. An estimated 60,000 persons eagerly streamed into the British administered enclave. For economic and political re tons, most oi them were tent back. (A few of the refugees evaded deportation. UPI correspondent Arthur Dom men interviewed three tuch recent arrival! from the China Mainland. He report! on the reaiom which com pelled them to forsake their homeland for what they be lieve will be a better lite in Hong Kong's teeming slums. By ARTHUR J. DOMMEN United Press International Hong Kong-IUPIl-The three young men sat opposite tills correspondent in a bare room One was a carpenter, one an unemployed factory worker and the third an 18-year-old student from a rural village. They had one thing in com mon: they had fled from Communist China a fortnight ago. It would be misleading (o assume that the stories these men told me were representa tive of the 39 million inhabi tants of Kwangtung province which borders Hong Kong in South China. Generalizations applicable to the whole of China would be even less just ified. Each of the three young men appeared physically able. Certainly, none was starving although there are persistent reports of widespread famine and starvation in China. But each told a story of hardship and despair under the Red Chinese "great leap forward." All three crossed the border in the floodtide of HO, 000 would-be refugees, All three had somehow evaded depor tation by the Hong Kong police-one by lumping from a rolling police truck as it was carrying him back to the border. Their reasons for deciding to leave their homes and try to find a haven in Hong Kong were simple. They had had three long years of scarce food, when a balanced meal was unheard of, when getting rice and vegetables meant buying ration cards at black market rales, when meat was available in two-ounce por- .v - " :- REACH FOR FOOD For a few days last month, the Communist Chinese relaxed their usually firm grip on the border between Red China and Hong Kong. An estimated 60,000 persons eagerly streamed across the frontier into the British-administered en clave. But, for economic and political reas sons, most of them were sent back. Here, eager hands reach for food parcels thrown by residents of Hong Kong as a truck car ries refugees back to the border. (UPI) tions only once a year-at New Year's. They were tired of invent ing Ingenious devices to ex tend their clothing rations. They were jealous of watch ing regular army soldiers eat ing well. Upsot Pattern of Lives They were angry at seeing Northerners running the coun try, graduully ruining their formerly rich Kwangtung ag riculture with flat directives from Pciping and upsetting the pattern of their lives with constant reorganizations and campaigns. The carpenter and factory workers from Canton were ngry at being displaced to the countryside to work; the (arm lad was angry at seeing the rice fields invaded by unemployed urban workers. In short, they were fed up. When the word went around that the cadres were no longer preventing mass escapes Into Hong Kong, they went. Take the case of Lee Ying Sun, 24. He was ordered in March, 1950, to return to his parent's farm village of Goi san. He fled back to Canton that August as a hawker. There were more arrests and more trips to the country. "Hut it was better eating in Canton than in the coun try," he said. "At least in Canton you had the black market." After May 1 this year, peo ple in Canton began talking openly of the fact that guards were no longer preventing people from going to Hong Kong, even without officially ; issued exit permits. Lee bought a train ticket to Ping Wu, the nearest stop to the border. All the people in the train were going to make the crossing into Hong Kong. From Ping Wu. station it was' a four-hour walk to the next town, Shumchun, There, Lee and his friends rested until dark, when they made their way to the border. They met one guard. He asked them where they were coming from and where they were going. They said. "Can ton, going to Hong Kong." The guard said to them: "Not this way. That way, over there." They crossed the border on the night of May 7. About 10 persons pushed down the frail wire fence on the British side. On the morning of May 8. Lee was arrested by Hong Kong police. On the ride back to the border for deportation he jumped from a truck and ran, losing himself in the crowd. Chou Shin-Fun, a student at Sai Wu Middle school in Wai Chow, a town of 18.000 about 60 miles from the bor der, reached safe haven four days- earlier. "Village by village around the town people wjre desert ing the countryside to jour ney to Hong Kong,'" he re called. The cadres made no effort to stop them. But offi cially the travelers never re ceived any sanction for the exodus. The word in town was that the Hong Kong police were sending everyone back. Still, they went. Chou, who was alone, dug a hole under the British fence. He hid in some bushes for three days. Then he hid in a farmhouse for three days. When the farmer refused to harbor him any longer for fear of trouble with the po lice, Chou hid in a country school for another three days. Smuggled Into City Then he met a group of students, who smuggled him into the city. As a student, Chou was re ceiving 15 catties (14 pounds) of rice per month. He took some rice ration cards from his pocket and showed them to this correspondent. He also ate some vegetable! and meat only once a year. Soldiers stationed in Wai Chow had a ration of 45 cat ties (45 pounds) of rice per month, as well at receiving four ounces of precious oil, which the Chinese use for cooking. Chou said he often saw soldiers buying potatoes on the black market. Wai Chow is well-known for its pota toes. Wong Ying, 30, described himself as an "occasional fac tory worker," meaning he was mostly unemployed. A friend bought a railway ticket for him on May 18. On May 19 he took the 9:30 a.m. train from Canton station to Ping Wu. When he reached Shumchun on foot it was al most dark. He hid in the bushes for some time. Then walking along the border looking for an open ing, Wong saw about 20 regu lar communist soldiers on guard. They asked no ques tions, however. "If you were going to Hong Hardship, Despair Subscribers To report improper or non delivery of the Mall Tribune in Medlord. phone 772-8141; Ash land call at 1224 Iowa tt. or phone 4R2-3002: Montague and Vreka. phone Globe 9-3171. be fore 6:45 p.m. daily and 10:30 a.m Sunday If regular delivery arrive shortly after you call please notify office, thus elimlnaUng peclal messenger service. Kong they would not ask any will apply for a Hong Kong questions, Wong said. "But if you were returning from Hong Kong they would search your pockets and ques tion you. Wong slept in a clump of bushes for three days in the hills on the British side of the border while police comb ed the area with searchlights and armed patrols. He reached the town of Sheung Shui, near Hong Kong at 9 p.m. on May 22, and was there taken in hand by some students who smuggled him to the city past police road blocks. Wone Than Before Conditions in Canton were now worse than before "lib eration" in 1949. "Everything is limited," he said. People in Canton broke shop windows in order to obtain food, especially in 1960. Wong said 1960 and 1961 were bad years. "While I was eating in a restaurant once someone grabbed my bowl of noodles and ran away with it to eat. I've heard of similar things happening td other people." . Lee, Chou and Wong had never met before they reach ed Hong Kong. Yet, they had this in common: they belong ed to the small minority of the 60,000 who crossed the border who managed to re main here. After a suitable period they identity card. If they get it, they will just become three more additions to the swarm ing masses of Hong Kong's tenement dwellers. PARENTS : V Are your children musically inclined? Will they fake to the piano? Will they practice? Is the investment worthwhile? I ATTEMTIOM NAME I'S NOW OPEN 24 HOURS 7 Days a Week 1025 South Riverside BREAKFAST ANYTIME ADDRESS CITY Please Send Me Full Details on the PRACTICAL NURSING SCHOOL Adult Education Office, Medford Senior High Phone 773-7220 , i ii lMaWMWMseMWBMaiaM RE Find an answer to these questions . . . and give your youngsters (and even yourself) an oppor tunity to learn to play the piano for less than you ever imagined! ENJOY A STEINWAY, EVERETT OR WURLITZER PIANO nt m FOR TWO MONTHS! tt sounds fantastic, but thanks to Purucker's, it is absolutely TRUE! You can rent a brand NEW PIANO from many decorator designed styles and finishes FREE for two summer months! All you pay is the rental fee of only $9.75 per month for the follow inrq 3 months. You'll be enjoying a NEW PIANO for FIVE MONTHS . . . but only paying for three. Naturally, if you decide to buy later, all money paid on rental will be credited toward the purchase price! This is the perfect way to TRY before you BUY! But act quickly, this offer good only through June 30th. PURUCKER in MUSIC HOUSE North Central Phone 773-7538 Suggestions and Rules for Writing Your FREE ACTION ADS 1. Students from 7 through 17 years of age may run a FREE CLASSIFIED ACTION AD to find work, soil unused .items or offer Items for trade to earn money. Automotive parts and units are not accepted. 2. Each ad will run three consecutive times absolutely free. WRITE YOUR AD NOWI Bring or Mail it to the Classified Ad De partment of the Mail Tribune beginning Monday, June 4, or not later than 5 p.m., June 13. The first ads will begin appear ing Thursday evening, June 7, and the last ads will finish June 17. 3. Sorry ... no phone orders! Write your ad plainly on the FREE ACTION Ad-O-Gram Coupon. Use up to 25 words. Be sure to sign your name, age, address, phone number and your parent or guard ian must sign the form to show their ap proval. 4. The Mail Tribune reserves the right to edit, limit or refuse FREE CLASSIFIED ACTION ADS that do not conform with the above rules or policies of this newspaper. J. Station KYJC will cooperate with the Mail Tribune Classified Department June 7th to 17th by reading your ACTION ADS as a Public Service during the daily broad cost. (NOTE TO PARENTS OR GUARDIAN) Help ul mkt this in flducitionil benefit for your child. Let ths children write their own dt, (to con form with the ebove rules) with si little help t possible. We wsnt these sdi to be the children's work! Suggest to them whet they mey advertise, but let them tnioy the experience of idvertising, end hive the fun of seeing their efforts in print. Is Action Time for YOUTH 0 Find a Job! 0 Sell Unused Items! Make a Trade! Have CASH for Vacation and Summer Activities TEON for STUDENTS CI'P and Use This couPn For Your Free Action Ad 7 thru 17 June 7 to 17 WANT AD ideas for free action ads For the Best RESULT STORY from one of the FREE ACTION ADS The Mail Tribune and KYJC WILL PRESENT OOC SAVINGS 93 BOND For the best story, in 50 words or less, telling the results you received from your FREE ACTION AD. Moil your letter to the Classified Ad Department, Med ford Moil Tribune. PO Box 1352, Med ford, Oregon, on or before June 30, 1962. Yard Work Sell Clothing Child Care Sell Pets Farm Work Find Lost Items Store Work Trade Toys Odd Jobs Trade Bikes Sell Toys Trade Books Soil Bike Trade Records Sell Books Trade Clothing Sell Records Trade Pets Sell or Trade Sport Equipment S MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE AND KYJC FREE Action-Ad-o-gram NAME PHONE . ADDRESS ... SCHOOL Z AGE Parent's or Guardian's Signature i HERE IS MY AD: (Write 1 word per spice, not over 25) BRING OR MAIL TO: MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE No Phone Ads Accepted Classified Dept. Ads Accepted June 4 33 No. Fir P.O. Box 1352 Through 5 P.M. June 13 Medford, Oregon
