"But chances of a breakthrough in talks among the two Koreas, the United States and China appeared limited, after the North last week demanded that the agenda focus on a U.S. troop pullout from the South and that the United States signing a peace treaty with the North. Two previous rounds of the talks, in November and April, broke down over the same demands...."
"...U.S. and South Korean officials have indicated that the withdrawal of American troops from South Korea can be discussed. About 37,000 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea under a mutual defense treaty. But the United States and South Korea have ruled out signing a peace treaty between Washington and North Korea, without including the South. Washington maintains that any Korean peace treaty should be signed between the two Koreas."
"North and South Korea have been in a state of war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty. Their border is the world's most heavily armed, with nearly 2 million troops deployed on both sides. The talks are scheduled to last the rest of the week."
What About the POWs? - Recent escapee Chang Mu-hwan reported 30 South Korean POWs are still alive in the North. On October 11, the Korea Herald reported "More than 30 South Korean prisoners of war (POWs) still alive in North Korea have been identified, the Defense Ministry said yesterday."
"The valuable information was provided by Chang Mu-hwan, a former South Korean POW, the ministry said. Chang, 72, escaped North Korea in August and returned home late September via China, 45 years after being captured during the 1950-53 Korean War."
"Chang was reported to have stated in a probe that he and some 70 other South Korean POWs had been forced to work in the same coal mine in the North. He managed to remember the names of the 70 war colleagues. Among them, 40 have died, and the remaining 30 have very difficult lives due to shoddy work conditions and the current food crisis, Chang was quoted as saying. Another former POW, Yang Soon-yong who escaped last year, recently said he knew of 42 South Korean war prisoners still being held alive in the North."
"Their testimony brought to about 130 the number of South Korean POWs who are confirmed still held alive in the North, a ministry official said. They are among the thousands of South Korean POWs that North Korea has refused to return home after the war. Instead, they have been sent to work in remote coal mines or collective farms, the Defense Ministry official said...."
"...Chang was captured by Chinese troops while engaged in a battle at Kumhwa in July 1953, shortly before the cease-fire was signed between the United Nations Command, and North Korean and Chinese forces. The old soldier will be honorably discharged from service in a ceremony and subsequently hold a press conference on Oct. 20, the Defense Ministry said."
"He is the third former South Korean POWs who escaped the North and returned home more than 40 years after the war. The first was Lt. Cho Chang-ho who came home in 1994, and the second was Pvt. Yang last year."
While the unnamed South Korean ministry offIcial puts the total number of South Korean POWs held by the North at 130, the London Daily Telegraph reports the number as high as 3000.
According to an article dated october 12, 1998, "...South Korea believes that up to 3,000 of its soldiers captured during the war may still be alive, and is seeking the assistance of international agencies to pressure Pyongyang into repatriating them."
IF North Korea Holds South Korean POWs, how many United Nations command personnel are they holding? How many Americans are they holding? - Is anyone going to include them in the Peace Talks? What about the United Nations Personnel held POW, by the North? - Is anyone going to ask? How can you have peace talks and not include POWs? The South Koreans are seeking the help of international agencies to secure the release of their POWs. In the words of Bob Dumas "where the hell is this country. We are the only country that doesn't negotiate for POWs."
Someone is finally going to ask the Chinese - In a fax to POW Family Member Bob Dumas, DPMO advises that undersecretary of defense, Walter Slocombe, will make a inquiry regarding POW Roger Dumas. The following was provided by to Mr. Dumas by the Defense Casualty and Family Support Branch of DPMO:
"Inquiry Status: Initial"
"Discussion: Corporal Dumas was reported missing from the 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, in November 1950. Other American POWs reported that Corporal Dumas was captured and held in POW Camp #5 at Pyoktong. There is a reported sighting by POW of Corporal Dumas in good health as late as April 1953. We have also identified an individual in a group photo of POWs (from Chinese War-time publication) in the Pyoktong camp as possibly being Corporal Dumas. Several POWs reported seeing Dumas near the final repatriation point in August 1953. One POW reported that Corporal Dumas was led away from trucks that were to transport American POWs to repatriation at Panmunjom in August 1953."
"Request: In view of the reports of Corporal Dumas' captivity and survival at least until August 1953, request the Chinese Government review the records of POW Camp #5 at Pyoktong and the final repatriation records to determine if there is any information available which might resolve the fate of Corporal Dumas."
Note: In conversation with Bob Dumas, Bob stated he was never provided the photo referenced to in the report. "I never saw it, they never gave me a copy."
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Inquiry Status "Initial" - Are they kidding? Is this really the first time they've asked China about Roger Dumas?
Another Vietnamese Amnesty - Associated Press reported on october 23rd - "Vietnam is freeing 2,630 prison inmates under a presidential amnesty, the second big release in less than two months, a government source said today..."
"...Officials didn't say if the prisoners have been jailed for political or religious crimes. Vietnam claims it holds no one for religious or political beliefs, only people who have broken the law...."
"...The source said another batch of prisoners could be freed by the end of the year, and the government has said it is planning another general amnesty for the year 2000."
There is no reason to believe Americans will be included in this amnesty release.
Real Time Intelligence - From the Central Intelligence Agency - Intelligence Information Report dated 8 July 1970 - The report states: "Between April 1966 and March 1970 [blacked out] had in his custody the three prisoners described below..."
"a. One Caucasian, probably an Australian, was captured in early October 1966 while he was en route to Cholon via the Bien Hoa Highway. The prisoner stated that he was British born, a widower and, at the time he was captured, a civilian employee of the U.S. "Water and Land Transportation Company located in the Thu Duc District. He was about 37 years of age, weight 200 pounds, ruddy complexion, round fat face and beautiful teeth. He wore a wrist watch with an old silver casing on a wide leather wrist strap which has been given to him by his wife and who had recently died from tuberculous. He had two children who he had left with his sister in London before coming to Vietnam for a job with good pay."
"b: One American prisoner was named "Mik Kal," Vietnamese phonetic spelling. He was about 34 years of age, round face, full head of wavy light brown hair, large nose, prominent ears, about six feet tall and weighted about 180 pounds. He was captured the morning of the second day of the first attack of the 1968 Tet Offensive at Chuong Cho ("5 corner") Crossroads, Go Vap District, Gia Dinh Province. "Mik Kal" was brought to a prison camp where he stayed for almost a month. The Viet Cong (VC) unit which had captured him said that when they had unsuccessfully attacked the Co Loa Camp they had also attacked a neighboring American camp where "Mik Kal" whom they nicknamed "Major," was captured. However "Mik Kal" claimed to be only a civilian working in a dog training unit. At the time he was captured, "Mik Kal" wore a T-shirt which had initials printed in a circle on the front and on the back there was a dog's head. [blacked out]. Comment: [blacked out] stated that it was a caricature of a dog with a black nose and long droopy ears. "Mik Kal" had explained that this was the symbol of a dog training unit for which he worked. He wore a ring with a black stone on the middle finger of his right hand."
"c: The second American prisoner was a 19 year old PFC (E-2), a member the the U.S. Army 5th Engineering Battalion stationed in Cu Chi, Hau Nghia Province, who had been captured when he wondered into a VC camp in about April 1968.... He was from the southwest United States and had olive skin and short black hair. He was Spanish Catholic and when he prayed he kissed his thumb. He said he was from the low labor class in the United States and that he had volunteered to come to Vietnam for better pay."
Who were the American POWs? According to the report "Preliminary coordination with the Joint Personnel Recovery Center/JPRC/, Saigon, identified "Mik Kal" as Michael H. Kjome, GS-12, Pacific Architects and Engineers, who had been missing since 31 January 1968. The second U.S. prisoner was identified as PFC Ferdinand Rodriguez of the 65th Engineering Battalion, who was believed to have been captured on 21 April 1968. However, information on the remaining prisoners was insufficient for positive identification."
No doubt, no hesitation, Kjome and Rodriguez, that's what JPRC said, in 1970. Good source, good reporting, good evaluation and probably a whole lot more good intelligence then we've seen!
Both Michael Kjome and Ferdinand Rodriguez returned during Operation Homecoming, in 1973.
If Kjome and Rodriguez had not returned, and this report were being evaluated today, the report would no doubt be labeled a fabrication.
Has anyone ever seen - a report relating to a man still missing, putting him alive and in captivity, that was not labeled a fabrication or correlated to a returnee? Just asking!
A recent DoD Memorandum For Correspondents stated - "Since the end of American participation in the war in 1973, the remains of 504 Americans have been recovered and identified; 2,079 remain unaccounted-for."
Question to DoD - does that 504 number include servicemen such as Charles Rowley, Charlie Davis, Peter Matthes, Joe Matejov, Todd Melton, Dale Brandenburg, Joel Hatley and David Nelson to name but a few. Remember the men listed above were buried without any individually identifiable remains or in empty caskets like Nelson and Hatley. Remains recovered and identified, hardly! Shame on DoD for misrepresenting the facts.
