Secret Massacre that Shames UK
Suspected communists captured in the jung
Richard Creasy (Express.co.uk)
FOR MORE than 60 years it has remained a stain that has besmirched the proud history of the British Army. Accusations of an act of appalling brutality by a group of Virgin Soldiers in Malaya have never been laid to rest.
In a remote jungle community, a patrol from the Scots Guards killed 24 unarmed men before setting fire to their village.
Amid claims of a cover-up, demands for a public inquiry have been ignored and there has never been an apology from the British Government for the killings in the village of Batang Kali in December 1948.
This week families of the villagers who died will travel to the High Court in London to fight for what they claim is the true story to emerge.
Relatives, including two women who as children witnessed the killings, will be in court to support lawyers during a judicial review they hope will lead to a full independent investigation.
The Batang Kali killings, during British colonial rule in Malaya, have been likened to the infamous 1968 My Lai massacre when US soldiers wiped out a Vietnamese village.
|
“We are not asking for anyone to be prosecuted because it was so long ago.”
|
|
Solicitor John Halford, representing the families |
Solicitor John Halford, representing the families, said: “We are not asking for anyone to be prosecuted because it was so long ago but the relatives need to get to the bottom of what happened. None of the villagers was wearing a military uniform or emblem. None was armed and none offered any violence to the patrol.
“There was simply no basis or justification for the use of lethal force. However, over the course of two days the patrol shot dead 24 unarmed Chinese, all but two of the adult men of the village. Many of the victims were mutilated and the village was burned to the ground leaving the victims’ dependants destitute.
“It is clear there was a violation of human rights of the worst kind at the hands of British soldiers but that has never been accepted by the Government. There has never been an apology to the victims or their families.”
Read more at: Secret Massacre that Shames UK
More news at:
Revealed: how Britain tried to legitimize Batang Kali massacre
Massacre relatives launch legal bid
