Chida Sotomatsu and others

003
DATE OF CRIMES
29 August - 10 September 1943. 1 - 29 September 1943. 29 September 1943.
LOCATION OF CRIMES
Kanburi POW Camp, Siam (present-day Thailand)
DATE OF TRIAL
5, 6 and 7 February 1946
LOCATION OF TRIAL
Singapore
Case Summary

The defendants faced various charges alleging that they maltreated and beat several POWs in their custody, resulting in severe suffering and injuries for six of them and the deaths of two others.

For more information see:

http://www.legal-tools.org/doc/d0124c/

http://www.legal-tools.org/doc/e3a78d/

http://www.legal-tools.org/doc/06c073/

Defence counsel complained to the court that defence witnesses should be dressed in apparel fitting their ranks, as it was customary in international law to allow officers to wear their badges of rank and decorations, and that even the Japanese permitted British officers to wear their decorations. However, the witnesses were not allowed to wear boots and Defence counsel claimed that they were presented in court looking like 'ragamuffins'. In response, the court granted an adjournment so they could be properly dressed. However, Japanese uniforms were not readily obtainable and the witnesses eventually gave evidence as they were originally dressed.