WesWorld

Quoted from "Rooijen10"

So are you planning to put those spies against the wall or will they just end up in prison?

You *never* kill off a character until his usefulness is over, and even then, it is better to leave their fate nebulous - you never know when they need to return to advance the plot line.

:whistling:

To me the spy crew members of that fishing boat are like the red shirt crew members of the Enterprise: unknown, expendable and necessary to kill off for dramatic purposes. I am sure that the ones the Filipinos arrested are not the only ones. There are many more such spy boats around so if the storyline demands that you need another spy crew to terrorize, you just grab another boat.

Quoted from "Rooijen10"

To me the spy crew members of that fishing boat are like the red shirt crew members of the Enterprise: unknown, expendable and necessary to kill off for dramatic purposes. I am sure that the ones the Filipinos arrested are not the only ones. There are many more such spy boats around so if the storyline demands that you need another spy crew to terrorize, you just grab another boat. :)

But I am not done with them yet...

Just do what every proper bad guy would do!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8VXJJIwDsY
... oh wait, you're the good guy. China's the bad guy. *sends flowers to the Filipino funeral*

*Munching Pretzels*

Methinks I need to start sending some brochures to the region.

Naval Operating Base Puerto Princesa, Tuesday, 4 June 1946

Chen Jui-tien did not know where he was with any certainty. Since the Dong Fa 37 had been seized several days before he had been kept in solitary confinement below the deck of the several ships he had been imprisoned upon. When transferred between ships, he had been blindfolded. He believed that his officers had been treated likewise, but the deck crew of the Dong Fa 37 was another matter – and that worried him. Thankfully he had managed to dump the confidential code books over the side before he Philippine boarding party had come aboard, but they captured enough documents to indicate the trawler’s true purpose in Philippine waters. He would keep his silence; he was confident that his officers, wherever they were, would do likewise; but the deck crew, though they knew little of the trawler’s purpose and activities, could tell the Philippine authorities where she had been, and what she had done, since leaving Swatow.

Had their captors left them together he could have asserted his authority to enforce silence among them; if nothing else, he could remind them of the unfortunate consequences for their families should they reveal anything. The Philippine Navy had wisely precluded that by separating them, and were assuredly working on the weaker members of the crew to confess.


The Mindanao Post, Wednesday, 5 June 1946

Destroyers Marinduque and Maricaban completed at Butuan on Sunday, 2 June. These are the first of the new class of destroyers to emerge from the nation’s shipyards and their arrival is most timely given the increasing threat of Chinese aggression. They have already begun their trials and operational training, and will formally join the fleet in the autumn.

Manila, The Malacañan Palace, Thursday, 6 June 1946

President Arellano had called a meeting of the Council of Ministers to review the Chinese response to the arrest of the Dong Fa 37.

“Ambassador Wang was quite apologetic,” Foreign Minister Rómulo commented, “and I believe that he personally was quite sincere; the rest of the Chinese Government I have reservations about.”

“You are suggesting that they are keeping Wang in the dark?” responded Vice President Roxas.

“I am certain that Wang is not privy to all his Government’s decisions, as is our ambassador in Peking,” Rómulo admitted. “Which reminds me, do we wish to send him back at this time?” The question was left hanging in the air.

The President nodded. “So, the Chinese are apologetic, they regret the incident, they aver that the Dong Fa 37 strayed into our waters due to navigational error. It sounds as though they expect we will gain nothing from interrogating the crew.”

“The Chinese Government maintains that their surveillance of Itu Aba from a position on the high seas is within their rights, to monitor our adherence to the Treaty of Saigon,” Rómulo stated. “The law of nations is somewhat on their side.”

“I have asked the French ambassador to call later this afternoon,” Arellano said. “There are questions that require investigation. For the moment, we will maintain our vigilance, and the prosecution of the crew of the Dong Fa 37 will proceed. If the Chinese Government chooses to wash their hands of the matter, then it might loosen the tongues of her crew.”


Itu Aba Island, Friday, 7 June 1946

Captain Abcede and his men had never seen an aircraft as large as the one which now circled overhead – a huge high-wing plane with fixed landing gear and a bulbous nose. It circled the airstrip twice before making its final approach, lurching upon touchdown and rolling to a stop several hundred meters down the runway’s length. She bore the livery of Air Manila rather than the Philippine Air Force, and her pilot taxied her close to the group of tents that still served as the headquarters of the Constabulary detachment.

The entire nose of the aircraft cranked open and the aircrew slid back a hatch on the aircraft’s side, disgorging six new arrivals. The senior NCO walked over and saluted, “Sergeant Katigbak reporting sir”.

The airplane’s crew began to offload the cargo it brought. For the men who had been on the island for weeks it was like Christmas – insulated lockers filled with fresh food, lumber for the construction of more permanent quarters, bags of cement, steel reinforcing bars, and, squirreled away under a load of empty sandbags, several cases of San Miguel beer.

Abcede was more interested in the orders the sergeant had brought with him. Construction of a building suitable for housing several generators was to be accorded priority, and secure storage for fuel as well. It appeared that the timetable for development of the observation facilities on the island had been moved up.

The Mindanao Post, Sunday, 9 June 1946



Naval Operating Base Puerto Princesa, Monday, 10 June 1946

Chen Jui-tien was not certain what day it was; while they were polite enough in their interrogations, his captors were trying to break him through sleep deprivation – or so it seemed. His periods of sleep seemed impossibly short, despite the clock that was fixed to the wall outside his cell. There was no window, so he could not tell whether it was day or night. Though he was separated from his crew, he had been informed that they all would be tried on a charge of espionage; and, at least according to his captors, the Chinese embassy in Manila had washed its hand of them.

The door to the cell-block opened, and a guard brought Chen Jui-tien down the hall to the interrogation room. This offered little relief – for the room also had no window, and the short corridor between it and his cell was lit by artificial light. Upon entering the interrogation room he was confronted by a civilian in a business suit, who greeted him with the same false affability of the others who had questioned him.

“Good morning,” said the interrogator. “My name is Bagares; I have a few questions for you.”

It's that miscreant Bagares again! The poor fisherman being tortured by the evil AS agent...

... oh wait, that is according to Hollywood.

The Bohol Chronicle, Wednesday, 12 June 1946

The Senate has voted to approve additional funding for the Philippine Constabulary for acquisition of up to twelve amphibious aircraft for maritime search and rescue operations and general transport roles. It is expected that a request-for-proposal to the world’s principal aircraft manufacturers will be issued shortly.


The Philippine Herald, Friday, 14 June 1946

The Ministry of Defense has announced the establishment of an Air Security Zone covering air space within twelve nautical miles of Philippine national territory. Unidentified aircraft entering the zone will be challenged by aircraft of the Philippine Air Force. This move has been made in response to continued aerial intrusions by Chinese military aircraft engaged in provocative missions in and near Philippine air space.

Naval Operating Base Puerto Princesa, Monday, 17 June 1946

Gavin Bagares, Jesus Sotto, and Vicente Estanislao met in their temporary office in the Presidio to review the state of their investigation.

“Is there any reasonable doubt that the Dong Fa 37 was engaged in an espionage mission?” Bagares asked.

Estanislao laughed. “None that a Philippine jury would believe. We have the ship itself with its equipment; we have her log books; we have her message traffic. The physical evidence of her mission is overwhelming.”

“Her deck crew have also given statements that match,” Sotto added. “The boat’s captain and several others replaced their familiar officers at Swatow just before she sailed.”

“Yes,” Bagares sighed. “Unfortunately our questioning of Chen, Fong, and Liu has yet to yield anything in the way of a confession; Wu, the youngest officer has admitted that they were on an intelligence-gathering mission; but I want them all to confess. It looks so much better at trial.”

That got a laugh all-round. “Has the Public Prosecutor indicated when he will bring the case up?” Sotto asked.

“Not yet,” Bagares replied. “Which gives us time to continue our questioning. Let’s see if we can use Wu’s admission as a lever on the others.”


The Freeman (Cebu), Tuesday, 18 June 1946

The civil support ships Cabo Espiritu Santo and Cabo San Ildefonso were completed today at San Fernando naval shipyard. They have begun their trials and operational training, and it is anticipated that their deployment may be accelerated.

Itu Aba Island, Wednesday, 19 June 1946

The arrival of aircraft at Itu Aba had quickly progressed from the rare occasion to the regular monotony – about every other day a transport aircraft would fly in from Puerto Princesa bearing personnel, supplies, equipment, and mail. Sometimes it was one of the big Air Manila Bristol Freighters – which were generally reserved for outsize equipment – but more often or not a twin-engine Douglas C-47 of the Philippine Air Force. Salvador Abcede understood why airlift was being relied upon rather than sealift – the lack of docking facilities for large ships was still to be dealt with, and the limits on personnel permanently stationed on the island precluded work to improve them for the moment. Thus smaller naval vessels, commercial barges and aircraft kept his men going.

Much progress was being made. Generators now provided more than enough electricity to power the beacons that had been installed, to power the lights of their camp, and to feed power to a pair of searchlights that had been set up following the Dong Fa 37 Incident. Every few days a permanent hut would be completed and more of the men could be moved from tents to more substantial quarters. Some of the naval working party had returned to their ships, having been replaced by civilian contractors. The Constabulary contingent was limited to thirty men, supplemented by a contractors to run some of the more sophisticated navigational beacons; this gave Abcede concern, given their exposed position, but there was nothing he could do about it.


United Press International, Friday, 21 June 1946

Trial opened today in the Philippine city of Puerto Princesa of the crew of the Chinese-flag fishing vessel Dong Fa 37 on charges of espionage.

The Mindanao Examiner, Monday, 24 June 1946

A consortium of local and foreign investors have established the Gulf Plantation Company in the city of Gingoog. The firm will engage in the logging of timber and development of the pineapple industry in an extensive area along Gingoog Bay.


The Freeman (Cebu), Tuesday, 25 June 1946

Spelling nitpick: "Mush greater cooperation between..." :P

Even while I'm up to my eyebrows in moving house, I can't stop being an editor...

Quoted from "Brockpaine"

Spelling nitpick: "Mush greater cooperation between..." :P

Even while I'm up to my eyebrows in moving house, I can't stop being an editor...

And since it is a newspaper photo (image) you'll have to live with it. :P

It's good to know that somebody reads my stuff. ;)

'Mush', the new 'Much'.
'Mush'. More than just 'Much'.
'Mush' is much, much more than regular 'Much'.

Quoted from "BruceDuncan"

It's good to know that somebody reads my stuff. ;)

I always read your stuff. I can only think of a reply 5% of the time. :P

Quoted from "Brockpaine"

Quoted from "BruceDuncan"

It's good to know that somebody reads my stuff. ;)

I always read your stuff. I can only think of a reply 5% of the time. :P

Thanks!

I read it all.
I love how you find all these interesting archive shots.

The Manila Times, Thursday, 27 June 1946

The former fleet oiler Bambu entered dry dock today at Puerto Princesa, as part of her final demolition. She is to be replaced in service by several smaller tankers reconstructed from merchant hulls.


Naval Operating Base Cavite, Saturday, 29 June 1946

Kapitein-luitenant ter Zee Eugène Lacomblé appreciated the fact that his Philippine counterparts had shared with him the summary report of observations made by Philippine submarines operating off the south China coast. With the rise in tensions between the two nations he had become concerned about a potential drift to war; China was constantly rattling its sabre, and the Philippines seemed to be preparing carefully for a ‘Round Two’. That said, if the submarine reports were to be trusted, China was more bark than bite. Naval activity appeared to be at normal levels, with no build-up of forces in the south; training of units based there was routine. Of course, China’s principal fleet bases were in Formosa or further north, beyond the ken of Philippine patrols – and a shift from thence could be made quickly.