Nuns on 425-mile forced march

By DOUGLAS HYDE
THE Vietminh Communists have made a party of missionaries, including nuns, eniure a 425-mile forced march reminiscent of the not ous Korean "Death March" to the Yallu River suffering.
Scraps of news received in recent weeks had already indicated that something of the sort had taken place.
Now a letter giving more details has been received by the Sisters Of Charity at St. Anne's Convent, Ealing, London, from a cousin of Sister Jeanne Antide, who has charge of the congregation's mission in Laos and was herself on the march.
Sister Jeanne was seized by the Viet Minh COmmunist troops last April and her captivity lasted until October, During that time. she and a number of others, including Mgr. Arnand, Bishop of Laos, and a Fr. Maio, were made to march the 425 miles through rough mountain country to a concentration camp.
Fr. Maio died as the result of hardship during his captivity and Bishop Arnand is reported to be in a serious condition.
Night and day
They were taken up mountain slopes, across hills, through valleys and bush land, driven by their guards across rice fields and through streams and rivers.
They were made to maintain military marching speed. constantly under the threat of machine guns, which they were told would be used against them even if they took a little water in the hollow of their hands to rinse their mouths while crossing rivers.
They passed through villages at night and came and went regardless of whether it was night or day.
Sister Jeanne carried only a small sleeping mat.
Their food consisted in the main of a little rice cooked in water each morning and evening. Often they came near to dying of hunger.
Sometimes native Catholics learned of their presence in a village and secretly got food or money to them. On one occasion a few bananas passed to them in this way literally saved their lives, as they came when the missionaries were on the verge of dying of starvation.
On another occasion a pineapple was hidden by Catholics in the
leaves • near a cabin where Sister Jeanne and her companions had been put. One by one they crept out to cat a little slice of it in secret.
The letter says: "The spiritual sufferings of the missionaries were less severe than their physical ones, for Mgr. Arnand succeeded in keeping the Messed Sacrament for four month s, arid even said Mass secretly."
They were brought at their liberation by military ambulance to Haiphong. where Bishop Arnand was detained in hospita 1. Sister Jeanne received treatment for sores on her feet and legs, the result of the march.
Her eyesight has been left badly impaired as the result of a skin disease. presumably caused by the deficient diet.
Wbcn the letter was written, however, Sister Jeanne was impatiently waiting for permission to return to Laos again in order to he hack on her mission.