没有回家的士兵（三）

——印度媒体刊登萧竹青等人墓地的消息

 

2008年12月21日星期日

 

 

萧竹青烈士的照片

凝视着他，我的心情是难于用笔墨来表达的。我近在咫尺，却不能和他相见！

他是那样的年轻，那样的英俊……

萧烈士安葬的那个地方不远，叫做“鬼门关（the Hell of Gate）”；过了鬼门关，就是“不归湖（the Lake of no Return）”，说得是古代沿着“蜀身毒道”，深入缅甸蛮异前往中国的印度人。当他们过了“鬼门关”和这个小湖泊之后就消失在了茫茫林海之中，大部分一去不归……

 

一．中国转转印度方面的消息

很久之前，中国工人日报刊登了一条消息：

     印度发现二战期间中国士兵墓地

[法新社印度莱卡帕尼4月9日（指2000年）电]一位印度官员今天说，印度东部阿萨姆邦的村民发现了一处墓地，专家们认为那里安息着第二次世界大战期间在印度牺牲的200名中国士兵。拉托尔上校对本社记者说：“这些坟墓排列整齐，四周围有砖墙，墓顶盖着水泥板。其中一块碑上有中文铭文，这证明在这场战争中牺牲的中国士兵被一起埋藏在这里。”

这些坟墓是在阿萨姆邦首府高哈蒂以东550公里的一个村子里发现的。

拉托尔说，中文铭文显示，这些阵亡士兵来自中国湖北省，属于中国军队“独立工兵第二营”。

一个月前，在毗邻的阿鲁纳恰尔邦（与中国有争议地区）发现了约1200名中国、英国、美国和印度士兵的坟墓。

这两处墓地都位于著名的“史迪威路”沿线。这条公路是以二战期间驻中国、缅甸和印度的美国部队司令史迪威将军的名字命名的。

一位政府官员说，印度欢迎中国专家到阿鲁纳恰尔邦的集体墓地进行考察。

 

这个消息发表不久，朋友就把这个消息的内容全部转告了我。那时我在筹划着去史迪威公路。我想，如果可能，我就一定要到这里看一看。

 

 

二．第一条消息——印度网站的消息

后来，我在查阅英文的网站时，找到了下面的消息：

http://changlang.nic.in/interest.html

这条消息的标题是“Place of Interests（有意思的地方）”，是印度东北阿鲁纳恰尔邦（原

来是阿萨姆邦，后划归阿鲁纳恰尔邦（Arunachal Pradesh）。这个邦的北部地区和中国存在着争议，中国官方并不承认）的Changlang district县一个旅行网站。

     这个网站以“二战公墓”的标题，用英文刊登了这个墓地的情况，全文如下：

 

The Cemetery of World War-II,

Jairampur, India.

The recently unearthed large Burial-ground with about 1,000 graves of allied soldiers believed to be mostly of Chinese, Kachins, Indian, British and Americans soldiers who died in Second World War is located at Stilwell Road ( Ledo Road ) in the Jairampur-Nampong road, Changlang district, Arunachal Pradesh, India.

 The hidden cemetery covered with thick jungles midst of the bank of Namchik River and on the Stillwel Road ( Ledo Road ), 6 km from Jairampur town, 39 km from Ledo and 24 Km before reaching Pangsau Pass ( Hell Pass ), India - Burma (Myanmar) border. The Army has cleared the area and found about 1,000 graves within an area of about three acre. The boundary was enclosed by concrete posts with entrance on three sides. The graves are arranged in five Lines and several rows. A large grave, possibly a mass burial, is in the centre. The bricks were from Ledo AR&T Co's brick fields, and others marked as B&C-119 and IR.N!C9 were being used.

The most of the graves in the Cemetery are damaged due to wild Elephants, wear and tear in the course of time and tempered due to miscreants.

 Perhaps, this cemetery might have constructed during the construction of the Ledo Road (Stilwell Road) from Ledo, India to Kunming, China via Burma connecting the Burma Road beyond Bhamo by allied forces starting from December 1942 to May 1945 in China-Burma-India (CBI) theatre of military operation against the Japanese forces in North Burma.

During the construction of road and fighting against the Japanese forces, numbers of allied soldiers were reported to have died due to malaria, dysentery, land slides, enemy fires and other causes. The Patkai range of Indo-Burma border and Shindbwiyang range in north Burma were one of the most difficult terrains in the World where the road construction was carried out by the allied forces led by General Joseph W. Stilwell while fighting against the Japanese forces who had taken over the whole Burma in their hand in 1942. Perhaps, the cemetery might have used for disposal of dead soldiers from site of war front and calamities out of road construction in India and Burma fronts. While trekking and fighting down the Ledo Road to Myitkyina, Burma, the stronghold of Japanese forces, large number of allied soldiers were reported to have died due to Diseases, calamities and missed in action while fighting.The casualties at war fronts in Burma were reported to have been evacuated by C-47's Ambulance planes and treated at the various base Hospitals at Ledo road and at Ledo, Assam, India and most of the dead soldiers might have disposed off at this cemetery. It is also reported that most of the casualties were treated at the 20th General Hospital, the 14th Evacuation Hospital, or the 111th Station Hospital in the Ledo area. In course of time, those Hospitals have also completely vanished.

 The Excerpt of inscription extracted from the Epitaph of comparatively larger grave inscribed in Chinese language, shown in right hand side photo is belongs to Late Major Hsiao Chu Ching, Company Commander 2nd Company, 2nd Battalion of 10th Regiment, Independent Engineers of Chinese Army stationed in India. He was born in July 1913 at Wei Country of of Hapeh province, and died in December 1943. `All officers and men of the Second Company - January 5, 1944.'

The Memory of Late Major Hsiao Chu Ching Chinese allied soldiers who died in December 1943 during the World War-II, Jairampur, India.

印度Jairampur的二战公墓

在印度的Jairampur的二战公墓

 

这个网站公布的照片

    最近发现的墓地大约有1，000多盟军士兵的巨大的坟地，相信大部分是中国人、克钦

人（缅甸民族，和云南的景颇族相同）、印度人、英国人和美国士兵。他们在二战死在了史迪威公路（利多公路）的Jairampur-Nampong公路的Changlang地区。

萧竹青的墓碑

 

这些公墓掩藏在Namchik河流岸边的茂密的丛林中间，在史迪威公路（利多公路）路

边，从Jairampur小镇出来6公里，从利多出来大约39公里，距离印度缅甸边境的Pangasau

山口（Hell Pass 鬼门关）大约24公里。军队清除了这个地区，结果发现了1，000个墓地，占地三英亩。这个墓地三个边沿都有水泥的邮箱。墓地有5队7行。有一个大的墓地，可能是集体墓地在中间。这里的砖头来自利多的AR&T Co's砖厂，另外有一些砖头上有B&C-119和IR.N!C9的符号。

这里的大部分墓地都因为野象和风化而破损。

也许，这个公墓是建立在利多公路（史迪威公路）建设时期，这条公路从印度的利多通过滇缅公路的八莫附近到中国的云南。1942年12月－1945年5月，盟军的中缅印战区和在缅甸北部的日本人作战。

    在修路和于日本人作战期间，记录有许多盟军士兵死于疟疾、痢疾、滑坡、敌人的枪口下和其他事故。Patkai山脉位于印度缅甸边境，新平洋山脉在缅甸北部，这些山脉是世界上最困难的地区之一，公路建设在史迪威将军领导下进行，他们要和1942年占领缅甸的日本人作战。也许这些公墓是用来处理那些在前线和修路是事故死亡的士兵。当公路艰苦前进到密支那时，这是日本人的一个坚固据点，大量士兵在记录上是死于疾病、事故和在战斗中失踪。在缅甸前线死亡报告中记录的是C-47的活动医院，还有在利多公路和利多的医院，那个时候大部分死去的士兵可能就埋葬在这里。还有一些死亡记录是第20总医院和14活动医院，或者在利多的111兵站医院。随着时间的流逝，这些医院也完全消失了。

公墓中大的墓地的中文墓志铭是萧竹青（Hsiao Chu Ching）少校（追认），第10团第2营第2连的连长。这是在印度的中国独立工兵团。他生于1913年的河北省威县，死于1943年12月。“所有的军官和士兵都是第二连的1944年1月5日”

 

   同时公布了几张照片。

 

三．第二条消息——印度网站的消息

今天，我又查阅到了另外一条消息：

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080129/jsp/northeast/story_8834397.jsp

 

Monumental neglect of war graves

- Discovered in 1997, Jairampur cemetery gets entangled in red tape 

ATONU CHOUDHURI

 

The war cemetery at Jairampur in Arunachal Pradesh. A Telegraph picture 

Jairampur, Jan. 28: A conservation law that judges the importance of a place of historical interest by its antiquity has ensured that the region’s largest World War II cemetery — undiscovered till 1997 — remains in obscurity.

 

The Arunachal Pradesh Monuments and Architecture Preservation Act, 1990, stipulates that any structure or place of historical importance can be “officially protected” if it is at least 100 years old. Since the seven rows of graves tucked away inside a forest along the Jairampur stretch of the Stilwell Road are only 62 years old, they must — going by the book — wait another 38 years for their place in the sun.

 

Nobody seems more distressed by this monumental tale of neglect than the man who led the team that discovered the graves of around 1,000 Taiwanese, American, Kachin and Indian soldiers, engineers and workers who died in the line of duty.

 

Tage Tada, an archaeologist and the director of the research department, combined scraps of historical data and traced the graves to a place 30km from the famous Pangsau Pass (Hell Pass) in Changlang district, bordering Myanmar. It was an area only the bravest of villagers had ventured into previously and Tada’s team was the first to officially confirm the presence of graves of World War II vintage there.

 

The Jairampur site has more graves than any other war cemetery in the Northeast, including Kohima War Cemetery. One of the epitaphs in Chinese and English reads: “Major Hsiao Chu Ching, Company Commander of 2nd Company of 2nd Battalion of 10th Regiment, Independent Engineers of Chinese Army stationed in India, died in December 1943.”

 

The inscription on Ching’s grave, still legible, states that he was born in July 1913 in “Wei Country of Hapeh Province”.

 

Does Ching’s family now know where he lies? Very unlikely, given the fact that the Jairampur graveyard has not even been officially accorded the status of a war memorial.

 

“A little effort from the government could have saved this cemetery from decay and destruction. The Centre has officially recognised the other four war memorials — two in Imphal and one each in Kohima and Guwahati. Strangely, the one with the most number of graves is wallowing in neglect,” Tada said.

 

In all likelihood, the Jairampur graveyard was set up when the Stilwell Road (Ledo Road) was being constructed from India to Kunming in China via Myanmar to facilitate easy transit for the Allied Forces. Fatigue, calamity, scarcity of food and diseases like malaria killed many of the soldiers and workers during that period.

 

Some of the graveyards are of Adi (Abor), Mishmi and Jaintia soldiers who fought for the Allied Forces, but there is very little evidence left of their antecedents. Researchers blame the Assam Rifles, which helped in the discovery of the graves, of mishandling some of the evidence that was available.

 

“One of the challenges was to retrieve the surface evidence but some of these were destroyed by Assam Rifles personnel during excavation,” Tada said.

 

中文翻译如下：

 

1997年被发现，Jairampur墓地陷入困境

作者： ATONU CHOUNHURI

 

印度的阿鲁纳恰尔邦Jairampu的战争墓地。电报稿

Jairampur， 1月28日电：判断一个地方的历史意义的重要性是这里的二战最大的墓地的古老的资料，这是一个大家都知道的常识——直到1997年这里才被发现。

印度的阿鲁纳恰尔邦纪念碑和建筑遗存艺术，1990年代，能够引发建筑或者一个地方的历史的重要性的就可能是“官方的保护”，但是至少要有100年的历史。而在史迪威公路Jairampur路段的原始森林里面发现的有七排墓穴的墓地却仅仅只有62年的时间，它们还必须（至少在书面上）还要再等等38年，这个地方才能重建天日（指得到保护。）

也许没有更多的人对墓碑上的传说表示了悲伤，甚至那位带着一个小队发现了这里有1，000多位台湾人（意思就是中国），美国人、克钦人和印度士兵的墓地的那个人也是如此，死在这里的人是因公殉职的。Taga Tada显示是一位考古学家，也是这个考察队的队长，他根据历史的零星的资料，寻找到了这个位于Changland地区著名的班哨（Pangsau）垭口（也叫鬼门关，）30公里的地方的墓地，这个垭口在印度和缅甸的边境上。这是仅仅只有勇敢的本地村民和冒险家才敢来的地方，Tada小队是第一个来考证二战墓地的官方学者。

Jairampu那里的墓地是印度东北地区最多的，甚至包括Kohima战役（科西玛战役，也叫英帕尔战役，Imphal）的墓地。其中一个墓碑上有中文和英文的墓志铭：“Major Hsiao Chu Ching, Company Commander of 2^nd Company of 2^nd Battalion of 10^th Regiment, Independent Engineers of Chinee Army stationed in India, died in December 1943,”（萧竹青，中国驻印军独立工兵第十团，第二营第二连连长，1943年12月死亡。）在萧的墓穴的碑文上，仍然还是很清楚，上面写着他的出生年龄是1913年7月，河北省威县（Wei Country of Hapeh Province）。现在，萧的家庭知道他在那里埋葬吗？非常不幸的，实际上Jairampur的墓穴并没有官方的战争纪录上有记载。

“现在有一些希望是能够让政府赶快把这个墓地从腐朽和毁灭中拯救出来。中心（没有说是那个单位）已经官方承认了四个战争纪念碑——两个在英帕尔，一个在Kohinma（科西玛），还有一个在Guwahati。非常奇怪的是，其中墓穴最多的墓地却被忽视了，”Tada说。很有可能的是，Jairampur的墓地就是在修建史迪威公路（也叫利多公路）时建立的，这个公路是从印度，中间经过墓地到达中国的昆明，这样，给盟军运输物资就更加容易了。疲劳、灾难、食物的匮乏和疾病，比如说是痢疾夺去了那个时期的许多士兵和工人的性命。

“其中有一些墓穴是Adi(Abor)、Mishmi和Jaintia（也许是印度的少数民族）士兵的，他们也是为盟军而战，但是，很少有他们的纪录。研究人员责备过阿萨姆步兵单位（当地驻防部队），他们一直在保护着这个发现的墓地，他们的做法很明显是不符合规定的。“一个最大的挑战就是墓碑，阿萨姆步兵（阻拦我们前往这个墓地是的是“阿萨姆第29步兵营”，戈叔亚驻）在挖掘墓地时，有些墓碑被他们弄坏了。” Tada 说。

 

四．墓地的确切位置

 

 

资料上说，墓地位于从Jairampur小镇以西6公里，从利多出来大约39公里，距离印

度缅甸边境的Pangasau山口（Hell Pass 鬼门关）大约24公里。这些公墓掩藏在Namchik河流岸边的茂密的丛林和史迪威公路（利多公路）路之间。

美国的google earth卫星地图有人也把这个墓地的确切位置标定了出来。就是在一条河流（现在知道这条河流就是叫做Narmchik）和公路之间。

 

然后，我根据卫星地图标定的位置，又移植到了地图上。在地图上，可以看到印度——缅甸边境的班哨垭口。

注意看墓地、Nampong和班哨垭口的关系

 

非常仔细地看了地图在回忆当时我们被印度边防军拦截情形，我现在无法弄清楚我们是在Jairampur还是在Nampong被拦截；如果是在Nampong，那么非常遗憾的是，我们错过了墓地。

我估计没有是在Jairampur出来不远的地方被拦截的。也就是说，我们只差几步就到达了墓地。墓地的公路旁边有一个标志物。我非常清楚知道有这个标志，所以不可能错过。

 

 

路边的标志

 

 

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