LONDON TELEVISION CENTRE: NEWSPAPER: ALAN TUPPEN INTERVIEWED.



TRANSCRIPT:



QUESTION: MR TUPPEN WHY HAVE YOU DECIDED TO SPEAK OUT ABOUT THIS INCIDENT NOW AFTER 1 YEARS?



TUPPEN: I'M NOT THE INSTIGATOR OF THIS STORY GUARDSMAN COOTES IS THE INSTIGATOR I'VE JUST COME FOR ARD TO CONFIRM HIS STORY AND CONSEQUENTLY BECAME INVOLVED



QUESTION: HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TEMPTED TO TALK ABOUT IT BEFORE NO?



TUPPEN: NO NOT REALLY IT HAS BOTHERED ME IT'S BEEN BOTHERIN ME RECENTLY MORE THAN HEN IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED OR IMMEDIATELY AFTER IT HAPPENED



QUESTION: WHAT'S IT BEEN LIKE LIVING WITH THIS FOR 21 YEARS?



TUPPEN: WELL IT HASN'T BEEN COMFORTABLE IT HAS DRIFTED AT TIMES - I'VE FORGOT ABOUT IT -- AND THEN TELEVISION AND SUCH LINE AND DIFFERENT THINGS SUDDENLY BRINGS IT BACK AND THEN IT GOES AGAIN AS QUICK AND ARRIVES AGAIN AS QUICK



QUESTION: ARE YOU GLAD NOW THAT IT HAS COME OUT INTO THE OPEN?



TUPPEN: IN A SENSE I AM BUT I WOULD NATURALLY HAVE PREFERRED IT NOT TO HAVE DONE BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF YEARS



QUESTION: YOU WERE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY OF STEPPING DOWN BUT NOBODY DID WHY DIDN'T YOU STEP DOWN?



TUPPEN: WELL THERE IS ALWAYS A FEAR I SUPPOSE IT'S IN ALL OF US - WHAT OUR MATES WOULD THINK HAD WE DONE THAT WE WERE ONLY 18 AT THE TIME




Initials



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Background: A FORMER BRITISH SOLDIER DESCRIBED HIS PART IN THE ALLEGED JUNGLE MASSACRE OF CHINESE SUSPECTS IN MALYA 21 YEARS AGO WHEN INTERVIEWED ON TELEVISION IN LONDON LAST NIGHT (TUESDAY).

MR ALAN TUPPEN SAID THAT HE WAS ONLY 18 AND UNDER THE STRICT DISCIPLINE OF THE SCOTS GUARDS AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT -- NOW THE SUBJECT OF A HIGH-LEVEL INQUIRY BY THE BRITISH MINISTRY OF DEFENCE.

THE MASSACRE CHARGES, FIRST LEVELLED BY A BRITISH SUNDAY NEWSPAPER LAST WEEKEND ALLEGED THAT 25 SUSPECTED COMMUNIST GUERILLAS WERE GUNNED DOWN AT AN UNNAMED MALAYAN VILLAGE IN 1948 BY SOLDIERS OF THE SECOND BATTALION SCOTS GUARDS THE OFFICIAL STORY WAS THAT THE SUSPECTS WERE SHOT WHEN THEY RAN AWAY FROM THE BRITISH PATROL AS THEY WERE TAKEN FOR INTERROGATION.

MR TUPPEN, HOWEVER, STATED THAT AN ORDER WAS GIVEN FOR SOLDIERS TO FALL OUT OF LINE IF THEY DID NOT ANT TO GO AHEAD WITH THE SHOOTING HE DESCRIBED HIS OWN CRISIS OF CONSCIENCE AT THE TIME: