June 7, 1962 - Four American missionaries went under heavy military escort to the Banmethuot leprosarium today in South Vietnam to inspect the havoc left by Communist guerrillas who raided the jungle hospital last week and kidnapped three staff members (pictured). The missionaries were pleased to find that scores of lepers who fled in terror after the Communist raid had returned safely. These lepers, most of whom were members of the Rhade tribe, survived many hours in the treacherous jungle. They resisted the temptation of returning to their home villages, where they were considered outcasts. The customary method of dealing with returned lepers has been to bury them alive. More than half the hospital’s 250 lepers were back, the Rev. T. Grady Mangham, director of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, said tonight. Those who stayed in their beds had been cared for by the Vietnamese staff. None seemed in very bad condition, Rev. Manghan said.
Comments