KAP Federal Leader and Member for Kennedy Bob Katter has used Question Time to pursue the Foreign Minister for answers regarding the Korean War MIA (Missing in Action) Mystery.

Innisfail lawyer, Bruce Gillan has been desperate to find out what happened to his uncle Flying Officer Bruce Gillan who was listed as missing along with 42 other Australian servicemen after the horror war from 1950-53. He was just 22 at the time of his disappearance.

 Mr Katter’s Question in Parliament today follows continued advocacy on behalf of Mr Gillan since 2015 and front page media reports about secret American-Korean army files and ‘conflicting evidence’ on the fate of Flying Officer Gillan and his comrades.  Mr Katter has previously raised in the media the real possibility that the US Army left behind captured Australians in North Korea because freeing their own prisoners took priority.

 Mr Katter’s question is below:

 My question is to Foreign Affairs Minister

I refer to articles on the front page of the Australian Newspaper last Thursday and again on Saturday, centring on secret American-Korean war army files concerning Flying Officer Bruce Gillan and the other 42 missing Australians.

In 1953, “did” the Australian Government receive, from its ally the United States, a secret Communique issued in September 53’, that named 9 Australian personnel, as being alive and imprisoned in Korea

And did our government at the same time continue to aver they have been killed in action?

 Bruce Gillan watched Question Time and the Foreign Minister’s response and thinks it’s clear the Government at the time didn’t do everything they could to get the servicemen home.

 Mr Gillan said  “ My father and grandparents were  never told that my uncle was believed to be alive as a POW. The official records say ‘missing in action presumed dead’  but they should’ve said missing in action POW. The Foreign Minister’s answer is not consistent with the Government’s official records and if the Government at the time believed that my uncle was alive then they took no steps to negotiated with the Chinese (as intermediary) as part of ‘Operation  Big Switch‘ to get my uncle and the other eight POWs brought home. 

“That’s the first time in three years that the Foreign Minister has referred to a published list in the newspaper but it still doesn’t answer the question of what happened to my uncle.  The US must have had other files which led them to believe my uncle was a POW, one and a half years after my uncle went missing,“ Mr Gillan said.