OUTRAGE OVER POWS : American POWs

The first seven U.S. POWs include four members of the Air Force, two Marine Corps officers and one Navy lieutenant. They are: 1. Lt. Col. Clifford M. Acree, 39, Marines. 2. Chief Warrant Officer Guy L. Hunter, 46, Marines. 3. Lt. Jeffrey N. Zaun, 28, Navy. 4. Col. David W. Eberly, 43, Air Force. 5. Capt. Harry M. Roberts, 30, Air Force. 6. Maj. Jeffrey S. Tice, 35, Air Force. Maj. Thomas E. Griffith Jr., 34, Air Force (picture not available)

Unconfirmed reports from Iraq that a captured allied pilot was killed in allied bombing on a Ministry of Industry building in Baghdad has renewed outrage over Iraqi treatment of prisoners. Among the developments:

* IRAQ’S announcement that it would send captured airmen to strategic sites as human shields provoked an outcry of war crimes from the allied powers. Iraq now says that several POWs have been wounded in air raids, but did not identify them by name or nationality.

* NUMBERS: The allies say 28 airmen are missing or captured. The Pentagon said Iraq never produced formal notification that it holds POWs as required by the Geneva Convention, but seven Americans are listed now as prisoners of war.

* RED CROSS officials complain that Iraq has ignored pleas to inspect conditions of the allied prisoners as required under the Geneva Convention.

* IRAQI PRISONERS: Allied forces have captured more than 110 Iraqi POWs, most of whom have been inspected by the International Red Cross.

* WAR CRIMES: Accepted international regulations prohibit placing prisoners near targets, beating prisoners and parading them before Iraqi television, say American officials. President Bush and others have said Iraq’s Saddam Hussein should be tried as a war criminal at the end of hostilities. Hussein said Bush and French President Francois Mitterrand should face charges.

The Geneva Convention Rules

In 1949, 164 countries signed an agreement--known as the Geneva Convention--to set rules for the treatment of prisoners. Among the terms:

* Prisoners “must at all times be treated humanely” and “must at all times be protected.”

* Prisoners are “entitled in all circumstances to respect for their persons and their honor.”

* Prisoners are bound to give only name, rank, date of birth, and army serial number . . . . No physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be inflicted.

* Prisoners shall be evacuated, as soon as possible after their capture, to camps in an area far enough from the combat zone for them to be out of danger.

* No prisoner may be sent to areas where he may be exposed to the fire of the combat zone, nor may his presence be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations.

Dealing With Captor’s Tactics

U.S. forces receive special training on being prisoners of war. Among the methods that some specialists suggest for coping with captivity:

* Try to worry about buddy or country, instead of dwelling on own situation.

* Try to answer questions in ways that conceal useful information.

* The goal is to avoid being killed; each day is a new victory.

* Keep mind occupied with something that avoids dwelling on the situation.

* When reading statements, use words or emphasis that indicate it is not own phrasing.

* Try to maintain a feeling of control, perhaps by minor tricks pulled on guards.

* Resist as much as possible to help sense of self-worth.

Allied Plans for POWs

* U.S. forces are contructing huge barbed-wire compounds in Saudi Arabia to house up to 30,000 prisoners of war.

* Initially, Iraqi prisoners will be kept in the open compounds. Later, tents may be set up.

* These compounds are intended as holding areas near the front while prisoners are readied for transport to the rear areas. The military hopes to move prisoners several hundred miles south within a few days of capture.

* Minor medical problems will be treated at the camps. Prisoners requiring more serious care will be sent farther south to military medical facilities.

* Military plans call for seized Iraqi gas masks to be distributed to the prisoners and for purchase of Saudi ration packs for a diet in accordance with Islamic law.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, Knight-Ridder Newspapers.