Friday, February 4 2005 15:25 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: Adding another twist to the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the Taiwan Government has informed a commission of enquiry that the air crash at Taipei on August 18, 1945, till date believed to have killed the freedom fighter, had never taken place.

Justice M K Mukherjee, heading the one-man commission of the enquiry into Netaji's disappearance, told newsmen in Kolkata yesterday (Feb 03, 2005) that the Taiwanese authorities have confirmed to him during his recent visit to that country that there was no record of any air crash at Taihoku, the old name of Taipei, between August 14 and September 20, 1945.

Justice Mukherjee, who was speaking to newpersons after a routine hearing of the commission, said that the Taiwanese authorities, who confirmed this fact, had promised to provide documentary proof within 15 days.

He said that during his visit to Taiwan last month the Taiwanese authorities confirmed the genuineness of two e-mails sent by Taipei Mayor and Minister of Transportation and Communication to a journalist, Anuj Dhar stating that there was no air crash during that period.

"The mayor of Taipei and the External Affairs Ministry of Taiwan Government confirmed to us the e-mails were genuine," he said.

He said that the e-mails, sent to Dhar, stated that during that period no evidence showed that any plane carrying Bose had crashed at the old Taipei Airport.

Ghosh said that the commission should also visit Russia.

He said that a report submitted to the commission through an affidavit spoke of Netaji having been seen in the then Soviet Union in May 1946.

The Forward Bloc leader said that there was also lot of information regarding Subhas Chandra Bose in the archives of the then Soviet Union. "Let the commission go there and examine them."

Ghosh said that if the Centre did not extend the tenure of the commission then it would create misunderstanding among the people about the Government that it was "ignoring" the "real truth" behind the mysterious disappearance of Netaji.