FIGHT PIRATES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 146, 22 June 1934, Page 7

FIGHT PIRATES.

BRITISH AIRMEN. CAPTIVES RELEASED. Heavy Fire Directed oh Rescue Aeroplanes. BOMBS DROPPED IN REPLY. v (British Official Wireless.) (Received 1 p.m.) RUGBY, June 21. Further information has been received from Admiral Dreyer, Com-mander-in-Chief, the China Station, regarding the rescue of five Englishmen and one Chinese official captured by pirates from the coastal steamer Shuntien. This shows that on the morning of June 20 naval aircraft from the Eagle, with the concurrence of the Chinese authorities, carried out a search in the neighbourhood of the position from which the captives had been taken inland. During this search lire was opened on one of the aircraft from a group .of junks in a creek about half a mile from the sea. On further investigation from the air a sampan bearing a white flag was observed in a position five miles to eastward of the group of junks. This sampan proved to contain Mr. Nicholls, an insurance agent, and a Chinese official. Sun Tun-ling, who had been sent with letters for the purpose of opening negotiations with the British and Chinese authorities at Tainanfu. These two captives were rescued by 'planes which landed near the sampan and took them to the Eagle. Meanwhile heavy fire had been opened from ground abreast of the group of junks on other aircraft sent to investigate, in spite of the fact that no offensive action had been taken by them. One of th* aircraft was hit through the main plane, and it was necessary to return the Are. A pirate junk then started to put to sea and anchored in shoal water which made it impossible for the destroyers to approach her. Aircraft were therefore sent to drop a warning bomb near this junk with messages in Chinese threatening the use of force unless the prisoners were surrendered. These measures were successful, and the remaining four European prisoners were released in a sampan and embarked in the Whitshed. The rescued officers report that Mr. Yamamoto, a Japanese, was sent in a junk to Tientsin by the pirates to arrange terms. No report has yet been received of his rescue. BRITONS FREED. Captives Rescued from Sampans By Destroyer. ARMY AND NAVY CO-OPERATE. (Received 10.30 a.m.) SHANGHAI, June 21.

The five British captives of the pirates who held up and looted the coastal steamer Shuntien on Sunday have been released. They were picked up from sampans by the destroyer Whitshed and now are safe at Chefoo. Mr. G. Nicholl, insurance manager, and Mr. Watson, third engineer, were released early this morning, and Messrs. Luce and Field, naval lieutenants, and Brand, second officer of the Shuntien, were found later. All are in good health and little the worse for their trying experience. Mr. Yamamoto, the only Japanese captive, has been released, according to a Peiping message, having been placed in a junk en route for Tientsin for the purpose of carrying ransom demands to the relatives of the Chinese captives who remain in the hands of the pirates. An earlier message stated that Mr. Yamamoto, and all but one of the Chinese captives are still in the hands of the pirates, who declared they were friendly toward the British but bitterly opposed to the Chinese Government. It was also stated that one Chinese was released for the purpose of conveying demands for ransom to the relatives of the 19 other prisoners. According to latest advices the released Chinese proved to be Mr. Shen Tien-ling, former Minister of the Interior in the Wu Pei-fu Government at Peking. The British aircraft-carrier Eagle, under instructions from Admiral Dreyer, is remaining in the vicinity of the mouth of the Yellow River for the purpose of assisting in the final efforts to capture the pirates and effect the release of the Chinese captives. Chinese warships are co-operating with the troops in encircling the pirates. As a contrast to the British attitude, Japanese officials at Nanking presented demands to the Chinese Government for speedy and energetic measures to effect the release of the captive, Mr. Yamamoto. It is believed that the pirates' spirit will be broken by the manner in which Chinese troops are closing in around them; also by their relentless pursuit by British airmen, who located and followed the party until dusk yesterday. The pirates are extremely angry with the Chinese authorities for sending out the troops who are now encircling the pirates' lair. This action will inevitably lead to the arrest or extermination of the bandits.