JAPANESE TROOPS ENCIRCLE HONGKONG.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 151, 27 June 1940, Page 7

JAPANESE TROOPS ENCIRCLE HONGKONG.

REPORTED MOVE,

British Dynamite Bridges As Precaution. POSITION IN INDO-CHINA. , ' Unite.] Tress Association—Copyright. (Received 1 p.m.) LONDON, June 20. Chinese reports say that Japanese forces have occupied Mirs Bay, thus encircling Hongkong-. Tho correspondent o£ the Associated Press of Great Britain at Hongkong says that the British authorities dynamited the bridges spanning Shumc'hun, on tho north of the colony, "purely for precautionary defensive purposes." The correspondent also says that the "China Hail" reports that Japanese warships arrived off Haiphong, French Indo-China, and established a blockading screen, presumably to search ships using the port.

Tho Doinei news agency Nanning correspondent says the Japanese forces, approaching the Imlo-Chimi border, continued to advance townrds Ningming, 20 miles south-east of Lungcliow, which other Japanese units are approaehiii-j despite stiff Chinese resistance. He also stated that Japanese were advancing towards Mingking.

He said tho military authorities expected the occupation of Ningming and Mingking to-dliy, resulting in the Japanese controlling the key points of the Niinuillg-rhigsinng highway.

An earlier niessago from Tokyo says the Dome! news agency issued a report from Cnnton' to the 'effect that the South China. Command has announced that Japanese troops have reached the outskirts of Luugchow, 18 miles from the Indo-China border, after crushing all opposition.

It is said thaterthe objective is to "seal the Indo-China frontier."

Indicating that an invasion is not planned immediately, the vernacular Press in Tokyo generally states that the Japanese' Government will shortly made a formal declaration regarding autonomy in East Asia, which will not allow any Power to interfere in East Asia, including .French Indo-China and the Dutch East Indies.

The Tokyo "Tomiuri Shimlnm" characterised the reported new diplomacy as an "East Asia Monroe Doctrine."