COMMUNISTS THRUST TOWARDS CANTON

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25932, 12 October 1949, Page 5

COMMUNISTS THRUST TOWARDS CANTON

Advance Down Hankow Railway NATIONALIST REVERSES ON OTHER FRONTS (New Zealand Press Association.) (Rec. 9 p.m.) HONG KONG. October 11. General Chen Seng’s Communist forces, striking south along the Canton-Hankow railway, have captured Lienkian-

akou, GO miles north of Canton, according to reliable Chinese reports. The Nationalist defenders along the Yingtak-Canton stretch of the railway are retreating to Tsingyun, 40 miles north of Canton. Advance units of General Chen’s armies are now driving towards Tsungfa. 30 miles north-east of Canten. General Chen Yi’s Communist forces in Fukien are reported to have reached Chaoan, on the border of Fukien and ®wangtung. General Lin Piao’s ifommunist armies on the Huhtan front have captured MuKang. 115 miles south-east of jHengyang, and 30 miles from the border of Kwangsi.

A spokesman for the Nationalist Defence Ministry in Canton admitted that General Lin’s troops were now closing in on Lingling. SO miles south of Hengyang, and 20 miles from the border lof Kwangsi.

GOVERNMENT LEAVING CANTON

William Parrott, the New Zealand press Association-Reuter correspondent pn China, says that the Nationalists’ .Acting-President (General Li Tsungijer.t and their Prime Minister (General •Yen Hsi-shan) are scheduled to leave Canton for Chungking by air tomorrow. The exodus of other Nationahst Government officials to Chungking ;.rd Formosa continued to-day. Yesterday, 100 members of the Le.islative Yuan left by special airJcratt. Road vehicles and aircraft [which are evacuating officials and ’civilians operated from Canton throughout the night. Airline and shipping offices were crowded this r rr.inc with Chinese clamouring for last-minute passages to Hong Kong or any other available port. 7?w British and French Consulates in Canton to-day communicated with ti •• nationals and advised those not intending to remain to prepare for an early departure. Fhe people of Canton are disturbed ty latest developments in the civil v but there are no signs of real r n:c It is not believed that the dep;. • ;re of the Government will disr. ” the administration of the city. A United Press message from Lake S. • quotes well-informed Chinese s !■•'? as saying that China’s > • realist Government will begin

functioning in Chungking on October . 15. when it will cease its functions in Canton. Foreign diplomats will soon • be notified of this move officially. ‘

DIPLOMATS SECEDE TO COMMUNISTS

> : of the staff of the Chinese Na‘ e-nalist Embassv in Paris have transferred their allegiance tn the new € =e Communist Government in P"i- - The embassy has a staff of r. •? r .embers. week the French Foreign C~ v e announced that the Chinese - I'.ist Government had advised *" • ‘s Ambassador to Paris <Dr. T'c n T:ii» was considered to have re- £:.■ ci because of ill-health. e has supported Marshal Cntan Kai-shek’s Government by striking the dissident members of the C Embassy from the diplomatic ■> the Associated Press. A

spokesman for the French Foreign ; Ministry said that, since France did not recognise the Peiping Communist . regime.. the members of the Chinese , Embassy who had switched their ‘ allegiance to the Chinese Communist Government would lose their diplo- . matic status and immunities. According to the official Russian : news agency, Tass. the Soviet Ambas- • sador to the new Chinese Communist ' Government (Mr N. V. Roschtkin) has arrived in Peiping. He was met by ; the Prime Minister 'General Chou En- ' Jaih Thousands of workers and stu- ; dents cheered Mr Roschtkin as he left the station.