NATIONALIST EVACUATION OF CANTON

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25934, 14 October 1949, Page 7

NATIONALIST EVACUATION OF CANTON

Troops Said To Be Fighting Delaying Action

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

(Rec. 11.30 p.m.) HONG KONG, October 13. Tlie Nationalist evacuation of Canton will be completed by tomorrow night, and the city will be abandoned by Saturday, according to a Chinese source. The source claimed that his information came from a high-ranking Nationalist officer who arrived in Hong Kong from Canton last night. The informant said that the Nationalist High Command was sacrificing two regiments in an attempt to hold up the advance of General Chen Keng’s Communist armies until all the Nationalist troops in the Canton area had been evacuated.

It is reported that Nationalist China's refugee Government will operate in Chungking ’ officially from Saturday.

The Nationalists’ official Central News Agency, quoting a Presidential decree, said to-day that the removal of the capital to Chungking was made to increase the strength of the fighting forces and reduce the burden on nonbelligerents.

The decree said the Government had made adequate preparations on the south-west mainland for a counterattack against the Communists. The present Communist advance into Kwangtung Province did not affect in the least the determination of the Nationalist Government to continue to defend Canton and south-west China.

General Chen Keng’s main force, which is striking south along the Can-ton-Hankow railway, has passed Fehsien, 20 miles north of Canton.

The Nationalist air force, in a desperate attempt to halt the Communists. made 240 bombing and strafing sorties in 24 hours.

The threat to the Canton-Kowloon railway from Communist troops striking down the East river is reported to have increased as irregulars have linked up with the troops on General Chen Keng’s left flank.

Canton was blacked out an hour earlier than usual last night as the nhw curfew regulations were enforced. The harbour war deserted. Ships which were normally tied up alongside the city wharves had suddenly disappeared. This is attributed to the owners’ fears that the ships would be requisitioned for the evacuation.

Two British ships will continue to ply between Hong Kong and Canton

to help to evacuate foreigners and Chinese until the last mouient. A heavily-booked night express bringing hundreds of evacuees from Canton reached Hong Kong several hours late, because of extensive Nationalist troop movements at the Canton terminal.

Among the thousands of people evacuating Canton yesterday were 22 Russians, the first batch of Soviet Embassy officials to leave. The rest will leave to-morrow. The Soviet officials left the embassy building and walked towards the city’s west bridge. They carried their own luggage, because Chinese coolies had refused to carry

Thousands of evacuees from Canton came to Hong Kong by all available transport. Coinciding with the movement was the arrival by ship from Communist-held Shanghai of 631 foreign evacuees, representing 30 different nationalities Yesterday thousands of heavilyarmed British troops co-operated with the colony’s police force in security exercises in Hong Kong.

BURMA AND PEIPING GOVERNMENT

(Rec. 11.30 p.m.) RANGOON, Oct. 13. Burma would make its decision on recognition of the Chinese Communist Government independently of India and the other Commonwealth countries. said the Burmese Foreign Minister (U Maung), in an interview.

He added that Burma was still studying the question of establishing diplomatic relations with the Chinese Communist Government in Peiping.