CHINESE FORCES IN BURMA

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 26967, 17 February 1953, Page 9

CHINESE FORCES IN BURMA

NATIONALISTS CLASH WITH BURMESE

(Rec. 11.30 p.m.) RANGOON, Feb. 16. The Burmese Embassy in Bangkok has been instructed to ask the Siamese Government to stop the movement of Chinese Nationalists through her territory into Burma, well-informed sources said here today. Burma is also asking the Siamese Government to stop the smuggling of arms through Siam to the Nationalists and to local Burmese rebels. The Burmese War Office said recently that there was evidence that the Chinese Nationalists were smuggling wolfram from Burma to Siam. In return they were getting arms for use by rebels. Burmese newspapers today reported a clash between 600 Nationalist and Government troops near Thaton. in the Tennasarim belt, bordering Siam. Arms bearing Siamese characters were captured by the Burmese soldiers, the reports said. Another report said six police officers were killed in this tin-producing area when they were ambushed by about 100 rebels. Two battles between Chinese Nationalist guerrillas and Chinese Communists on Burma’s eastern frontier were reported yesterday by reliable sources at Messai, on the Siamese frontier. The report said that the first clash occurred on the Meking river 40 miles from Kentung. Fifty Nationalists were killed and others were wounded. Twenty Communists were killed. The Nationalists retreated after burning their camp. The second battle was fought at Manoi, 70 miles inside China’s Yunnan Province. The Communists attacked a Nationalist camp and inflicted heavy casualties in a two-day battle, but failed to oust the guerrillas from the town.