POSITION OF FORMOSA

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27434, 21 August 1954, Page 7

POSITION OF FORMOSA

“Stability” Urged By> Newspaper ] (Rec. 10.30 p.m.) _ HONG KONG. August 20. : The South China “Morning Post” today urged that if Formosa could not ; be neutralised it should at least be “stabilised.” The newspaper said that the danger was not that Communist China would attempt to take Formosa but that propaganda would “promote manoeuvring to precipitate decision by arms” upon the future of the island. “Unfortunately for the hope of a safe compromise” neither the Nationalists nor the Communists would agree to neutralisation, the newspaper said. The alternative course was to “impose stability.”* The newspaper said that the “obvious difficulty is that the Chinese Civil War is unfinished and that intervention can only be considered hostile to the stronger party. “This objection would be modified, however; if China’s international representation were regulated and a truce to the civil war imposed. “The present position in which the United States protects Formosa while permitting the Nationalists to harry the mainland and prey upon shipping is both inequitable and provocative,” it said.

Defence Expansion In Burma (Rec. 11 p.m.) RANGOON, August 20. The Burmese Finance Minister, Mr U. Tin, said in Rangoon that arrangements were going forward for expansion of the country’s armed forces. It was the Government’s resolve to put down any further internal disorders by arms. He thought the internal situation in Burma had im- . proved in the last year. I Defence expenditure for the , coming year had been budgeted about £20.190,000 more than last year, he I said in his Budget speech.

; India Accepts Talks Proposal

NEW DELHI, August 19. India, today accepted a Portuguese proposal for a meeting of representatives in New Delhi to discuss an impartial observation of the Goa dispute, and named August 24 as the date. The Note handed this afternoon to the Portuguese Minister in Delhi (Dr. Vasco Vieira Garin) says that the Indian Government hopes the proposed conference can begin early next week, probably on Tuesday. Portugal, in an earlier Note, had already suggested New Delhi as the venue and named her representatives. . The meeting is to discuss “steps to implement the principle of impartial observation.”