New Conspiracies In China Announced

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31277, 25 January 1967, Page 13

New Conspiracies In China Announced

IN.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

HONG KONG, January 24. Radio Peking today reported “new conspiracies” by opponents of Mao Tsetung to subvert and split the forces supporting him, United Press International reported.

A broadcast from Peking monitored in Hong Kong, appealed for unity among the pro-Mao forces and warned that the Chinese Army “must make all. preparations to destroy these enemies.”

The broadcast said the men of the Chinese Army have pledged “their most resolute support” for Mao in answer to orders from the ageing leader to crush his opponents.

Japanese correspondents in Peking quoted wall posters as saying that Army troops had occupied the Fang Shen area 18 miles south of Peking to put down anti-Mao disorders there.

The Japanese news agency, Kyodo, reported that the Defence Minister, Lin Piao, long considered Mao’s heir apparent, was losing out in a power struggle with Mao’s

wife, Chiang Ching, and Chen Po-tao, chairman of the “cultural revolution” sub-commit-tee.

Kyodo said Mao’s wife and Chen had succeeded in removing much of Lin’s support in behind-the-scene moves.

“There is a deep split within the pro-Mao ranks, and the shadow of Lin is getting even dimmer and dimmer,” Kyodo said. Today’s Peking broadcast said Army commanders were determined tn destroy “economism”—the name for the policies said to be favoured by Mao’s enemies.

“The chairman teaches that the enemy will not destroy itself,” the broadcast said. “Commanders said that reactionary power holders inside the party certainly will carry out their new conspiracies. Therefore, the Army must make all preparations to destroy these enemies.” Troops loyal to Chairman Mao had taken over a centre

of resistance to the regime in a suburb of Peking, according to Japanese reports quoting Peking wall posters, the “New York Times” news service reported. The reported use of troops for the first time in the political disturbances in China followed a reported statement by Chou En-lai emphasising the role of the Army in “upholding the proletarian dictatorship” of Mao. Mao’s wife, and Chen Po-ta, were quoted in other Japanese reports as having instructed the Red Guards to set up a “people’s government” in Peking “as quickly as possible.” Meanwhile, there were reports of violence in many parts of the country, from the northern province of Manchuria to semi-tropical Kwangtung in the south. The reported upheavals have followed Mao’s attempt to suppress movements toward a more liberal economic policy, departing from class!-

cal communism, said to be led by President Liu Shao-chi. All of the Japanese dispatches relied for their information on wall posters put up in Peking by the Red Guards.

Troops from the Peking headquarters of the People’s Liberation Army, the 2.5-mil-lion-man Chinese Army, were ordered into the Peking suburb of Fang Shen under orders issued by the VicePremier, Hsieh Fu-chi, a poster said.