CHINESE IN SHANGHAI CONCESSIONS

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 3, 3 July 1940, Page 8

CHINESE IN SHANGHAI CONCESSIONS

JAPANESE INSPIRATION

MOVE BY MR. WANG

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.)

(Received July 3, 11 a.m.)

SHANGHAI, July 2.

The authorities are most concerned over a demand by the head of the puppet Government, Mr. Wang Ching-wei, for the arrest of 84 prominent Chinese residents in the foreign areas on charges of agitating against the Nanking Government. There is no doubt that the action is of Japanese origin and is connected with the long-existent Japanese programme to eliminate all Chinese who oppose the Japanese aims.'

The Nanking regime has no jurisdiction over the foreign areas and the order is believed to signify impending forceful measures against the settlements or a long-drawn programme of kidnappings and assassinations. A Manila message states that an Australian freighter has left for Hong Kong carrying 1800 tons of water instead of the usual 400 tons, and also additional supplies to enable her to take on between 500 and 600 evacuees, rolls of barbed-wire and hundreds of kegs of nails which could be used for barricades, and other emergency stores for use in the event of a siege of Hong Kong.