CHINESE RIOTS

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 June 1925, Page 5

CHINESE RIOTS

ANTI-FOREIGN PROPAGANDA.; ? SET AGAINST BRITAIN/: (Reuter.) PEKIN, June 14. A A noticeable featlito’of the trouble in Shanghai' and elsewhere is ' the tendency of students and the Govei'nuieut io detach Bfita'iti from the other Powers, and make her responsible.

■A sample of this is the Note handed to the British. Embassy protesting against British volunteers allegedly eA.ng .machine gun's against-’-' the Chinese in Hankow, stating th.it eight were killed and eleven wounded’. ‘. The note ch'iiimv that such action violated the principles of liuiiimPj itv. 1 h<- Foreign Omce therefbre'; protested and requested the Un'arge !>.’ Affaired to instruct the Consu'lar' authorities ‘ to refrain from acts. .Thirnote reserves’ the righ'. to make further demands when the case is more fit,Uy investigated. Foreigners generally* " regard the note as assign that- the Goveriiinent is yielding te the/clainbuu. of Bolshevik and other extremists, who Qre pressing the •- deni'iild that’ Chiifa should deal with Britain alone. 'The students’ demands' now include the recall of the Anglo-Japanese Ministers from Pekin and the. Consuls from Shanghai,' the punishment- of the 'For-, cign Chief of Pol'ce, and the permanent withdrawal of Anglo-JapAnese gunboats from Shanghai. ° The. -Chinese -Seamen’s ’Union propose to strike to-morrow on the ; steamers of the Indo-Chinti and China Navigation Companies. They threaten a general strike on June 20In connection' with the Shanghai troubles. Cabinet has instructed the provincial authorities to protect eigners'.A wireless from Kuikimng states that'riots occurred in various parts of the foreign coheession. 'Students rein forced'by workmen arid disorderly elements' ■ numbering" 1 thousands-, rushed the British concession.- The municipal council warned the authorities who undertook to restore order, but for two'hours', rioting proceeded and no steps were' taken" to suppress the rioters who attacked the Angle)-Japanese consulates-, the Bank of Taw an, Nippon Yusen, Kaisha offices, all of which were set on fire. They also broke into the houses of several : foreigners, -destroyed furniture, ’■ and looted L property. • Then Chinese troops arrived and suppressed the trouble. A Japanese destfoyef landed a party of bluejacket. The British gunboat arrived from H’ankow. The only casualty among the foreigners was. one Japanese seriously injured. ' : I

COMMUNISTS’ AS “HOUNDS”

PEKIN, June 12

Among other damage in the British concession at Hankow, rioters broke down the , boundary wall.’ Tlie ■sitfuatioh;'iii‘:the”nt’6rning was still .quiet; Chinese’"’ authorities patrolling the outer ’boundaries of the British concession, anil volunteers and’ naval men guarding the -inner defences. Discord among tlie striking elements is exemplified in Chinese circulars distributed in the French concession, -’accusing the Communists of taking advantage of the disturb bances .to carry- out their own plots. The circulars assert that Communists have-received’large funds from Russia, adding: “AVe weep at, the deaths oU’bur brethren, While they laugh in the dark. AVe' are 'fighting Tor our national rights and freedom, while they are selling our' freedom to Russia. Citizens, it- is not' the foreigners who are killing us, but the Communists, who cry for the overthrow of imperialism; while acting as' ' the hoiinds for the Russian Huntsman.” • '

■ln attacking the Comnninists, however, the'circulars contain the usual Chinese demands for rCd'rcss for the foreign aggression. Prior .to’' the shooting, a large crowd stoned the Chinese police in the British • concession, wrecked Japanese shops,’ and attacked the storekeepers. Thereupon the Consul-Gen-eral asked the Chinese authorities to send troops to'guard'the concession border, and also'requested-the'land-ing of naval detachments to assist. The international naval'meli’ijuickly responded -iihd, ; co-operating *ith Chinese troops', restored ' order. The warship Hollyhock is' going., to Hankow from Nanking,’carrying a hundred marines, whom Hawkins sent to. Chankiang. where they were not required. The situation remains quiet, this largely 1 being due to the efforts of General Hsiaoyaonan, - who is Military Governor of Hupeh. He issued a proclamation threatening the execution of any Chinese-disturbing the concessions. ‘ It is estimated that about five thousand Chinese soldiers are stationed round the concessions.

NOTE FROM POAVERS. - PEKIN, June 13

Signor Cerruti (Italian Minister) has handed' a ’joint reply of the interested Powers to the Chinese Government’regarding tile latter’s note, on the subject of the troubles at Shanghai and elsewhere. . The reply states'the Powers desire to sde a (life-, tressing-■situation,frill of danger, solved ’as sboh as possible. IJ: ’proposes' that '• representatives of the Powers shall proceed to Shanghai, to discuss with the consular bodies there and 'representatives of the Chinese Government the best means of finding a remedy and to warn the Chinese Government of its heavy'' responsibility in the matter of maintaining order at Shanghai and elsewhere in China.

CHURCH ON FIRE.

PEKIN. June 14

According to Chinese unollicial ports, the Catholic Church at Kaifeng was burned down yesterday and one Italian priest was killed. It is persistently reported that the Foreign Minister, Shenjuailin, was going into hiding, fearing that the str dents will persist in extreme dewhereto bo cannot; agree-

CANTON "WAR” ENDED

PEKIN. June 13

Reports from Canton'-state that the war' thei ( c finished yesterday afternoon. Cantonese-.. troops, under .the protection of gunboats, crossed the river from both ends of : Honan. Troops from the east imd “driven the Yunnanese from Tungshan.' 'thrbefourths of the way to Sliameen, when additional troops crossed under'(he

gunboats’ bombardment. All the* Yunnanese. jTOops. hoisted the white flag, and fled northwestward. The fighting in the eastern part of the’ city , was seVere, • the casualties being several, hundred. The, Victory ' of the Cantonese troops is attributed to the leadership of Russian officers; There are now ten thousand troops on this siae of the., river. All., is now quiet and there is very little looting. The victors ■ shot some' looters;. It* Js feared that, after their/easy victory,. the Bolshevik soldiers Will incite'an anti* foreign feeling. ’ s •

BUTCHERY OF DEFEATED. .f '.?*< y- —.—' A V -) - PEKIN, June 14.-T The Yunanese debacle■' is complete, and cold-blooded butchery of doieated forcss-hi rife, fragglers caught in the bund ’were stabbed’.,With 1 bayohets, or riddled with bullets, and thrown into the river', Fleming officei'kkmdeaybtiring tb' escape by. steamer to. Hong Kong iwerc'intercepted 'arid killed, : oi i taken to tlie l ;Red Navy, stripped of practically ' dverything of, value, - and' '"then .'mercilessly killed. : ’ ■" Tlib '•i|ouniitegg-< Society leaders at Hong* Long rbp’uJiatejl I ''tl)e''ihtorition of establishing ‘a. Communistic■Goverrimen U iii ' Can toil? ‘'' ■Th oy I '' ! d eiiied 'that 'there', is. any alliance with the Soviet. ..As it 1 is Impossibleito'"(firid ollie inaii. iy fill Y.a'l 'Seh’s" pfficb/ it is intended, to create a commission to carry ■on the w'orlU'b'f, administration. '•'/ GOVERNMENT’S - WEAKNESS. 1 i*;’ ; '■ *—///.:. / ■- (Reuter.) ■ * <*•■ -Vtorifeitoy.- ' ■ . i J V* PEKIN,-: Juno 14/

There is ’an increasing feeling- of 'serious ' concern among responsible foreigners' that the Chinese Government is pandering to the strikers.* The reason fo'V this i§ ■ believe-d (p Be mainly a matter' of 1 h'ome'politics, thto'Gbvernment fearing- the' public’s ppin.ionywill veer to the'•opposition.'- * ' y.I'* 1 '* 'v. / , Meanwhile,- the strik.er's’ attitude increasingly indicates tv.belief that_.the Government is with them.-.Antbfortign". propaganda' is 'more pronounced, and the situation in .the iri'terioF generally is getting'-Worse.'. mWc - BOLSHEVIK' PROPAGANDA MOSCOW, June 12. 1 Many meetings of protest, 'against the action of the foreign '. police in Shanghai have heOn held in Moscow. Resolutions of sympathy with the national movement in China were adopted. ‘ * '.

The students- demonstrated.to show their solidarity with the Chinese revolutionary.' students. - ■ '