ORGY OF BLOOD

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 February 1929, Page 12

ORGY OF BLOOD

CHINESE GENERAL’S RULE. While the situation on the surface at the port of Chefoo, in the Chinese Province of Shantung, says the New Zealand Herald’s Shanghai correspondent, is apparently quiet and normal, there is a strong undercurrent of uneasiness prevailing among both the foreign and Chinese residents of the port. Chefoo, at present, is governed by General Liu Chen-men, formerly a strong supporter of the Northern Command, but, from motives of expediency now a convert to the Nationalist cause. Genera! Liu, disregarding the orders from Nanking, has installed his own men in all the important military and civil posts under his command.

The Nationalists informed General Liu that these positions must be filled by men nominated by the Nanking Government, and the men selected were accordingly sent to Chefoo to take up their duties; at least 14 of the Nanking emissaries have been found murdered while some 30 others have been executed on various pretexts. The general belief is that Liu has adopted the plan of maintaining his iu thority by a process of elimination, or, in other words, killing off the opposition.

The subordinates of General Liu are distinctly uneasy owing to his orgy of bloodshed, and there are rumours of a possible mutiny in his army. In addition, fighting is anticipated between General Liu’s forces and a rival army stationed at the port of Tengchowfu, 60 miles north of Chefoo; the general in charge at the latter port called on General Liu, and afterwards complete-, ly disappeared and his followers believe that he has been assassinated.

A delegation from the the Christian general, Marshal Feng Yu-hsiang, also called on General Liu, on behalf of the Nanking Government, with a view to discussing the situation, but Liu settled the affair by arresting the members of the delegation and shooting them. A second delegation sent a few days later met a similar fate. There are no British troops stationed at Chefoo and British authority :s represented by one single destroyer. Consequently, in view of General Liu’s reign of terror, the situation is viewed with considerable alarm by the foreign residents of the port.