ALLEGED MURDERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 May 1939, Page 7

ALLEGED MURDERS

INCIDENT IN ROUMANIA

[by CABLE —PRESS ASSN. —COPYBIGHT. 1

LONDON, May 15.

The Sofia correspondent of “The Times" says Roumania will be asked to explain why Roumanian police are alleged to have carried out. a. cold L blooded murder bj* machine-gun of 22 Bulgarian-born Roumanians at Belitza on Maj* 9.

The Bulgarian version is that 70 Bulgarians, who were mobilised at Belitza, deserted and fled to the frontier. Twenty-five were arrested and maltreated, and made to sign an unintelligible declaration. All but three were shot dead by their guards in the Ind'jekeuj* forest. The survivors escaped and told the story. The official version from Bucharest declares that the victims were Roumanian citizen's, not Bulgarian; comitadjis, but highway’ robbers, who attacked motorists. They included M. Zaxnferescu, a director of an aeroplane firm, and General Fotescu, who were robbed of £350. The police, were justified in shooting them for trying to escape while undex* arrest.

BULGARIAN MINORITY

(Recd. Mav 16, 8.30 a.m.). BUCHAREST, May 15

As a sequel to the shootings, the Government is sending the Undersecretary of the Interiox* and three Bulgarian members of rhe National Renaissance Front, on a tour of Southern Dobrudja, to test the feelings of the Bulgarian minority.