FAR EAST DEVELOPMENTS

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 December 1940, Page 8

FAR EAST DEVELOPMENTS

JAPANESE OFFENSIVE CRUSHED BY CHINESE [BY CABLE—PRESS ASSN.—COPYRIGHT.] (Recd. December 11. 10.30 a.m.) CHUNGKING, December 10. As a.result.of the Chinese counteroffensive in the Han River region, where the Japanese forces have been making determined attacks in the past three weeks, the Japanese lines have crumbled, and all their troops have been driven back to their original positions, after suffering 20,000 casualties. BRITISH AID TO CHINA RUGBY, December 10. • The Foreign Affairs Under-Secre-tary announced, in the Commons,' further financial aid to China. Mr. Butler said: “Provided suitable arrangements can be made to ensure that sterling held in China is available for use orily in the sterling area, Britain is prepared in principle to make an advance of £5,000,000 to the Chinese Stabilisation Fund, and, with the concurrence of the Dominion Governments concerned, to grant credits, which will be available for purchase in any part of the sterling area, to the maximum of a further £5,000,000.”

AMOY RAIDED. (Received December 11, 2 p.m.) LONDON, December 10. The Hong Kong Central News correspondent reports that Chinese guerrillas boldly raided Amoy Island, killed the commander of the Japanese gendarmerie, a police chief, and a number of soldiers. BASE FOR BLOCKADE. NEW YORK, December 10. The Japanese are reported to be concentrating troops at Sparately Island, midway between. Northbound and the Indo-China naval base at Camranh Bay. Observers state that such a base could be used to try to blockade Singapore, or for a drive against Camranh Bay or Saigon.

PREPARATIONS IN FORMOSA.

CHUNGKING, December 10

Feverish military preparations are going on in Formosa and Amoy following the appointment of a new Gover-nor-General in Formosa, General N. Kajima Yasutune. The new Governor is regarded as an influential member of the Japanese younger officers’ clique and is also a staunch advocate of the southward expansion programme. The report adds that among the new measures adopted is the organisation of a “South Asia surveying corps,” comprising 400 Japanese troublemakers in different parts of the Straits Settlement and the South Seas who, it is stated, are divided into. 10 .groups for the purpose of collecting information.

.•< U.S.A. FLEET , .. WASHINGTON, December 9. The departure of at least a portion of the fleet, possibly submarines _ and destroyers, foi' Manila from Honolulu is reported to be imminent. Naval strategists have lately been urging that the fleet needs a Far Eastern base if-the naval-policy of the United States Is'to/remain abreast of foreign policy in the Pacific. CHINESE CURRENCY SHANGHAI, December 9. The Nanking regime, which has been recognised by Japan, is issuing its own currency as from. January 15. It will, however, continue to recognise the Chungking Government notes for a certain period after which period Chungking notes will be exchanged at par for Nanking notes, and the Chungking notes will then be declared valueless in Japanese Occupied territory. JAPAN’S BUDGET TOKIO, December 10. Japan’s total Budget under general accounts, including the expenditure for the China War for the fiscal year 1941-42 is expected to exceed eleven thousand millions of yen. The Minister of Finance has examined the estimates of various Ministries, and the Cabinet Council is discussing the Budget to-morrow.

CHOLERA SPREADING SHANGHAI, December 10. Missionary sources report an appeal for serum from Kinkwa, Chekiang, where bubonic plague is raging. Hundreds are dead. The plague originated at Ningpo, where scores of houses were burnt in an effort to check it. It is said that the Japanese bombing of Kinkwa recently, worsened the situation.