TRUCE VIOLATED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20471, 4 February 1941, Page 7

TRUCE VIOLATED

FRENCH UNITS ACCUSED ATTACKS ON THAIS PEACE PREPARATIONS MISSION TO TOKIO (Klhc. To]. Copyright—United Press Assfl.) (Reed. Feb. 4, 9 a.m.) LONDON, Feb. 3. It was officially stated in Bangkok yesterday that a peace mission was going to Tokio aboard a Japanese plane and it was expected that within a fortnight agreement . would be reached in the dispute between Thailand and French Indo-China.

The possibility of a peaceful solution, however, was jeopardised on Saturday when fighting broke out in the Aranya sector at Kompat. The Thailand High Command said that the French attacked Kompat, after which Thai troops counter-attacked and threw back the French. It is said that a second attack occurred on Sunday and this was also repulsed. A Thailand communique indicated that the opposing forces had not yet withdrawn 10 kilometres, according to the truce agreement.

Reuter’s Bangkok correspondent quotes Thailand reports of alleged French violations of the truce on the Indo-China border to-day when Thailand delegates at Bangkok were preparing to fly to the peace conference in Tokio. Three clashes occurred in the Sisophon region on the eastern front. It is alleged that a French patrol violated the neutral zone. One was shot dead. One escaped and four were taken prisoner. An hour later a whole regiment and two tanks tried to encroach on the same zone, but the force was repulsed. A third attempt was similarly frustrated.