BURMA ROAD

Grey River Argus, 11 February 1941, Page 6

BURMA ROAD

NOW ALMOST BLOCKED

Japanese Destroy Bridges

[Aus. & N.Z. Cable Assn.] (Received February 10, 10.20 p.m.) NEW YORK, February 9.

The “New York Times’s" Shanghai correspondent says: “The Japanese bomber ’planes have effectively wrecked all of the Burma Road bridges crossing the Mekong River, and other tributaries of it.

“Despatches declare that the most vital points of the-Burma Road have entirely been destroyed, including a suspension bridge. The traffic is reduced to a fraction of the former capacity of the road. Trucks are forced to wait at slow ferries, which must cross twice to carry one truck load. Trucks have concentrated, and are awaiting a chance to transship cargoes.

“The situation is so serious that the Chungking Government is considering the abandonment of the Burma Road in favour of the Vladi-vostock-Chita-Lanchow route, even considering that this new route is over the Tibetain Mountains, connecting with the Chungking-Calcutta route. Japan’s acquisition of IndoChina bases increases the probability of an attack across the Yunnan, thus effectively cutting the Burma xvoad.