TIENTSIN IN DANGER

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 15 May 1928, Page 5

TIENTSIN IN DANGER

NATIONALISTS APPROACHING.

PROTECTION OF FOREIGNERS. PLAN SIMILAR TO SHANGHAI. (UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION—BY ELECTRIC TEL EG RA PH—COPY RIGHT.) (AITSTR ALI A N PR ESS 'ASSOCIATION.) Received 9.45 a.m. to-day. WASHINGTON, May 14. The United States, will probably join the other Powers in. protecting the 8000 foreigners in Tientsin, iif the .situation there becomes acute, instead of attempting to evacuate the 900 Americans now resident there, thus following the '.same defensive plan as was effected when the National I »t.s occupied Shanghai. It is made clear, however, that th? 3800 United 1 States marines now in Tientsin will operate independently, and wi.l not become part of the unified command.

NORTHERN GENERAL’S PEACE NEGOTIATIONS. (AUSTRALIAN PRESS ASSOCIATIONUNITED SERVICE.) SHANGHAI, May 14. Southerners claim that General \on Hsi Shan, who is .allied with the Nationalists. has captured Tsang Chow, which is the Northerners’ last point of defence 'before Tientsin. The Nationa’ists are advancing on that city, and confidently expect to arrive there within a couple of days. A tense situation is prevailing ni Tientsin among foreign troops, which at present number 4000 Americans, IOUO British -and 3000 French, Having despatched three companies to Tsinan, Japan has at present u 'small representation. but it is considered adequate to protect the port though hardly sufficient to secure the protection of tne 90 miles of railway from Peking to Tientsin, which the Powers 'have .the right to keep open under the Boxer protocol giving, access to the capital and the ■S&L. Meainwhilo it i possible that- the- fall s>f Peking may be accelerated by the treaeherv of two- leading; Northern generals, Ohu Yu Pu and Sun Oman I: ar.g, who are imported to be negotiating peace terms individually _ with the Southerners. Should Tientsin fall this will 'involve the cutting of the principal line of the Northerners’, retreat along the Peking-Mukden railway, m which event Chang Tso- Lin will be forced, to extricate bis troops by marching overland north-west via. Kalgan into Manchuria. TSINAN CONTROLLED BY .IAPANESE. EVACUATION OF CHINESE TROOPS. RUGBY, May 13. The secretariat of the League of Nations ha's- forwarded to the members' of the council a communication from the Nanking Government calling attention to events at Tsinan and .suggesting international inquiry or arbitiait-ion. Telegrams* from China, indicate that the Japanese forces now control thi? whole of Tsinan city. Overtures made on Mnv 9 to the Nationalist's by Marshal Chang T.so Lin, the Northern commander, in a circular telegram, 'offered 'to cease civil war. Hostilitiiss have so tar produced no overt response, although the Northern troops are reported to l>e withdrawing to the rear in accordance with Chang Tso Lin’s proposal. Authoritative reports received to-day stfrie that Tsinan is now quiet. It is understood that an agreement was reached between the Japanese and the local Chinese guild's whereby all Chinese troops on Saturday vacated the city without arms, and order Is now bemg maintained by the local Chinese authorities with the support of the Japanese military.