SERIOUS POSITION

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 13 June 1928, Page 7

SERIOUS POSITION

SITUATION AT PEKING.

TREACHERY OF FENG. MORE TROUBLE FEARED. (UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION—BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH—COPYRIGHT.) (AUSTRALIAN PRESS ASSOCIATION.)

SHANGAHI, June 11. Reports from Peking indicate tout the situation is grave and pregnant with disastrous possibilities as a result or further treaohery by General Feng Yu Hsiang. Peking i.s occupied by Shansi .troops, but is surrounded by Feng’s men, who outnumber the Shansiites by two to one. Arrangements effected by the Foreign Ministers at Peking following on the announcement of Chang-Tso-Lin’s withdrawal included an agreement between the Northerners and the Southerners to permit sufficient Northerners to remain to ensure peace, following the evacuation and occupation by the South. Their subsequent withdrawal was guaranteed. Several bombings occurred at Mukden, being principally aimed at the Japanese. The city is reported to be in a state of confusion. Southern guerillas are suspected, and the entire Japanese police force is on duty. A Tokio message says the War Office has received information of the death of Chang-Tso-Lin, the Northern leader, who recently retired from Peking and was injured in a railway bombing incident. FOREIGN DIPLOMATS PROTEST. AGREEMENT FOR SAFE CONDUCT NOT HONOURED BY SOUTHERNERS. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, June 11. The Dutch Minister at Peking, who is the doyen (oldest member) of the diplomatic body, with bis British, United States and Japanese colleagues, on Saturday afternoon drove to the headquarters of General Han-Fu Ghu, who commands the Kuominchun troops of General Feng-Yu-Hsiang in the outskirts of Peking, to protest against the breach of the Nanking Government’s undertaking by disarming and making prisoner a body of Northern troops who, by the agreement, had remained in the*capital to keep order pending the transference of control to the South. A week ago the diplomatic body telegraphed to the Nanking Ministry, suggesting that when these Northerners had performed their task they should be allowed to withdraw without interference, and a reply was received last Wednesday stating that arrangements would he made' accordingly. When they left on Friday they were told at Tunshien, 16 miles from Peking, that a further guarantee could not be assured, and they then ventured to the eastern suburbs, where they were taken prisoner and disarmed on Saturday. General Han-Fu denied having received orders to allow the Northern detachment to pass and, although the urevious day one of his staff officers had assured them of a safe conduct, he declared that no such arrangement had been sanctioned by him. The diplomatic body has addressed a further communication to the Commissioner of Foreign Affairs at Nanking, which was delivered on (Saturday evening, and prompt attention was promised.