CRISIS IN EAST

Hokitika Guardian, 7 January 1933, Page 5

CRISIS IN EAST

JAP OFFENSIVE

HEAVY CASUALTIES RESULT.

(United Press Association—By Electric

Telegraph—Copyright.)

SHANGHAI, January 6

There are train-loads of wounded pouring into Tientsin and Chingwangtao. These tell their own story of there having been a terrific bombardment at Shiinhaikuan. When the hostilities began, the- gates cf the walled city were closed, thus trapping ten thousand of the.residents of Sh tnliaikuiiri, but live 'thousand of them escaped when the gates were temporarily opened. How many of the remaining five thousand escaped death or injury is Uncertain, though there are bodies lying amid the blackened ruins which indicate terrific slaugther,. The Nanking Government has been inundated with manifestoes from the provinces and public bodies of China, demanding the organisation of. an armed expedition to drive the Japanese from Sbanhaikuan, in order to prevent further similar incidents, and also the punishment of the officers who were responsible for . the shelling of the city of_ Shanhaikunn. Quiet continues in the recently-dis-turbed area. Both sides have expressed a willingness to negotiate in an endeavour to localise the incident.

NEUTRAL ZONE necessary. (Received th’6 day at 9 a.m.) TOKYO, January 6. According to instructions from Tokyo Japanese tioops are already withdrawing from Shan Hai Kuan. To obviate a recurrence of hostilities it is consideied necessary to create a neutral 2°ne an u enforce The provisions of the Box'Si protocol, forbidding -Qhines e tioops within two miles of the railway. The Japanese and Chinese troops at present are facing each other across a small stream west of Shan Hai Kuan. Genrral Hockukuo, whose troops stubbornly fought the Japanese, informed Nanking that the Chinese were placed in an anomo]pus position during the past few months owing to the presehec of the large Japanese force at Shan Hai Kuan. It had been neither peace nor war. The Chinese were submitted to all manner of indignities until finally they were compelled to. fight. Yne en e my, however, possessed superior arm s and equipment, despite which the Chinese held out for three days and nights. •A Peking message states that the Japanese brigade 'from Kwantung arrived .at Shan Hai Kuan, while considerable transportation of equipment continues.

According to Japanese ad'vices, the Chinese are concentrating troops at Jehol, 'and also in th e vicinity of Shan Hai Kuan,