BORDER CONFLICT

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 256, 26 September 1940, Page 7

BORDER CONFLICT

IN INDO-CHINA.

AGREEMENT CANCELLED

(United Press Association—Copyright.) (Rec. 10 a.m.) HANOI, Sept. 25. It is officially stated that border fighting is in progress along a 50-mile front centred on Langson, 12 miles from the Chinese frontier and 82 miles north-east of Hanoi. , ''

The latest reports arc that the Japanese vanguard has reached Keh, along the Langson-Caobank highway, and have also reached the vicinity of Lacbinh, along the Langson-Mokay highway. In Haiphong French official circles declare that since the Japanese are continuing to infringe the terms of the Hanoi agreement by trying to enter Indo-China forcibly, the French regard the agreement as cancelled.

It is officially stated that the French remain firmly decided to carry out the terms of the Hanoi agreement. However, Indo-China cannot tolerate that an agreement hardly signed should be broken by 'the initiative of the Southern China Command. IndoChina remains decided to oppose itself by force to the Japanese Southern China army’s attack. A Tokio message says the Japanese Southern China forces have announced that they have started advancing undisclosed units of Japanese troops into Indo-China via Haiphong.

INCREASED INTENSITY. ft!' /

HANOI, Sept. 24. It is officially stated that the Japanese renewed their attacks on the Kwangsi border this afternoon with increased intensity. A Haiphong message states that there were some minor exchanges of rifle and machine-gun fire again yesterday afternoon between the French and Japanese in North Indo-China, otherwise the situation outwardly is quiet. A message from Kweilin, the capital of Kwangsi (South China), says the Chinese are reported to have attacked the Japanese near the Lungchow sector, hindering the invasion of IndoChina.