Chinese Troops Give Op 2 Big Towns

Northern Advocate, 15 March 1948, Page 3

Chinese Troops Give Op 2 Big Towns

NANKING, Sun. (11 a.m.).—Kirin and Siaofengmen were evacuated by Chinese Government troops yesterday, according to a communique issued by the Minister of National Defence.

One hundred thousand of the population were evacuated with the armed forces.

The mass retreat began on Tuesday and has been completed successfully.

The decision to evacuate was taken by the Government as part of the strategy to strengthen the positions of Changchun and Mukden. Meanwhile, fierce street fighting is raging in the suburbs of Szepingkai with Government troops hotly contesting every house.

Casualties on both sides are reported to be heavy. A strongly-worded resolution urging the Chinese Government to demand the return of Port Arthur and Dairen from Russia and if necessary make representations to the United Nations for restoration of the two areas was passed by the People’s Political Council. MENACE TO PEACE

The resolution stated that continued Russian occupation of Port Arthur and Dairen constituted an infringement of Chinese sovereignty and a menace to world peace.

The resolution also demanded Soviet compensation for losses incurred and called for cessation of Russian assistance to Chinese Communists.

Russia, in a Note to China, described as unfounded the Chinese Note of Wednesday which protested that two fighter aircraft with Soviet Union markings machine-gunned a Chinese civil airliner near Tsingtao on Monday last.

The Russian reply said the Chinese aircraft was not where the Chinese alleged, but was violating the border of the Port Arthur naval base, nearly 200 miles farther north.