PIRACY IN CHINA

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21911, 21 September 1934, Page 11

PIRACY IN CHINA

TWO MOKE OUTRAGES

PASSENGERS MURDERED LOOTING BY MISCREANTS HOSTAGES CARRIED AWAY By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received September 20, 5.5 p.m.) SHANGHAI, Sept. 1!) Two more outrages by pirates are reported from Tientsin.

Manchukuo guards employed on board a passenger vessel, the Yuan-kiang, on the Sungari River, suddenly mutinied, overpowered the officers and crew, and instituted a reign of terror. They ruthlessly shot passengers and clubbed others who offered resistance.

The pirates took control of the vessel, which they commenced to loot thoroughly, while compelling the officers, at the pistol-point, to manoeuvre the ship toward the shore, where sampans were waiting to remove the loot.

Five Japanese passengers were killed and their bodies were thrown overboard. Two Koreans and one Chinese woman shared the same fate.

An ironical feature of this outrage is that the guards were specially carried to prevent acts of piracy.

In the second outrage 40 brigands disguised as passengers seized control of a Chinese river boat, looted the vessel and abducted 56 Chinese passengers. Then they ran the vessel aground and disappeared inland. Troops were despatched to the scene, but so far they have failed to locate the bandits.