SERBS MURDERED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23969, 20 May 1941, Page 7

SERBS MURDERED

BALKAN ATROCITIES 10 PATRIARCH INSULTED SLAV SPIRIT UNBROKEN (Reed. (>.15 p.m.) LONDON, May 19 Germans, Hungarians and Bulgarians in Yugoslavia are competing with one another in coldblooded massacres which aim at the extermination of the Serbs, says the Times correspondent at Istanbul. At a conservative estimate 50,000 victims have suffered in mass executions since the invasion of the country. At Vrsac si priest and 20 others were hanged, and at Alihunar a professor and 70 .students were shot, the correspondent continues. These murders are typical of the outrages being perpetrated in practically every Serbian town and village, priests being special objects of the invaders' hatred. The Patriarch Gavrilo was brought to Belgrade and after his clerical robes had been removed, he was confined, clad only in his underclothes, on the ground floor of a building, where he was left in view of passers by. Eighty-thousand Serbs "were expelled from some territory that has been allocated to Hungary, and thousands mfrre were expelled from Serbian Macedonia by the Bulgarians. Husbands have been separated from their wives and mothers from their children. Hut in spite of this deliberate attempt to exterminate the Serbs and to maim their offensive spirit, between 50,000 and 60.000 of them, commanded by officers of the Yugoslav army, are carrying on guerilla warfare in the mountains of Bosnia and Montenegro, and around Kragujevac.

CROAT PUPPET STATE ITALIAN DUKE AS KING AGREEMENTS SIGNED LONDON, May 18 The King of Italy has designated his nephew, the Duke of Spoleto, as King of Croatia. The Rome radio announced that under economic, military and territorial agreements signed between Anton Pavelieh, the Croatian Quisling, and Mussolini. Croatia has agreed not to fortify the coastline, not to establish military or air bases and not to construct a fleet. Under the frontier agreement Italy takes Port Susak. near Fiume, while

Port Sebenioo, in Dalmatia. Trill be included in the Croatian coast. A message from Jerusalem says it is reliably reported that 50,000 Slav labourers are going to Germany from Croatia in exchange for ersatz materials. The German news agency stated that the administration of Italian-occupied Yugoslavia was being carried out by civil commissioners under the direction of the High Command. The Italian language must be used in law courts. Berlin radio announced that the German langauge was now compulsory iu Greek schools.

MENACE IN PACIFIC AUSTRALIA NOT OVERAWED READY TO DEFEND HERSELF SYDNEY, May 19 The Minister of External Affairs, Sir Frederick Stewart, said that Australia would not be overawed by any menace in the Pacific. "We desire peace," he said, "but if there is a nation which thinks it can profit by our preoccupation with events elsewhere, I can say that Australia i«i not only ready to defend herself but isi able to do so." Sir Frederick added that he could not accept with equanimity reported statements by Mr. Matsuoka, Japanese Foreign Minister, that he intended to work in very close union with Germany.

RAIDERS FOR GERMANS BERLIN-TOKIO AGREEMENT CHINESE PAPER'S REPORT l/ONDON, May 18 A Chungking message says the Chinese Army organ Saotang Pao claims that Japan and Germany have signed a secret agreement under which Japau will provide 70 warships to Germany to be used in the Pacific as raiders with Japanese captains, operating under Gorman Admiralty orders. in the city's heaviest raid of the war over 100 Japanese bombers attacked Loyang. The Italian Catholic Mission was hit for the second time within a week.

CHINA-SOVIET TRADE EXTENSION OF BARTER PLAN (R-ecci. 5.35 p.m.) CHUNGKING, May 18 The Daily News states that the Chinese and Soviet authorities have reached agreement 'in principle for a further extension of the barter agreement which was concluded last year whereby the Chinese Government undertook to send raw materials to Russia in exchange ft"' anus nml ammunition.