THE NEAR EAST.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 5219, 8 March 1904, Page 5

THE NEAR EAST.

TROOPS SENT TO' ARMENIA. ARMENIANS STILL UNDER ARMS. (Received Alarch 7, 9.52 p.m.) CONSTANTINOPLE. Alarch 7. On tho plea that Armenians at Alush Plain and Tassun. trio scene of terrible massacres in 1894, are harbouring revolutionists, tho Turkish authorities have distributed arms to tho Turks and Kurds and drafted troops into the districts. This action is apparently intended to incense tho Armenians, who are arming, as they fear a repetition of tho massacres is inevitable. Shakir Pasha. Governor of the province of Kossovo, is negotiating with the Albanians, who aro still under arms. They demand exemption from military service and the abolition of civil Courts. Tho British., Austrian and Russian Ambassadors at Constantinople aro urging upon the Porte tho serious consequence of opposition to the scheme for reforming the gendarmerie. Austrian opinion is pessimistic ns to tho possibility of avoiding war between Turkey and Bulgaria. ... Tho Porte, which recently appointed Gen oral Di Giorgis. of the Italian Army, Commandant of the Macedonian Gendarmerie, has now rejected his geindarmerio reorganisation scheme, and particularly objects to the appointmentel foreign subaltern officers throughout the vilayets.