FAILURE IN INDIA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27093, 30 May 1949, Page 5

FAILURE IN INDIA

COMMUNISM’S ASIAN DRIVE BRITISH OFFICIAL’S VIEW Rec. 11 p.m. LONDON, May 28. The Communist drive in Asia had met its biggest failure in India, according to Mr Malcolm MacDonald, British Commissioner-general in South-east Asia He said the Communists had tried to cause trouble in India, but had not succeeded in shaking the position of the Government. They, had, however, done better in the East than in the West during the last 12 months. The democratic cause could be saved m South-east Asia, he said, if the western countries supported two movements which commanded the general allegiance of the peoples —the political cause of nationalism and the

movement for the economic uplift of the Asian masses. He said: “We have to fight Communism by constructve policies in accordance with the aspirations of the Asian peoples.” Mr MacDonald said there were about 3000 terrorists left in Malaya, and it would take a long time to round ‘them up. Some of the populace were helping them with food supplies. Most of the terrorists were Chinese, although a few Japanese were operating with the Communists.