MALAY PIRATES ACTIVE

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23323, 5 October 1945, Page 5

MALAY PIRATES ACTIVE

British Warships On Patrol (12.30 a.m.) SINGAPORE, Oct. 4. Malay pirates, notorious a century ago, are again operating off the Kelantan coast, holding up urgently needed rice cargoes from Siam. British warships are patrolling the area. Though Siam is still nominally at war with Britain, Siamese troops are being used fo take possession of Japanese arms and supply dumps and guard them, reports the Bangkok correspondent of “The Times.” The new Siamese Government annulled the declaration of war against Britain and the United States, but Britain has not formally acknowledged the annulment. The Siamese are negotiating with South-east Asia Headquarters and it is expected that the peace treaty will soon be evolved. Major-General Evans, commander ol the Allied land forces, meanwhile is not interfering with the Siamese Government, though some of those who declared war against Britain are still in high places. General Evans has two main tasks, first, to disarm and concentrate tn selected areas all the 113,000 Japanese troops in Siam, and second, to assist the Allied organisation in evacuating war prisoners and interned civilians. Although no large force of British and Indian troops has yet penetrated beyond Bangkok, the concentration of Japanese under their own commanders is proceeding satisfactorily. A limited number of troops is being permitted to remain armed to guard dumps. There has been no official surrender ceremony yet. but officers’ swords will eventually be handed in. A Singapore correspondent reports that the clashes between Chinese’ and Malays which have been occurring throughout Malaya are reported to be dying down. The Chinese and Malayan communities are still suffering the effect of Japanese efforts to stir up inter-racial hatred.