REVOLT IN GREECE

Wairarapa Age, 13 March 1935, Page 5

REVOLT IN GREECE

ARMED RESISTANCE ENDING ON MAINLAND. SUCCESS OF THE GOVERNMENT FORCES. NEGOTIATIONS TO BE OPENED WITH CRETE. (Received Tuesday, 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, March 11. General Kondylis told a British United Press special correspondent with the victorious Government troops occupying Serres: “The campaign may be considered finished with the occupation of Serres, because it is the key to the whole situation from a military standpoint. No further armed resistance is expected on the mainland.”

General Kondylis, in reference to Crete, said: “If the rebels continue their resistance we shall first negotiate pacifically. Unfortunately, however, M. Venizelos seems to have become crazy. I deliberately delayed opening hostilities to prevent needless bloodshed, in which I have been highly Unsuccessful."

Major Sampson, British Military Attache at Athens, has arrived at Serres. He speaks highly of the conduct of the campaign. Interviewed by the United Press after crossing the frontier, General Kamenos admitted that efforts to overthrow the Tsaldaris regime must, temporarily at any rate, be considered lost. General Kamenos and his staff were disarmed and will be sent to Sofia. REBELS ROUTED. REMNANTS HEMMED IN. HEAVY FIGURES OF DAMAGE AND LOSS. (Received 'Tuesday, 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, March 11. The “News-Chronicle’s” Athens correspondent says that two rebel officers besides the Chief of Staff, Major Panyagiopoulos, committed suicide in the field. General Kamenos and his officers took £120,000 from the Serres Bank before their retreat. Cavalry and bombing ’planes completed the rebel rout. The remnants of the rebel troops will be hemmed in and are expected to he disposed of in a dpy. The ‘Daily Mail’s’l Athens eorres-’ pondent says it is estimated’ that the rebellion has cost the authorities twelve millions sterling, consisting of currency confiscated by the rebels, military expenditure, damage to warships and property and loss of business. CRUISER SURRENDERED.

CREW MAKES SUBMISSION. (Received Tuesday, 8.10 p.m.) LONDON, March 12. Sir Percival Phillips, the “Daily Telegraph’s’’ special Athens correspondent reports that the surrender of the cruiser Helle at Kavalla was effected in dramatic circumstances. The Ministry of Marine at night received urgent radio messages from Sub-Lieu-tenant Vakolopoulos, aboard the Helle, stating that all the combatant officers had fled ashore following a bombardment by the Government destroyer flotilla. He had been left in command and put the ship at the disposal of the Government, requesting the orders of the Ministry, which sent instructions also for the sailors, which Vakolopoulus read to the crew by the light of an electric torch. This said that the Government was convinced that the sailors and a large proportion of the petty officers had been forced into the revolution unwillingly. Now they were masters of the ship the Government urged their surrender. Vakolopoulus received the crew’s unanimous submission and left harbour within an hour, steaming as directed by the Ministry to a point off Kasandra promontory south-east of Salonika. COLLAPSE IN ?RETE. AUTHORITY RE-ESTABLISHED IN ALL ISLANDS. M. VENIZELOS & WIFE LEAVE IN UK UISER. (Received. This Day, 1 a.th.) ATHENS, March 12. The revolt in Crete has ended and the authority of the Government has been re-established in all the Aegean Islands, including Mltylene, Samos and Chios. All rebel warships except the Averoff, and one submarine, have surrendered to the Government in Suda Bay. Officers from the destroyers Psara, Leon and Nireus had previously boarded the Averoff, which steamed away in a north-westerly direction with M. Venizelos and his wife and a hundred rebel officers aboard. It is believed that their destination is Rhodes. The Government casualties in the Macedonia fighting were 11 killed and 28 wounded. A sum of £160,000, which was looted from the local banks, has been found on capturdfl rebels. The Mayor of Athens called on the people to give thanks for victory at a mass meeting this afternoon.