Warship Stands By Intercepted British Ship

Wanganui Chronicle, 8 November 1949, Page 5

Warship Stands By Intercepted British Ship

HONGKONG, Nov. 7 (Recd. 11 pm). —A Chinese Nationalist warship at the mouth of the Yangtze intercepted the British steamer Tsinan, en route to Hongkong with cargo from Com-munist-held Shanghai. Negotiations between the two ships are proceedingunder the eyes of the British warship standing by a short distance away. Th e Chinese warship told the Tsinan she would be released only on condition that she returned to Shanghai and discharged her cargo. Th he Tsinan refused and the position reached a deadlock, A report from a Nationalist base in the Chusan Islands quotes the Chines e naval commander, Niyuesi, as saying the British frigate Alacrity on Saturday defied a Nationalist warning to keep outside Chinese territorial waters. Th e Alacrity was then waiting to escort the Tsinan from the mouth of the Yangtze. Niyuesi had as. sured the Tsinan she would be safe but asked the British warship tp “keep off.” The Alacrity is reported to have replied: "I consider this area outside your territorial waters and shall consider myself free to move as* I like. Am obliged to carry out a duty of protecting British shipping on the high seas.’

Niyuesi then signalled: “This is not the high seas. This is inland waters.”