Chinese Shoot Down ‘Heroes’

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30955, 11 January 1966, Page 11

Chinese Shoot Down ‘Heroes’

(N.Z. Press Association —Copyright) TAIPEH, January 10. Chinese jets gained swift revenge on Sunday when they shot down an unarmed Chinese Nationalist seaplane carrying three Communist defectors.

The incident happened over < the Formosa Straits, only 1 hours after the three men j had killed ’ the skipper of a ] Communist landing-craft and sailed his 25-ton ship to the Nalionalist-held island of > Matsu All six other members of the ship’s crew were killed in the fight. As soon as the story was known. President Chiang Kai- 1 shek’s Government hailed the three refugees as heroes. A group of Defence Ministry oth- | cials was sent to Matsu to bring them to the capital. lai- 1 peh. . 1 There was no attempt to maintain secrecy, since the i

exploit was regarded as a major propaganda triumph. Radio broadcasts telling the full story were picked up in Pek ’ n ° U .Ul M, Obviously stung by this, the Chinese sent Soviet-built MiGs into the air to intercept the flying-boat taking the three men from Matsu to Taipeh for a hero’s welcome. The flying boat was shot down 15 minutes after it had taken off from Matsu. Nationalist warships and planes searched the waters ol the Formosa Strait for sur vivors. but it appeared certair that the three defectors their escorting officers and the flying-boat’s crew were all lost