Hong Kong Police Patrols Closely Watching Frontier

Chronicle (Levin), 17 October 1949, Page 5

Hong Kong Police Patrols Closely Watching Frontier

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Reuter .

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2' Received Monday, 9.55 a.m. - ' • _ HONG KONG, October 16. Communist f orces today landed on the north-east corner of Amoy, the besieged south Fukien Island city. This news was contained in an oilicial despatch from Taipeh, wlnch stated that earlier a seaborne attack had been repulsed and claimed that the present invaders would meet a similar fate.

The despatch said that the Communists had started a large-scale offensive against the isiand lortress from three mainland springboards. -The attack began. with a terrihc artiilery duel between Communist gunners on the mainldnd and Nationalist shore and navai guns. The duel lasted four hours, after which a large fleet of wooden craft, loaded with Communist troops, headed for Amoy and the adjacent ismnd of Kulangsu simultaneously. The Kulangsu-bound craft were soon sunk, but two waves succeeded in reaching Amoy. The first group, numbering 800, were annihilated. The second group punched a pocket beyond the breach and fighting is now proceeding. Uniformed Communist guerrillas today entered Shautakok, the Chinese town at the eastern Hong Kong border which yesterday went over to the Communists. Seven miles west retreating Nationalists were still trudging through the border town of Sliamehuii in an effort to escape across the broad Pearl River estuary to Chungshan, horth of the Portuguese colony of Macao. Augmented Hong Kong police patrols are closely watching the 17mile frontier in order to prevent any infringement of British j heutrality. j Thousands of Chinese peasants, ! mainly men, crossed into British j territory during the day, chielly to avoid being pressganged by the Nationalists to act as bearers of baggage and equipment. . j Shautakok was today brilliant With the gold-starred red flags of the new regime. More were flown over Chinese premises on the British side of the main strcet than on ' the Chinese side. At Shamchun. midway along the border, 2000 Nationalists were concentrated in the wake of 20,000 others who already straggled wearily toward Pearl River, bent on escape. Chinese border towns at the western end of the frontier, anxious to be in the right camp, promptly put up red flags as soon as one retreating Nationalist detachment disappeared and pulled ! them down again as another hove in sight. , I YiHagers who moved for safety ' into the territory took cattle, pigs ' an .. poultiy with them to avoid

having them requisitioned or stoleh by hungry Nationalists. So great was the influx at one stage that the British police closed the frontier post near Shamcunc. It is ex- ' pected that most of the evacuees jwill return to Chinese territory as soon as the Nationalists have gone.