MORE FRONTIER FIGHTING

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 157, 29 March 1939, Page 9

MORE FRONTIER FIGHTING

Slovak Charge Against Hungarians

TRYING TO OCCUPY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE No Progress In Border Negotiations By Telegraph.-—Press Assn.—Copyright. LONDON. March 27. Despite the agreement of March 25, the hostilities between Slovak and Hungarian troops were resumed yesterday afternoon and continued till late at night. The possession of two strategic border hills was disputed. The casualties are believed to have been heavy. Staff officers are vainly attempting to stop the fighting. Slovak political officials allege that the Hungarians are seeking to occupy as much territory as possible in order to exert pressure during the negotiations to delimit the frontier which have opened in Budapest between representatives of the two Governments.

Xo progress lias been made so far in these negotiations, though delegates sat for two hours today. The Slovaks are insisting that the eastern frontier must be that which was fixed between Slovakia and Ruthenia in 1926.

Tlie Hungarians declared that much of the territory west of that line is Ruthenian because in 1926 the frontier was based on administrative expediency and not ethnographic, economic, and strategic principles. A communique issued in Budapest states that tlie Slovaks violated tiie Hungarian frontier on March 26 at three points, eight: Slovaks being killed and seven taken prisoner. It adds that tlie Slovaks repeatedly attacked at a fourth point on March 27, but were driven back. It is officially stated that tlie Hungarian civilian and military casualties in the border incidents at the weekend totalled 23 killed and 55 wounded, and that 360 Slovak and 211 CzeclioMoravian soldiers were taken prisoner.