CHINESE PIRATES

Evening Star, Issue 19789, 13 February 1928, Page 4

CHINESE PIRATES

DEPREDATIONS OH THE YANGTSE

TRADE SERIOUSLY AFFECTED,

SHANGHAI, February 11. The piracies of Cliineso boats on the Yangtse in the vicinity of Hankow are alarming the business community and traders. The pirates are becoming more daring with each successful outrage, and every vessel from sampans to steamers of several hundred tons are preyed on, the attacks usually being accompanied by bloodshed. The situation is seriously affecting trade. The gunboat Bee reported that it engaged a junk load of pirates carrying off a wealthy Chinese and two girls for ransom. It overtook the pirate junk, which had already been beached. The crew escaped inland, abandoning tho victims. British and other foreign gunboats are engaged in protecting Chinese trading vessels, in addition to foreign vessels; it is hopeless to try to police 1,200 miles of tho Y'angtso unless* they are reinforced. JAPANESE STEAMER ATTACKED. ESCAPES IN A BLIZZARD. SHANGHAI, February 11. Recalling the days of the Spanish Main, a 2,000-ton steamer appeared on the China coast armed_ to Die teeth and fully manned by Chinese preying on coastal trading and passenger vessels. According to the crew cf the Zuibo Maru, a Japanese steamer which reached Tsingtao, she was attacked when crossing the Yellow Sea to Japan, the pirate ship pursuing her many miles and firing furiously with rifles. The Zuiho escaped in a blizzard. It is supposed that the pirate ship is a vessel seized from the Japanese. Warships of the Japanese fleet at Tsingtao and the Yellow Sea have been despatched to search for tho pirate.