BURMESE FORCES OUTNUMBERED BY COMMUNISTS

Grey River Argus, 2 October 1948, Page 5

BURMESE FORCES OUTNUMBERED BY COMMUNISTS

Air Force of Only Three Spitfires R.A.F. TO ' SEND PLANES

(Received October 1, 9.50 p.m.y

RANGOON, October 1. Burma urgently needs thirteen planes, which the R.A.F. is sending her,' because the present Burmese Air Force has only three pilots, with one Spitfire each. Their reserves are four Auster ’planes, mounting Browning .3U3’s and from which they toss handmade bombs.

All three of the pilots flew with the R.A.F. during the war, and now the Communists have placed a price of £1,200 on each of their heads, after making unsuccessful attempts to murder them.

The leader of the three is Squadron Leader Selwyn Khin, who, with his companions and their Spitfires, has stopped two rebel marches on Rangoon, and has sunk three ’ Burmese naval gunboats which tried to join the rebels. The Burmese Government’s regular troops number only 11,000 against the rebels GOO welltrained men. The Burmese Government is forced to keep contact with the outside areas by field radio, without knowing how much of Central Burma it holds, because the rebels occupy the surrounding towns, thus cutting off Rangoon by road and rail. ’Raiding parties of army and police mutineers also plague the Government. ■ -