Evacuation Decided

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 180, 17 August 1937, Page 7

Evacuation Decided

(British Oflieial Wireless.)

'ii ■ 1 BRITISH NATIONALS IN SHANGHAI Foreign Office Anxious at Developments TOKSO APPROACHED

RUGBY, Aug. 10. The grave situation in China is under constant and anxious review in London. As the result of a conference held at the Foreign Office it has been decided that the very large .number of British uationals, who with the 2500 British-Indians number 9000, should b'e o/acuated as soon as possible from Shanghai. Strong representations have been ma4e to the Chinese Government regarding the Chinese bombing from tbe air of the International Settlement . and urgently requesting the cessation of such action. In presenting protests on behalf of his Government regarding the bombing of the flagship Cumberland, the British Ambassador stated tbat, though it was doubtless inadvertent, it afforded an added illustration of the terrible danger of this air activity. To-day 's news from Shanghai, which includes the arrival there of the Second Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers from Hongkong, shows no diminution of tension. In the meantime, there has I een no relaxation of efforts on the part of the British Government to remove the present threat to the' safety of Shanghai. The developments of 'Saturday and yesterday are deeply regretted by the British Government. On Friday instructions were sent to Sir H. Knatchbull Hugessen, British Ambassador to China, ■ and NMr Dodds, the British Chargo d'Affaires at Tokio, to express in strongest terms to the two Governments the folly of allowing a situation to arise from which their own interests in the great commereial centre of Shanghai, no less than the interests of other Governments, might suffier serious damage, and to stress the necessity of precautions against action by their armed forees which might imperil the safety of tho International Settlement.