SERIOUS RISINGS IN INDO-CHINA

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5285, 23 December 1946, Page 5

SERIOUS RISINGS IN INDO-CHINA

(Press -Assn-

AUTONOMY DEMANDED' french regain upper hand in hanoi

—Rec. 9.30 p.m.)

LONDON, Dec. 21. The "United Press Saigon correspondent quo.tes an official Prench spokesman as saying .that machine-gun battles are laging in Hanoi streets between P rench and Viet.Nam forces. Viet Nam forces opened " the attack with an artillery bombardment. ' Uie French General Staff in IndoChina reports in the latest despatch leceived that French forces have regained control of most of Hanoi after -hursday's attack hy national forces. During the day, fighting' was stiil gomg on in the city, and the native forces stiil held some -public buildings. Scattered fighting- is also reported from several plaees within 100 miles radius of Hanoi. The fighting was started hy 30,000 A.nnamese supporters of the Viet Nam antonomy movement who surlounded Hanoi and cut off water, electricity and telephone eoniniunication. The French^ News Agency reports that the Viet Nam Government has left Hanoi "in view of the extension of fighting proviked by nationalist extremists." The French Commissioner in Tongking, M. Raymond Sainteny, was wounded slightly. Fighting also beg'un at Hue, 340 miles south of Hanoi. Home-made grenades explodea" in a Saigon amusement park, injuring 18, one of whom is believed to have died. Circles close to the French General Staff in Paris describe the situation in Indo-'China as eritieal. There are 89,000 troops under the French command in Indio-China. Military experts say that if disorders made large-scale military operations necessary, it would require 200,000 to "reconquer" InacChina, The French Colonial Minister, M. Marius Moutet, will leitve hy air today. The Premier, M. Blum, asked the National Assemhly in the meantime to postpone"the public debate on Ihdo-China, which was requested by the M.R.P., the Radicals and the right wing parties until M. Moutet returned in a fortnight. The acting'-Freneh High Commissioner in Indo-China, General Moliere, in a proclamation warned that agitators and looters would he dealt with under Jhe penalties included in martial law. A curfew has ben Imposed.