JAPANESE BASE IN INDO-CHINA

Southland Times, Issue 24244, 30 September 1940, Page 5

JAPANESE BASE IN INDO-CHINA

Shore Batteries At Haiphong Taken TRUCKS DESTINED FOR CHINA CONFISCATED (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) (Received September 29, 7.30 p.m.) HANOI, September 27. The Japanese occupied the Dosom shore batteries protecting Haiphong, thus securing their first naval base in Indo-China. The French said it was a minor incident and was not likely to have repercussions. The Japanese (have established headquarters in the premises of the SinoAmerican South-western Transportation Company, which previously imported American trucks to China. It is estimated that 1000 new trucks awaiting delivery have now been confiscated. Thailand has renewed its demands on Indo-China. A Thailand plane machine-gunned police 40 miles inside the border at Moughthadeua. Local French officials said that Thailand’s demands should be discussed with Vichy instead of Hanoi. CANTON ARMY’S ADVANCE It is officially stated in Vichy that the French have asked Tokyo to send a plenipotentiary to Indo-China to halt the Canton Army’s continued south-

ward advance which the French Army is not opposing. The French said that Admiral Nishihara, leader of the Japanese Mission, had failed in his efforts to halt the army and was now en route to Tokyo aboard a transport. The Japanese Foreign Office has released a joint French and Japanese communique on the Indo-China agreement, under which the Japanese Government has given the French Government an assurance that it will respect the rights and interests of France in East Asia, especially the territorial integrity of French Indo-China and French sovereignty over all parts of the Union of Indo-China, while the French Government has agreed to afford the Japanese Army and Navy special facilities which are necessary for the prosecution of the latter’s military operations. Minor clashes are taking place between Chinese and Japanese forces on the Kwangsi and Indo-China border. It is reported from Kwangsi that the Japanese casualties were 1000 in the Dongdang clash. NEW ZEALAND PILOT AWARDED D.F.C. BOMBING OF AERODROME AT CHARTRES LONDON, September 27. Pilot Officer Frank Henderson Denton, of Greymouth, has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. The citation says: “He showed great resource and daring in successfully attacking the Chartres aerodrome from a very low altitude, although the enemy tried to tempt him with ■ a dummy flare. On another occasion, failing to locate a Ruhr target because of severe weather, he ■decided to attack the docks and shipping at Flushing. Coming out of a cloud at 1000 feet and through a devastating curtain of fire he released his bombs. His altitude was so low that the force of the explosions rocketed the plane up hundreds of feet. He saw large fires and explosions and brought his plane back to his base with difficulty, there being gaping holes in each wing. Pilot Officer Denton has participated in 24 major bombing raids. He is a determined and courageous captain and carries the complete confidence of his crew and associates.” BRITISH COAL SOLD IN CANADA OTTAWA, September 27. It is officially stated that 220,000 tons of British coal and coke valued at £185,000, which were being unloaded at French ports at the time of the armistice have been .marketed throughout Canada. Thirty-five ships escaped from French waters at the eleventh hour.