SLOVAKIA’S TURN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 March 1939, Page 5

SLOVAKIA’S TURN

TAKEN UNDER HITLER’S “PROTECTION” CONCENTRATION CAMPS FOR CZECHS. THOUSANDS ALREADY EN ROUTE. (Received This Day, 9.30 a.m.) BERLIN, March 16. It is officially stated that Herr Hitler has taken Slovakia under his protection. The Minister for the Interior, Dr Frick, has gone to Prague, to “clarify the international legal questions of Bohemia and Moravia.” Between 3.000 and 4,000 Czech political prisoners are already en route to concentration camps.

ARMY OF OCCUPATION GERMANS IN MORAVIA. COMMITTEE TO ESTABLISH RELATIONS. (Received This Day, 9.35 a.m.) LONDON. March 16. The British United Press correspondent at Prague says Dr Hacha is remaining President of Moravia for the time being but General Gadja proclaims himself head of the temporary Government committee. Herr Hitler appeared on the balcony of the castle this morning and thousands of German residents wildly cheered. It is estimated that five thousand arrests have been made in Prague. There are 200,000 German troops throughout the country, of whom between 20,000 and 30,000 are in Prague. Nevertheless troop movements in Prague have practically ceased in the main thoroughfares, which are gay with flags. Herr Hitler sent a special message of gratitude to the Army, placing all German territory under the sovereignty of Greater Germany. Within a few hours of the issue of the order a committee was formed for the establishment of good relations between the Czechs and the German army.

WAVE OF SUICIDES (Received This Day, 9.30 a.m.) PRAGUE. March 16. A wave of suicides following upon the German occupation, includes the British Vice-Consul .and Herr von Neumark, head of the Czech broadcasting at Melnik. OLD FRONTIER RESTORED. CARP ATHIA-UKRAINIAN AUTONOMY. (Received This Day, 9.35 a.m.) BUDAPEST. March 16. M. Csaky in the Assembly Chamber announced the complete autonomy of the Carpatho-LTkraine. He declared. that the Carpatho-Ukrainians had twice asked for help and immediate occupation of the whole territory which the Hungarian forces were now doing. The old Hungarian frontiers on the Carpathians would be restored. M. Volosin has arrived at Sighet as a refugee: OCCUPATION COMPLETED. (Received This Day,' 9.30 a.m.) BUDAPEST, March 16. _ The Prime Minister, Count Teleki, announced in the Assembly Chamber that Hungary had completely occupied Ruthenia and that some of the Czechs were retreating westward and others to Rumania, where they were being disarmed. RROPOSAL REJECTED. RUMANIA & RUTHENIA. (Received This Day; 9.35 a.m.) BUCHAREST, March 16. The Rumanian Government received a communication from M. Volosin’s Government proposing that the whole of Ruthenia be incorporated in Rumania. Diplomatic officials state that ' Rumania would not entertain the idea. ! SEEKING REFUGE. FUGITIVES IN RUMANIA. (Received This Day, 9.30 a.m.) BUCHAREST, March 16. A thousand families of Ruthenian refugees and a regiment of Czech tioops are reported to have entered Rumania, fleeing from Hungarians. They are being billeted at emergency camps and in private houses. MAP OF CONQUEST . SAID TO HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO MR CHAMBERLAIN. ALL EUROPE FOR NAZIS & FASCISTS. (Independent Cable Service.) (Received This Day, 10.45 a.m.) LONDON. March 16. The “News Chronicle” publishes a map which it declares was found in Herr Henlein’s office before the Munich conference and a copy of which, it declares, was given to Mr Neville Chamberlain before he left for Munich. The map which shows a German timetable for the acquisition of territory and indicates that Hungary will be taken over in the autumn and then Yugoslavia, Poland, Rumania, Bulgaria, France, Russia, etc, until in 1948 the whole of Europe, including the British Isles wL be divided between Germany and Italy. The map indicated the acquisitions which had already been made. GOLD & RESERVES TAKEN OVER BY GERMANY. (Received This Day, 10.45 a.m.) PRAGUE. March 16. The Reichsbank has taken over between £14,600,000 and £18,250.000 worth of gold and foreign exchange reserves from the Czech National Bank, representing 72 per* cent of the reserves.

SECRET POLICE

ALREADY ACTIVE IN PRAGUE.' TRAGEDY OVERTAKES JEWS. (Independent Cable Service.) LONDON, March 16. The Havas agency reports from Prague that a large body of the Gestapo (secret police) is already active in the city. The inhabitants who are kept indoors under the curfew imposed yesterday resorted to the telephones, only to find the lines tapped. It is suspected that the reason for the curfew is to facilitate the Gestapo in their observation of people on its long black list.

Fifty thousand Jews in Prague wno went to bed in Bohemia and woke up to find themselves in Germany are now desperately seeking avenues of escape. It is estimated that there are at least 250,000' Jews in Czechoslovakia. The plight of those in Slovakia is almost as bad as those in Bohemia since the Hlinka Guard is fanatically antisemitic. It is believed that of the 50,000 Jews who have Deen preparing to leave the country since Munich only a small proportion will be enabled to secure British or other funds. In addition thousands of Sudeten social democrat Germans in Bohemia are facing a terrible fate. STATUS OF RUTHENIA MR CHAMBERLAIN'S VIEW. NO PURPOSE TO BE SERVED BY INTERVENTION. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.20 a.m.) RUGBY, March 16. Mr Neville Chamberlain, in the House of Commons, said the status of Ruthenia was apparently being settled directly between Ruthenia and Hungary and he did not think any useful purpose would be served by an' intervention on the part of Britain. The question of asking the British Ambassador to Berlin, Sir Neville Henderson, to return to London to report was under consideration. Britain had received no official communication from Germany.

RESERVE IN LONDON. QUESTION IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.20 a.m.) RUGBY, March 16. The Government has asked the Bank of England not to make any exceptional transfers of Czechoslovak gold or balances without reference to the Government. Sir John Simon announced this in a reply in the House of Commons to a question which suggested that he should prevent the large gold reserves held in London by the Czechoslovak national bank being handed over to the German authorities. Sir John Simon said he understood that no request for the transfer of any part of the gold reserve had been made up to the present.