JAPAN WARNED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 June 1939, Page 5

JAPAN WARNED

DANGERS OF A CLASH IN TIENTSIN SIR R. CRAIGIE INSTRUCTED. ESTABLISHMENT OF BLOCKADE POSTS. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. LONDON, June 13. The British Ambassador in Tokio. Sir Robert Craigie, has been instructed to warn -Japan of the dangers of an AnghJapaiiese clash in Tientsin. The British refusal to hand over four Chinese whom the -Japanese allege to be involved in a murder is a matter of principle, inasmuch as no evidence is forthcoming against them, and surrendering them would create a precedent lending to undermine British influence in the treaty ports. The deadlock may be solved by the appointment of an Anglo-Japanese committee with a neutral chairman. Reuters’ in Tokio report that the Japanese in Tientsin are establishing seven posts along the borders of the British and French concessions in order to interrogate and search all persons passing in and out. Only those engaged in official business are allowed to pass. A message from Tientsin states that the present population of the British concession is 47,000. including 2700 Britons. In the French concession there are 61,000 persons, about 1000 of them French. After issuing two ultimatums to residents in the British Concession in Tientsin, threatening to erect barriers and isolate the Concession unless the murderers of Cheg Shi-kang, branch manager of the Federal Reserve Bank, who is alleged to have been killed in the British Concession on April 9. are handed over, Japanese authorities on Sunday announced that they had commenced action to isolate the Concession. To make this effective, they declared, the adjoining French Concession also would be isolated. CHINESE PROTEST A . ■ — ALLEGED BRITISH ACTION. TERRORISTS HANDED OVER TO JAPAN. CHUNGKING, June 12. The British United Press agency says that the Chinese Foreign Office is reported to have protested to the British Embassy against the action of the British in Tientsin in handing over two Chinese terrorists to the Japanese. ALL TRAFFIC BANNED DECLARATION BY JAPANESE ARMY. SWEEPING DEMANDS MADE. (Received This Day. 9.55 a.m.) TOKIO, June 13. The proclamation of the Tientsin blockade bans all traffic between the Japanese Concession 'and the Chinese quarters of the British and French Concessions. The International Bridge will be close from 6 a.m. to midnight, the roads to and from, the British and French Concessions from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Pedestrians and vehicles will be liable to search. Shipping on the Pel River will be ordered to heave to for inspection. Violations of this demand •will be dealt with “as stipulated by the commander of the Japanese Army.” An Army spokesman said: “The question cannot now be settled by a mere transfer of the wanted men and the Army will never bury the hatchet unless the authorities of the British Concession reconsider their attitude, co-operate in the construction of a new order in East Asia and abandon their pro-Chiang Kai-shek policies.” In Tientsin, commodity prices have risen twenty per cent.

BRITONS ANGRY DETERMINED TO STICK OUT BLOCKADE. (Received This Day, 9.10 a.m.) TIENTSIN, June 13. The British Concessions mood is more anger than apprehension and British residents are determined to stick out the Japanese blockade. PATIENCE EXHAUSTED . ,ACCORDING TO CABINET SPOKESMAN. DELIBERATION IN TOKIO. TOKIO. June 13. Cabinet met today to consider the situation in. Tientsin. The Japanese spokesman stated that Japan’s patience was exhausted and further negotiations with Britain were useless. The Japanese authorities in Tientsin officially announced that the blockade will commence at 5 a.m.. local time, on June 14. POSITION SERIOUS QUESTIONS IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. MR R. A. BUTLER DETAILS FACTS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.15 a.m.) RUGBY, June 13. The situation in Tientsin was the subject of questions in the House of Commons. Replying Mr R. A. Butler. Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, said that on April 9, the Manager of the Federal Reserve Bank and newly appointed Superintendent of Customs was assassinated in the British Concession. This was the first case of violence which had occurred in the Concession since the outbreak of hostilities. The assassin, a Chinese, escaped. The municipal authorities invited Japanese co-operation and carried out a number of raids in the Concession, as a result of which several arrests were made. The Japanese alleged that four of those arrested were members of a terrorist gang connected with the above murder and

with the death of three Japanese soldiers. These men were handed over to them for questioning and made confessions implicating themselves, which, however, they later retracted when taken into the custody of the British municipal authorities. A warning proclamation was issued on June 7 that any breach of neutrality in future would be dealt with by either handing the culprit over to the defacto authorities for trial, or by expulsion from the Concession. The four men in question, however, were arrested before the issue of that proclamation.

Mr Butler added: “In the absence of evidence connecting them with the crime other than their own confessions' made while in the custody of the Japanese, and as they allege under torture. Britain has not felt justified in giving instructions for them to be handed over to the local district court. This attitude is in accordance with the practice followed for the past twentytwo months. The British Consul-Gener-al accordingly informed his Japanese colleague on June 7 that the four men would be held by him pending the production of further evidence, failing which they would eventually be expelled from the Concession. Two other 'men found in possession of bombs would be handed over, and that in future offenders would be dealt with as in the proclamation referred to above. The Japanese indicated that they considered this reply to be unsatisfactory and certain measures have already been taken to effect a removal of Japanese business houses from the Concession and isolate it. The situation is serious, but negotiations arc still proceeding and it is hoped that a settlement can be reached.”

Asked if the Japanese realised the serious results of the action they were reported to be contemplating, Mr Butler replied: “I think the Japanese are. aware of Britain’s attitude."