FRENCH INDO-CHINA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 August 1940, Page 5

FRENCH INDO-CHINA

UNDER JAPANESE CONTROL j NEW DOOR OF INVASION OPENED. MENACE TO CHUNGKING. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) NEW YORK, August 4. The Shanghai correspondent of the “New York 'rimes" says that .Japan is already de ITcto in control of French Indo-China and is daily extending and tightening her grip. Even the leased territory of Kwang-, chowan is under Japanese domination. Officially Japanese inspectors at present control Kwangchowan Harbour and have already reduced the traffic to China by 80 per cent.

Large groups of Japanese navy, army, and aviation experts and also a commission representing the Asia Development Board at present have their headquarters in Hanoi and Haiphong. It is understood that the Japanese demanded from the French: — (1) The right to move troops across Indo-China in the event of Chungking armies appearing on the Yunnan border. (2) The right to base naval planes at Haiphong. (3) The right, for military and commercial planes to fly over Indo-China. (4) The Japanese navy to control incoming and outgoing tonnage in northern and central Indo-China ports. (5) Work of French fortifications to cease. (6) The French Government and also business men in northern and central Indo-China to consider Japan a most friendly Power and fully’ suppoit Japanese trade development. Already Japanese military inspect tors, while ostensibly controlling cargo bound for China, have surveyed all highways from Indo-China to Yunnan. As their position in Indo-China is solidified the Japanese are rapidly reaching a position in which they could easily attack Yunnan and Szechuan, in which the Chungking Government is developing essential war industries. If these areas are invaded the Chungking Government will probably be forced to remove to the northwest. Presumably Lanchow will be the next war time capital. TOKIO DENIES DEMANDS (Received This Day, 9.15 a.m.) TOKIO, August 5. The Foreign Office denied that Japan is conducting negotiations with M. Arsene Henry concerning alleged Japanese demands for a naval base in Indo-China. The army’ authorities also denied knowledge of such demands.