FURIOUS CONFLICT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 December 1941, Page 3

FURIOUS CONFLICT

IN PROGRESS IN THE PHILIPPINES

DEVELOPMENTS IN OTHER PACIFIC AREAS

ATTACKS REPELLED IN NORTH-WESTERN LUZON Enemy Pressure Further South Increasing GENERAL SITUATION UNCHANGED IN MALAYA NO LATE NEWS FROM BRITISH BORNEO LONDON, December 26. In the Philippines repeated Japanese attacks have been checked in the Lingayen Gulf area.. General Macarthur has reinforced and reorganised his forces and strengthened their position. . . • The Japanese also have heavily reinforced their troops m the Lingayen zone. A United States Army communique states that Japanese pressure in south-east Luzon is increasing. In tank battles there have been heavy casualties on both sides. There has been heavy enemy air activity over the Philippines throughout the day. . , - Japanese bombers have avoided Manila, which has now been declared an open town, but have concentrated their attacks on the port and shipping. The Domei news agency puts the number of British troops to be disarmed in Hong Kong at 6,000. Chinese attacks on the Canton-Kowloon railway are developing satisfactorily. The Chinese announce that they have now cut the enemy’s main line of communication with Hong Kong*. Savage fighting has broken out in North China, where the Japanese have brought up 10,000 fresh troops. An American naval communique states that an American submarine has sunk a Japanese transport and a mine-sweeper. Another transport and a seaplane tender were probably sunk. Naval operations against enemy submarines in the Eastern Pacific are being carried out vigorously. The communique denies an enemy report that 3,000 navab and marine personnel defended Wake Island. The total strength of the defenders was less than 400 officers and men. A thousand workers were engaged in construction work on the island and this may account for the enemy statement that they have captured 1,400 prisoners. A Singapore communique says the general situation in Malaya is unchanged. An agency message from Singapore states that in addition to their coastal attacks the Japanese are trying to drive down the centre of the peninsula in Kelantan. t The latest news of the Japanese landing at Kuching, the capital of Sarawak, - comes in a communique issued by the Netherlands East Indies. It reports that in an attack by Netherlands aircraft on Japanese shipping at Kuching, an enemy destroyer or transort was sunk. There has been no direct news from Kuching since the enemy landing on Christmas Eve. Batavia reports Japanese air attacks on an aerodrome on one of the outlying Dutch islands. No one was killed or injured, but the aerodrome for the time being is out of action, DEFENCE OF AUSTRALIA In a broadcast on the situation in the Pacific, the Federal Prime Minister, Mr Curtin, said the answer to all current prob- ' lems was production. While he was unable to make any disclosure of the precise disposition of forces, he had reached a conclusion, not of glowing optimism, but of sober confidence. The safety of Australia had been considered at the Washington conference and was regarded as taking an essential place in plans for both defensive and offensive action.