RANGOON MENACED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 February 1942, Page 3

RANGOON MENACED

THE JAPANESE OFFENSIVE IN BURMA MANY LINES OF ADVANCE AVAILABLE. SITTANG NOT FORMIDABLE OBSTACLE. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, February 24. There has been almost complete silence from Rangoon in the past few days, probably due to the compulsory civilian evacuation of the city, a Mandalay message says. The scorched earth policy has been carried out in some of the Rangoon goods depots where the goods cannot be removed easily. “The Battle of the Bilin and Sittang rivers has brought the Japanese perilously near Rangoon, which faces a siege,” says “The Times.” “The reported fall of Pegu, 50 miles northwest of the capital, cutting the railway to the Burma Road, indicates that the situation is desperate. "It would be unwise to place too much reliance on the difficulties of the terrain along the frontier dividing northern Thailand and Indo-China from the Shan States. The Japanese near Dagwin have already driven the defenders back. Where, farther to the north, the road bends eastward it is rough, hilly country, and there is only a motor road across the frontier, but the Japanese have shown an aptitude in advancing without roads and penetrating country that is supposed to be reasonably secure against attack. “The only existing road on the northern frontier extends northward from Chiengmai (in Thailand) to Kengtung. An advance beyond Kengtung would not be difficult, either due west into Upper Burma at Thazi (40 miles north of Yamethin), or northward to Lashio, to which several passable roads lead, and it would take a large defence force to guard all possible avenues of attack in this region. “The Japanese are also reported to be massing forces north-west of Chiengmai. If they succeed in crossing the Salween, which here is about 20 miles inside the frontier, they would soon reach serviceable roads. One of these leads from Mawhmai to Loilem, on the Thazi-Kengtung road, and another to Mawchi, which is the site of important tin and wolfram mines. A recently-constructed road from Mawchi to Toungoo would facilitate a thrust to cut the main railway at Toungoo, thus dividing Rangoon from the forces of Upper Burma. “Attacks on these points are subsidiary to the main assault, which is directed at Pegu, but the possibility of a diversity of advances precludes a concentration of the defensive strength in the south and necessitates the maintenance of considerable forces in Upper Burma and the Shan States. “The Sittang River is not a formidable obstacle to an army which is evidently highly trained in river crossings. It is almost impossible to destroy all the boats abounding in the villages on the banks of the Sittang, and, morever, there would be no difficulty in the building of rafts from bamboos.” GALLANT REMNANTS STILL FIGHTING IN SINGAPORE. NEW YORK, February 24. Tokio radio says the Domei news agency reports that Japanese forces are mopping up remnants of the British forces on Singapore Island. It adds that 600 were captured this morning on Tekon Island, north-east of Changi. PORTUGUESE TRANSPORT MAKING ITS WAY TO TIMOR. SIGHTED SOUTH OF DUTCH EAST INDIES. LONDON, February 24. It is officially claimed in Tokio that Japanese naval and parachute troops made a new landing on February 20 in the neighbourhood of Koepang and are continuing their advance. ‘ The Tokio radio says that, according the Domei news agency the Japanese to the Domei news agency the Japanese occupied the aerodrome 10 miles to the south-east. The Berlin radio quoted a message from Lisbon which stated that the Portuguese transport Joaobelo, with troops en route to Portuguese Timor, was sighted last night ‘south of the Dutch East Indies, and exchanged the customary greetings with the warships of the belligerents. JAPANESE BOAST WILL BE IN CALCUTTA BY APRIL. LONDON, February 24. “The Times” Ankara correspondent says that a Japanese military attache is reported to have predicted that the Japanese would be in Calcutta by the middle of April.