CO129-520-1 Chinese situations 20-12-1929 - 27-1-1931 — Page 37

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"Western" Riva

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It is believed

This is the first time that aeroplanes have been used

to bomb either of these two cities.

that the Cantonese Government have at the moment only

seven aeroplanes at their disposal. Of these four are Avians, one a French plane, another a home-made

article, and the last a Ryan, the "Siki ang" belonging to

Lau Pui-chuen himself. How far these are adapted to

military purposes appears to be a matter of some doubt,

while the much advertised graduation ceremony on the

9th of March at the Aviation School, Canton, when thirty-

six cadets received diplomas, which entitled them to the

privileges of qualified aviators seems to have been

devoid of serious significance.

It is even said that

two of the cadets had only been in the air as passengers

before the event.

6. Bandits have taken further advantage of the

wide-spread chaos to overrun the South East of Kwangsi

and South Eastern Kwangtung, where an Italian Missionary

Bishop and his priest have been murdered at Kon How on

the North River, while at Tai-ping-fu (Kwangsi) a father

of the Missions Etrangères was seized and tortured before

he would give up the keys of his church and mission which were looted by the bandits. It is also reported that

Communists are very active in the Lung chow area, to the

South West of Nanning.

7. The Cantonese Government has made a show of

dealing with the piracy nuisance at Bias Bay. It has

been stated in the Chinese press, that three gunboats

were to maintain a permanent patrol in that region.

Since then it has been reported that a detachment of

troops