1938-06-17 — Page 29

THE HONGKONG

VERITYS

TELEGRAPH, FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 1938.

DEFENDS BOMBING

OF CANTON

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BRITAIN READY TO RESTRICT BOMBING

Plan To Humanise Warfare Discussed

of con-

London, June 17. The British Government would not was not read at the allow the question of "police_bomb-

ing" stand in the way clusion of an agreement to humanise the rules and practices of warfare, declared the Prime Minister, Mr.

League society's meeting.

The letter

To the Chairman,

Hongkong League

Society Meeting,

Hongkong

Dear Sir,

of

Nations

St. John's Cathedral Hall,

I learn from the South China Morning Post, dated Monday, June

Neville Chamberlain, in the House of Commons last night

He was replying to Mr., Arthur 13, p 17, col. 2, under the heading Henderson, who had referred to the of "Canton Bombing", that the Hong-recent offer of Mt. Cordell Hull, the United of Nations Society will Secretary of State in kong Lengue hold a public meeting to-day at 5.30 States, who said his country would be p.m. in St. John's Cathedral Hall, willing to join other nations in seck-

In connection with the Resolutioning such an agreement. which it is proposed to place before this Meeting, I beg, in fairness to all

concerned,

Asked whether the British Govern-

particularly to the ment would make a similar offer and

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men in the deld, that you will kindly ploce before your Meeting to-night the following facts and views for consideration, lest grave injustice is done,

The Resolution, it will be noticed, is aimed particularly at Japan, but It is my considered contention that it is based on mis-information, if not on deliberate invention or distortion of what purports to be fact

The charge of "Indiscriminate Bombing" is one which from the first the Japanese authorities have strenu- ously denied.

for

It must be patent to all that the Japanese planes have had the mili tary establishments in Canton their targets, as is evidenced by the fact that they have succeeded in destroying many of them. While it must be admitted that the technique of aerial bombing to-day still leaves something to be desired in its ac- curacy, and that even the skilled airman cannot always attain

most

the practice

willingness to forego

on the north-west of bombing frontier of india and elsewhere, Mr. Chamberlain emphasised, amid cheers, that the Royal Air Force was not employed on the north-west frontier of India or elsewhere for the purpose: of uttacking civilian populatione

Bombing was never resorted to, be said, unless at least 24 hours notice were given the tribesmen and their arena in- families to evacuate the volved-Reuter.

COMPLAINS OF ILL TREATMENT

MUI TSAI GIVEN PROTECTION

Was

A recent arrival from Canton, Po 100 per cent. accuracy, yet everything Sau-foog 24, married woman, possible has been done by the charged before Mr. Q. A. A. Mac- Japanese authorities to avoid un-fadyen at the Kowloon Magistracy

necessary loss.

DEEP AND GENERAL, REGRET

this morning with keeping an unre- gistered mul-tsal. She admitted the offence and was fined $59.

That Japan's recent berlai bom- Mr. H. W. Fraser, Inspector of Mul the girl, who was now bardment of Canton has been accom-Tsal, said that panied by more or less damage to 13, had been sold in Canton at the age adopted civilians, is a matter of deep and of nine for $110, as an general regret, but under present daughter. Since then however, her conditions it is inevitable that clvi- status had been changed to that of a extent, mul-tsal. Defendant came to Hong- lians must suffer to same although I wish to emphasize again kong on May 31, and on June 10 the that such losses have not been the girl met her father in Fuk Wing result of bombing of an indiscriminate Street and asked to be taken back as nature, in spite of the protest made she was ill-treated. Three days later she was brought to the Secretariat against Japanese aerial attacks by a group of foreign physicians in Can- for Chinese Affairs by her father, ton, who actually treated victims in who apparently contemplated resell- their hospitals and were stirred by Ing her to someone else. the sight of tragedy, which can be well understood.

Nevertheless, it is true that loss of civilian life has been made a lever for propaganda purposes

now

been so

exaggerated

and has that it

Pointing out to the father that he had not right to sell his daughter, His Worship placed the girl in the custody of the Secretariat.

yet

would appear to have been the sole been enormous. The actual losses, object of Japanese nerial operations. large and most regrettable as they Any actual damage inflicted on milli- admittedly are, are in fact tary establishments has been much fortunately only a small fraction of less talked about, the publication of the exaggerated figures given all such losses having been carefully

many unreliable quarters. prohibited.

in

In this connection, actual figures Any protest therefore, based on une part of the whole pleture may regarding the casualties in Canton lead the public to a wrong conclusion, Chief of Police in Canton, who wrote were given by Mr. Li Chich-shih, as if Jupan were bombing civilians in the June 11 issue of the Chung- indiscriminately, making the destruchan Yat-po emphasizing the safety tion of civilian lives and property the of citizens from air attacks and urg sole object of her aerial attack.

Air rald sirens: 300 app.; Bombs dropped: 300 upp.:

Actually, in order to avoid civilian ing them not to leave Canton. His figures covering the period from suffering and loss, the Japanese air Sept. 10 last to June 10 sre:- forces used to give warnings to the elviliung nf their bombardments, but such warnings were usually inter- cepted and prevented from reaching the people. Evacuation of civilians from the elty therefore did not take place until the commencement of the Japanese operations, thus adding con- sklerably to the roll of casualties.

Also, It is reported that when a group of forelyn missionaries pro- posed to establish a safety zone for the civilians, this plan was rejected.

cre One cannot but be doubtful, there- fore, of the precautions that Luken, if any, for the protection of in- nocent citizens prior to the bombing although subsequent propaganda was

intensifled.

were

Killed 270 app.; Wound: 700 app:: Houses destroyed: 400.

These figures, given by an official in authority, may be regarded as the most nuthenle yet published. They reveal how enormously exaggerated many reports have been.

As a further matter of general fairness, I beg to call the attention of your meeting to the visits of the You Chinese air Squadron to Formosa on Feb. 23 last, when they bombed Taiheku, elly comparatively по more protected ir. a milliary sense than Canter, loosing 12 bomby in the including women and children. suburbs,

rbs, killing 15 and wounding. 40. On the same day also, Chinese airplanes GUNS ON PUBLIC BUILDINGS dropped 72 bombs on Shinchiku, 30 miles from Talhoku, an absolutely Your close attention is drawn to open town, when they killed 3 per- the fact that many chools, factories sons and injured 12. Losses on this and other buildings have, as is well region were low owing to the fact known, been surmounted with anti-that most of the bombs dropped in aircraft guns which have been used open fields, due to the inexpérience for Bring on Japanese planes, while of the Chinese bombers, many of these buildings have also In view of all these facts, therefore, been utilized as militaray barracks. I submit that your hesolution to-day" If, however, the charge of Indie- | should be amended so as to avoid erlminate bombing were justifiable, any particuler und discriminatory re- the loss of life in such a densely ference to Japanese aerial bombing. populated city as Canton would have CONSUL GENERAL von JAPAN.

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