Casualties Not Caused by Frontier Guards Moscow, June 3.
Replying to the Manchowkuo protest regarding the alleged firing by Soviet frontier guards on the 38. Di 'Chen while proceeding on the Amur River on May 12, when one sailor was killed and another wounded, the Soviet Government insists that' the casualties were not caused by the guards, The reply, which was made to-day, declares that the Soviet frontier guards fired in the-air and cites a Feport in a Manchoukuo newspaper which stated that the steamer nad een fired on by bandits, and also the statement of the Japanese 'Ambassador to Moscow, who is said fo have attributed the' presence of the steamer off the Soviet bank of the river to its endeavours to escape from bandits, The Soviet Government's. reply algo states that the border patrols were instructed to shoot only in cases of extreme necessity and call fon the Manchoukuo authorities to {take energetic steps to see that Manchoukuo steamers do not violate Soviet laws.
"According to the Tsitsihar corres pondent of the "Tokyo Asahi," one Of the leading Japanese dailies, a Soviet battery fired on the Di Chen at the confluence of the Sungari and Amur rivers, and that a telegram received by the War Office in Tokyo Stated one member of the crew hed been killed and another wounded Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.