Aviation Units Take Possession of Racecourse at Tientsin: Concentration of Troops Peiping, Nov. 27.
JAPANESE troops to-day occupied the important railway junetion of Fengtai, 12 miles south of Peiping, commandeered passenger coaches and freight waggons and took charge of the Chinese military telephone lines.
Following the occupation of Fengtai, Japanese troops occupied Changyimen station, about 300 ards outside the southwest gate of the city. Changyimen is on a branch line, connecting the line to Tientsin with the line to Kalgan. Thus, by holding both Fengtai, which is 12 les south of Peiping, and Changyimen, the Japanese control all North China railways. Trains between Peiping and Tientsin are running normally, while through traffic to Hankow is still functioning.
The Japanese military spokesman stated that this action had been taken to protect communications and prevent the removal southward of Peiping of rolling-stock. The statement is linked with rumours that the Chinese have lately been concentrating rolling-stock in. North Honan for the use of Central Government troops, and disposes of an earlier semi-official explanation the Japanese were merely engaged in manquvres that The occupation was carried out by. a detachment of 90 men, who left Peiping at 5 o'clock this morning. When they reached Fengtai, Important "strategic point at the junction of the Peiping-Tientsin and Peiping-Hankow railways, the soldfers attempted to hold up' trafic, but were persuaded by the railway' off-dals to allow trains to proceed normally.
Some observers attribute the move fse to reports of contemplated action by Chinese troops against the new regime In East Hopel—which the Japanese claim would be an Infringement of the Tangku Truce (by which the Demilitarized Zone was established in May, 1993), Japanese military train of 17) cars passed through Shanhelkuan this morning headed for Tientsin—Reuter,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.