Tokyo, May 22.
Japanese bluejackets will remain stationed on Kulangsu, the island upon which the International Settlement of Amoy is situated, so long as the Japanese authorities consider their presence as necessary for the maintenance of peace and good order, authoritative Japanese circles here indicated today.
These views were expressed in connection with reports that a high-ranking Japanese naval officer, would confer with British, American, and French naval representatives regarding the withdrawal of the naval landing parties, now on the island, following his arrival at Amoy on Saturday, The Japanese naval authorities, it was stated here, would act independently according to their own interpretation of the situation. The arrest of the slayers of Mr. Hung Li-sun, chairman of the Amoy Chamber of Commerce, and the suppress sion of other anti-Japanese elements in Kulangsu would not necessarily be sufficient to bring about a Japanese withdrawal, it was pointed out.
Japanese sailors, it was recalled, were stationed on Kulangsu from May 27 to July 31 last year because Japanese authorities regarded their presence necessary for the maintenance of peace and order.
Interested Powers had made no objection to the presence of the Japanese landing part on Kulangsu at the time, it was cmphasized—Domei.
Kulangsu, May 19.
Just a year ago American mariaes and British sailors landed to preserve the threatened peace of Kulangsu. Then it was feared that an unruly element would take advantage of the unusual condition created by ihe Japanese seizure of Amoy and make trouble. Japanese, however, made the trouble during the last ten s in characteristic Japanese fashion. It began on May. 11, with the shooting of the Chairman of the Amoy Chamber of Commerce. The morning of that day was misty; rain had been falling steadily since dawn, and at 1030 am. Mr: Hung Li-hsun the Chairman, was returning irom a business visit from Amoy. As. passed along the principal narrow street of the town, he was shot. The street was comparatively deserted at the time and no one seems to have seen the gun fired or even heard the report of the shot. He was first noticed lying in trouble on the wet street. At the hospital the serious nature of the wound inflicted upon him was discovered: the bullet had entered his back, passed through his chest and emerged in front. Although tended with every possible care at the Hope Hospital by Dr. Holliman, he passed away in the early hours of the following morning. Immediately after the shooting, the Japanese began to move troop across the Harbour, stating that their nationals were in danger and that Kulangsu was a hot-bed of anti-Japenese terrorism. Now for months past Japanese women and children Have been wandering daily about the streets and the market places of Kulangsu and never has any notice been taken of them. If terrorism had been rampant, as was stated. surely some slight expression of it would have been manifested on some accession. But never once has the slightest untoward incident occurred towards any Japanese resident or visitor.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.