Two high Lithuanian officials were arrested here last night and Kaunas was placed under martial law as Russian and Lithuanian representatives attempted to establish a new government.
The previous government resigned after accepting Russian demands that additional Russian troops be stationed in Lithuania.
Red Army tanks and troops completed their occupation of Kaunas and other strategic Lithuanian cities yesterday afternoon a few hours after the President, M. Antanas Smetona, had fled from the country by air.
An official announcement said last night that the President was regarded as having resigned because of his flight from the country.
The two Lithuanian officials who were arrested and imprisoned were court-martialled for the alleged shooting of a Russian soldier by the Lithuanian police. Their arrest had been demanded by the Russians. They were the former Minister of Interior, Gen. Kazys Skugas, and the former chief of police, M. Povilaits.
The former Premier, M. Antanas Merkys, told Lithuania' in a nationwide broadcast last night that the Russian troops invading Lithuania "come as the army of a friendly, allied Power and shall be received and BS Kaunas, June 17.
aod property with an estimated the arrival'of additional Soviet troops Batavia. island called left Lithuania for abroad following President Antanas Smetona has
"of 1'35100,000,000 " Foren] o a country, mao he is regarded treated as such."
He said the developments in the Baltic countries and especially in Lithuania were "perfectly understandable under present conditions."
"The internal social, cultural, eco-scray police an Club be- The Prime Minister, M. Merkys, nomic and political affairs of Lithuania Batavia's G as having resigned. did Netherlands officials strike, Who tendered his resignation follow- will in no way be touched," he said. ins succeeded in scuttling only ing the Russian ultimatum claiming—United Press. of the 17 German vessels an-in Indies' harbours, The 16 "have a total tonnage of 116,000
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