Canton, June 22.
The fresh Japanese operations launched early this morning in the neighbourhood of Paoan, north of Hongkong, are designed to blockade the area in order to puta stop to illegal profiteering by British merchants in Hongkong who have been taking advantage of the absence of Japanese troops in that area, well-informed sources here said.
It was recalled that Japanese forces were stationed at Paoan until December of last year, but were withdrawn on December 30 in order to meet the desire of the British authorities and also to give practical significance to the partial opening of the Pearl River.
Profiteering by Britons in Hongkong taking advantage of the Paoan sector has been increasing and recently has assumed serious proportions, these quarters added. The Japanese army authorities, it was stressed, are determined to terminate such illegal profiteering by the British merchants, by using force if necessary.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.