Evening star., 1941-02-18
Mining Singapore

Britain has mined the sea ap-
proaches to Singapore, her Gibraltar
in the Far East. The curt official an
nouncement from London is eloquent
testimony that the British govern
ment Is on the alert for japanese
attack upon the great fortress. The
size of the new minefield indicates
that combined Japanese naval and
land assault is anticipated, for the
mined area includes not merely the
approaches to Singapore harbor but
also long section of the coast Of
British Malaga facing the China Sea,
including the only two ports where
it would be possible to land artillery
and other heavy war material.
All advices from the Far East in
dicate that Japan is rapidly concen-
trating troops and naval units in
position for southwark thrust. The
Japanese are openly taking over
Saigon, capital of French Indo-
China, only $50 miles northeast of
Singapore and thus within easy
bomber range. japanese warships
also hover increasingly off the coast
of Thailand, next door to British
Malaga, and one of the most dis
turbing news items is that the British
consul at Bangkok, the Thai capital,
has issued instructions for all British
women and children to leave Thai
land as soon as possible.
If the awaited attack comes, it
will doubtless be a lightning thrust,
for it is part of Japanese strategy
to strike without warning. The Sun
day Times of London, in a significant
editorial, recalls the beginning of
the RuSso-Japanese War of 1904-5,
when it writes: Japan gained an
immense advantage at the outset by
entering Vladivostok harbor without
a declaration of war and torpedoing
at anchor the fleet of her unsuspect-
ing enemy. She has not forgotten
that stroke. Nor shall we forget it."
At home, Japan seems to be get
ting ready to wage total war on the
one hand, while issuing reasSuring
statements and expressing a desire
for peace on the other. The fact re-
mains, however, that the subserv-
lent japanese Parliament is rushing
through a series of bills which, in
case of war, would give the govern
ment absolute authority.
Yet, in face of all this, Singapore
calmly awaits the supreme test. The
fortress bristles with guns and is
stocked with equipment for the gar
rison OF crack troops estimated at
$4,000 men and over 700 planes. Be-
sides the fortress troops it is esti-
mated that even larger field forces
are concentrated along the Thailand
border, thus bringing the total of
British Malaya's defenders to around
100000. Nearby Dutch colonial
forces of considerable size and eff
cheney could be counted on to CO.
operate against a japanese attack
W41AS4A WOu1O 1llCIldCS IIlSIIl DIS We'll.
Lastly, it must not be forgotten
that, though the lower half of the
long, narrow peninsula connecting
British Malaga with the Asiatic con-
tinent is Thailand territory, the up
per part of the peninsula is split
between Thailand and Britain,
reaching down from Burma, the out
post of India. For the past two
months, reports indicate that con-
siderable concentration of troops and
light warships has been in progress
at this British tentacle of empire.
Thus, Japanese force landing in
Thai territory for drive down the
peninsula at Singapore might find
itself nipped between British forces
in Malaga and Burma. All of which
signifies that Japanese attack on
Singapore, even on the largest scale,
would be no easy job.