Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-11-19
Foe SEXES
Vital Pass,
Drives On

NEW DELHI, Nov. 10 (AP).
Chinese Communist troops,
10000 strong, over-ran Sc Pass
md Bomdila, the next Indian
defense position at the eastern
end of the fighting front, to-
lay. The Reds now stand only
Is miles from the populous
Indian Plains of Assam.
The Chinese outflanked the
defenders at 13,756-foot Sc
Pass and forced the Indian
withdrawal to Bomdila, so
miles to the southeast on the
next ridge of an Indian-built
road running to Tezpur on the
Assam Plains. The next posi-
BILE defense position, perhaps
the only one, is at a place
called Eagles Nest on a range
crossed by a road $500 feet up.
Prime Minister Nehru an
nounced the fall of Bomdila.
AS he did so the British High
Commission in New Delhi made
plans to evacuate approximately
1900 British subjects in Assam,
mostly tea planters and fami-
lies. Royal Air Force planes
may have to be used to evacuate
the planters because midas
own transport systems strained
rushing troops to the battle
fronts.
News Follows Quickly
Mr.. Nehru's announcement
of the loss of Bomdila was made
few hours after the loss of
Sc Pass was reported.
He told Parliament the Chi
nese outflanked Indian troops
on 13,756-foot Sc Pass and thus
forced the Indians to withdraw.
I'm spite of reverses suffered
by US" he asserted, I'VE are
determined not to give in and
we shall fight the enemy how
ever long it may take to repel
him and drive him out of our
territory"
The Defense Ministry spokes-
man said it is now up to the
0 army commander in the Bonn
dila area to decide where to set
up defenseS in an effort to hold
the storming Chinese.
: Elsewhere on the Sprawling
, northern battlefront-from
I KaShmir to Burma - fighting
continued south of Walong,
!, which the Chinese seized Fri
day, at the eastern end of the
: line; and a battle also was rag
ing near Chushul air field in
Ladakh, to the west.
10000 Reds Attack
The military spokesman said
more than 10000 Chinese
staged the attack on Sc Pass.
Our troops put up deter
mined resistance" he said,
"but, faced with overwhelming
superiority in numbers and
weapons, had to fall back early
Sunday"
| Correspondents who visited
the pass last week had found
Indian troops well dug in and
confident Of their ability to
hold their positions. Now the
survivors are caught in the
upper Dhirang Valley.
Mr.. Nehru held an emergency
meeting of his cabinet to con-
slider the grave situation. The
discussion was kept secret.
AirfieId Outpost Lost
In Ladakh, at the northwest
end Of the disputed border.
the Chinese have taken one
Outpost guarding a vital Indian
airfielo at Chushul and fight
ing is continuing in the area,
Mr.. Nehru said.
His announcement of the new
reverses came after a speech
last night in which he said.
the Chinese offensive is threat
ening Indian independence. He
said other countries are now
beginning to realize that this
is not a border dispute but
naked, crude and shameless
aggression"
Today, Mr.. Nehru told Par
liament's Upper House, India
is in "a full-fledged war
kind of brutal and callous
war. We are treating it as
such" But he hedged when
asked if the government would
break relations with Peking or
would declare war.
A Peking broadcast quoted
See INDIA paoo &C