Stranica 1 [1]
X.AeNoell. for November 1952.
THE SITUATION IN MACAO.
During this summer, the peace of the P, rtuguese Colo¬
ny Macao was troubled by frontier incidents, which quite ob¬
viously had been provoked by the Chinese frontier guards, The
the old guards had been replaced by Communist elite forces,
all of the veterans of the Chinese Civili War and of the Kore¬
an War. In other terms men who had priven their loyalty to the
Communist regime, who could be relied upon to fight when told
to do so, and, more important still, to stop when called upon
to stop the fignting. The Portuguese garrison of 5000 reacted
to the Chinse provocation. This garrison is only partly white.
A thousand men are Nesroes from Angola, among the most warlike
dark tribes. The fight of the Portuguese soldiers was suppor¬
ted by the artillesy fire of the Portuguese gunboat Goncao
Valho and by the batteries of the fort ; the Chinese on the
Lapa Island at haif a Kilometer of the harbour entrance tolik
part in the fighting. Then, 98 suddenly as it had come, the
fighting ceased, to give place to an uncertain peace or rather
truce.
Visiting the tom today, one finds Little signs of
nervousness. Macao has accepted the situation of uncertainty.
Nobody has any real illusions of safety. Everybody, including
the authorities, knows, that if the Chinese really wanted to
take the town they could do so. The P rtuguese garrison would
ficht. The very nurrow entrance of th@ presqu’ile, only half
a Kilometer wide, would certeiniy permit glowdown operations,
especially since even to the casual observer it is obvious
that the Portuguese garrison 1s well equipped with the most
modern weapons and that its fighting mprale is high. In fact,
tf the Chinese came, no one would think of surrender. But the
town is only 5 Kilometers long to 2 Kilometers largee It is
thus under fire. And in the fishing harbour a lending from Lapa
would in this case be almost certain. And a resistance on the
two small Islands Taica and Celeane would be only a short
matter. ;
Thus the eíty at the mouth of the Sin-Kiang has to
rely for its protection on two things : the strong diplomacy
of Lisbon ; the fear of the Chinese of becoming 4nvolved in a
general war. And the P.rtuguese diplomacy had made no secret of
it, that a pacific surrender of the colony is ruled gut.