Formosa annoyed over Indian official’s “faux pas”

Taipei (Formosa), July 11: A diplomatic Faux Pas committed by an official of Indian Administrative Service, whether wittingly or unwittingly, has very nearly torpedoed the work of the Khosla inquiry commission on Netaji Bose, even before its arrival here to-day. Mr. S.L. Chopra, Secretary of the Commission, wrote a letter from India to the authorities here on the proposed visit of the Commission and addressed it to the Government of “Formosa, Foreign Department”. This lack of diplomatic tact made sensitive officials of the Nationalist Chinese Government here furious. Whether India recognises the Kuomintang Government here as the Government of China or not, it is a fact that it calls itself as the “Government of the Republic of China”. How an official communication was addressed in this manner remains a mystery, because other Indian official organs like the State Trading Corporation and the Minerals and Metals Trading Corporation, which have considerable commercial relations with Taiwan, always address their letters to the “Republic of China”. The Government here had almost decided to refuse the Commission entry to the island but for the timely help by friends of India here, particularly Prof. Tao Yung, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, who succeeded in clearing the misunderstanding. Visas were given on the intercession of both the India-China-Burma Cultural Association of Taipei of which Prof. Tao is Chairman and the India-Free-China Friendship Society in Delhi. Although visas have been given for entry of the Commission members and for Mr Samar Guha, MP and convenor of the National Committee to assist the Netaji Inquiry Commission, it is unlikely that the Government here will give any official co-operation unless a proper communication is addressed to it.