MILITARY POLICY IN JAVA

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24748, 13 December 1945, Page 5

MILITARY POLICY IN JAVA

BRITISH LAND MORE TROOPS

THREAT OF INDONESIAN RESISTANCE

(Rec. 11 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 12. British reinforcements have landed at Batavia. The Indonesian Prime Minister (Sutan Sjahrir), commenting on the new British military policy in Batavia resulting from the Singapore military conference, said: "There can hardly be such a thing as a war against extremists alone. If the British bring more forces to start a large-scale action all Indonesians will resist to the best of their ability." ' Sjahrir's statement represents a further deterioration in the political situation. Sjahrir said that it was futile for his Government to have, any more conferences with the British and Dutch authorities unless they made some statement that approached the Indonesian standpoint. The Indonesian Government had accepted the presence of the British, in order to disarm and concentrate Japanese, evacuate internees and restore law and order, but whereas British policy hitherto had been to keep out of political issues, emphasis was now being laid on the intention to restore Dutch sovereignty. . "We are given to understand that the. British and Dutch explanation is the elimination of 'extremists* to pave the way for peaceful decisions between the Dutch and moderate Indonesian Nationalists," he said. "This might prove to be an illusion, for there can be no peaceful decisions if blood is .made to flow in Java. "If the decision is to use force against us, then let it.be plainly stated so that we and the world will know just how matters stand. We say we have won our independence, • and that after recognition of it v/e will be ready to negotiate for a fair and equitable settlement of all other outstanding problems. "We ask again: will the United Nations stand by and allow Indonesia to be plunged into bloody warfare or will they, by quick intervention, help to bring about a solution based on the freedom, justice, and self-deter-mination of nations?" Sjahrir claimed that the Indonesians control, the country, within a matter of weeks if they were given the chance and the British moved away. ' Mr Patterson (Democrat, California) asked in the United States House of Representatives for a Naval Con mittee of Inquiry into United States Navy assistance in the arming, training, and equipping of the Dutch troops who are fighting the Indonesians. Discussion in Commons "The only alternatives before the British Government in Indonesia were either-to recognise the provisional Indonesian Government fully or to conduct a full-scale war for repression of the Indonesian independents," said Mr Tom Driberg in the House of Commons.' He was supported by Mr K. Zilliacus, Mr E. Walkden. and the»Communist, Mr W. Gallacher. Mr Driberg deplored the use of British and Indian troops in Indo-China and Indonesia, and the casualties suffered. There was every indication-that this was not a mere guerrilla campaign, but something "important." Mr Driberg, pointing out that the more responsible American newspapers had recently published detailed reports of the alleged signing of a pact between the British.Foreign Secretary (Mr Bevin) and the French Ambassador (M. Massigli), asked what British commitments to the French and Dutch were.

*. Mr P. J. Noel-Baker, Minister -of State, re?lied that the British went to Java to rescue prisoners of war. He added that the only agreements made with the French and the Dutch were ordinary civil affairs agreements for their taking over the administration when the Allied armies had finished their jobs. He declared that as far as Indo-China was concerned the Japanese were practically all disarmed. He hoped that the British and Indian troops be able to quit IndoChina by December 31.

NORTH PERSIAN REVOLT

GOVERNOR ASKS TO BE RECALLED

(Rec. 7 p.m.) ', LONDON, Dec. 11. | "Refugees arriving in Teheran from the Azerbaijan province report that the Governor (Nurteza'Bayatt) has lost all hope of settling the crisis, and has asked the Persian Government to authorise his return," says Reuter's Teheran correspondent. "The Democratic Party in Azerbaijan boycotted Bayatt and treated him not as Governor, but as ambassador to the 'Azerbaijan Republic' "The Democrats have completely encircled Tabriz and prevented supplies jfrom reaching the barracks. The garrison would be unable to resist for more than a fortnight. "The police at Ardabil, 20 miles from the Russian frontier, joined ihe Democrats and arrested 11 tribal chiefs at Ardabil. , "The Amir Arsalan, with 2000 armed tribesmen, is reported to have expelled the Democrats from the North Persian area of Meshkin Shalshah."

WAR AGAINST ALLIES TEXT OF JAPANESE MESSAGE (Rec. ll p.m.) WASHINGTON, Dec. 12. ■The United States Navy, on December. 4, 1941. intercepted a Japanese message, “Winds execute,” and deciphered it to read, “War with Britain,' America, and the Netherlands East Indies; peace with Russia.” - This is revealed in a report of an Army inquiry which will be placed, in the records of the Pearl Harbour Committee. The message was given immediately to the Naval Chief of Communications (Admiral Noyes), who sent copies to the War Department, the State Department, and the White House.

Colonel Gibson, a military intelligence officer, told the inquiry that there was no record that the War Department ever received the message. The report added: "No copies of the message can now be found in the flle9 of either the War or Navy Departments."

The Associated Press points out that the existence of the "winds" message has been a subject of controversy. For example. Mr William Mitchell, counsel for the Pearl Harbour Committee, has declared thjat he does not believe that there was such a message.