PLANE SHOT DOWN BY DUTCH

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25250, 31 July 1947, Page 7

PLANE SHOT DOWN BY DUTCH

Medical Supplies .For Indonesians

ALL KILLED ON INDIAN DAKOTA

BATAVIA, July 29. A mercy aeroplane from India with two tons of medicines from Singapore for wounded Republicans was shot down late yesterday afternoon over the Jogjakarta airfield, according to a Republican Government communique? All the eight persons aboard were killed. The aeroplane was shot down by two Dutch fighters. After being shot at the aeroplane caught fire and crashed in flames. British persons killed were a former wing commander. Mr Constantine, who was pilot of the aeroplane, and Mrs Constantine; and a former squadron leader named Hazelhurst, who was co-pilot. The others aboard were Indonesians.

Government of India sources in Batavia have confirmed that the Dakota shot down over the Jogjakarta airfield was Government-owned and bore the markings “Government of in addition to the normal Indian aviation markings. It was not camouflaged. A Dutch East Indies Government spokesman would make no official statement. He said that so far no official report of what had happened had reached Batavia. He said, however, that he wanted to make it clear that the Dakota was not an official British mercy aeroplane, although it might have carried medica] supplies. The authorities at Singapore reFortea that such an aeroplane carry*£3 two tons of medical supplies for the Indonesians had left but that the night was unofficial ana no arrangements had been made with the Dutch for safe transport. j. British Officer’s Account

An eye-witness account of the incident was given over the Jogjakarta radio by a British officer, LieutenantColonel Peter Ratcliffe. M I happened to be on the airfield when the air raid sign*! sounded,” he said. “I saw one aeroplane flying slowly at a low altitude. The aeroplane circled over the aerodrome, and then two aeroplanes approached from the east. They were so modern and fast that they must have been Dutch. They opened fire with four bursts. Then there was a silence, followed by the sound of the Dakota crashing.” [Lieutenant-Colonel Ratcliffe has previously broadcast from Jogjakarta on behalf of the Indonesian Republic. He is on demobilisation leave from India.]

He said that the crashed aeroplane was Indian owned. It was a civilian aeroplane and unarmed. It left Singapore yesterday morning Radio Malaya had broadcast that the aeroplane was coming to Jogjakarta with relief goods. Radio Batavia had also announced that the aeroplane was coming. The Netherlands East Indies Government had agreed to allow medical supplies to be 'bought to the Republic. Lieutenant-Colonel Ratcliffe concluded: “I am afraid I cannot fail to say that recently the most senior officials of the Dutch Government have stated as the reason for their alleged Police action that the Republic did not control its forces. This is eloquent testimony that the Dutch cannot control their own.”