CENTRAL SUMATRAN FIGHTING

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28552, 3 April 1958, Page 13

CENTRAL SUMATRAN FIGHTING

Half Province Under Jakarta Control (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 9 p.m.) NEW YORK, April 2. Indonesian Government forces controlled more than half the rebellious province of Central Sumatra and threatened the seat of the Revolutionary Government on the west coast, the Army headquarters in Jakarta has announced, according to the “New York Times.” But on the other hand, the newspaper said, the rebel radio at Padang had said the rebels were winning a fierce battle for a key highway running southeast of Padang to Palembang, the capital of neutral South Sumatra. The rebels said 150 Government paratroopers had been killed, against the loss of 17 rebels. The United Press reported from Singapore that the Indonesian rebels had planted sharpened bamboo sticks in fields around Bukittinggi to trap paratroopers expected there.

The rebel precautions against paratroops were taken after an announcement from Jakarta that Government forces had taken Bangkinang. only 60 miles from Bukittinggi.

Colonel Nasution, commander of the Government forces, is completing plans for the next move against Padang according to “The Times” in a dispatch from Jakarta today. The Government Army was being cautious in its statements, which suggested that it might already have tasted what lay ahead in the West Sumatran mountains, “The Times” said. The promised offensive against Padang was being much publicised and the Government would probably drop pamphlets saying the troops were coming.

“The Times” said the Government had done this at Pakanbaru. This, incidentally, the newspaper said, had made nonsense of the Army's claim that the people of Pakanbaru were surprised to find the parachute troops were not Americans.

A safety zone would be fixed for the evacuation of foreigners from West Sumatra. “The Times” said that while the Central Sumatran rebels must be looking round wistfully for Indonesian allies, the Darul Islam fanatics had been at work again in the Bandung area of West Java.

These particular rebels had been fighting the Government for so long in various parts of Indonesia that people forgot about them.

This time, 80 had attacked a lonely Army post, killed four village guards, burnt some huts and taken nine crates of ammunition, rifles, and equipment. This might be a sign of sympathy with the new rebels, “The Times” said.