Indonesians Queue To Join Armed Forces

Press, Volume C, Issue 29706, 27 December 1961, Page 13

Indonesians Queue To Join Armed Forces

(N.Z.P.A .-Reuter—Copyright) DJAKARTA, December 26. Thousands of Indonesian youths all over the country are queueing up outside Government offices to volunteer for service against the Dutch in West New Guinea, according to newspaper reports in Djakarta.

President Soekarno has appealed for young volunteers to "liberate” the territory, now held by the Netherlands. One report from Surabaya, East Java, said 500 young men had registered within 24 hours of the President’s call. Letter To Rusk In Washingion a United States Democratic Congressman called on the Secretary of State (Mr Dean Rusk) to provide the United Nations with the means to stop an Indonesian invasion of Dutch West New Guinea. He urged Mr Rusk to act “with alj the rigour and power at our command” in providing the United Nations “with the tools needed to forestall the announced Indonesian aggression upon Dutch territory." The chairman of the UnAmerican Activities Committee, Mr Francis E. Walter (Pennsylvania), made public a letter he had written to Mr Rusk in which he said that the United Nations should ‘‘implement the principle of self-determination fully subscribed to bv the Government of the Netherlands.” Mr Walter did not give any details of the steps he thought should be taken, but mentioned India's recent invasion of Goa, and urged the Secretary of State to act “before further irreparable damage is done to the United Nations and before the world’s peace is brought into immediate jeopardy.” He criticised Mr Nehru,

the Indian Prime Minister, for his “hypocrisy,” and said: “The failure to restrain Mr Nehru brings about the danger that other adventurers placed by accident at the head of some of the (new sovereignties will be encouraged to follow in his footsteps. "Dr. Soekarno’s most recent movements seem to confirm the existence of this danger.” Talks Begin Private international discussions on Indonesia mentioned in a Dutch Government statement were already under way, the British United Press reported from The Hague. After a Cabinet meeting the Dutch Government announced it had reached a decision—the details of which were not given—which would lead to the discussions. The news agency said it was not known whether the Cabinet had changed Dutch policy—which had been that there could be talks only on the basis of self-determina-tion for the Papuan population. The news agency said the discussions were already under way in Washington and New York, where Dutch envoys have seen both Mr Averell Harriman, of the United States, and the United Nations acting Sec-retary-General, U Thant, several times in the last week. While details of what is believed to be a major policy change are not known, it is believed that Holland first wants to establish indirect conteot with Indonesia to find out whether Indonesia is prepared to negotiate with, out claiming sovereignty as the basis for negotiations. In the event of such willingness. it is said. Holland is willing to re-examine its stand on self-determination for the Papuans. In Djakarta, the Indonesian Minister of National Security (General Nasution) said that the door to peaceful settle-

ment of the Dutch New Guinea problem was still open. “But we love freedom more," he said, “That is why we ordered our armed forces to be prepared.” Governors and military commanders in the Indonesian islands nearest West New Guinea were summoned to Djakarta on Christmas Eve for a conference, the Associated Press reported from Djakarta.