Holland Flies Troops To New Guinea

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29739, 5 February 1962, Page 13

Holland Flies Troops To New Guinea

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

AMSTERDAM, February 3.

Holland last night flew 30 servicemen, including a general, to Dutch New Guinea by way of Tokyo, on a regular K.L.M. flight. Last week, Japan ordered that Holland could send no more chartered aircraft carrying troops through Tokyo. A Dutch spokesman said that Japan could not touch last night’s flight because it was a scheduled K.L.M. flight protected by an aviation treaty. Another aircraft, a chartered DC-8 carrying 110 Dutch troops, left Amsterdam on Friday for West New Guinea by way of Anchorage (Alaska), Honolulu and Wake.

The chartered aircraft would touch down at several United States commercial airports on its way to Biak, in West New Guinea, the United States State Department announced in Washington last night. The State Department spokesman. Mr Lincoln White, said the Dutch Government had informed the United States that the troops would be wearing civilian clo-thes and would not be carrying weapons. Notice To U.S. “We have been informed that the Netherlands Governments has sent 110 men to West New Guinea in a chartered K.L.M. aircraft. The plane will touch down on United States territory at regular commercial airports,” Mr White said. “The Dutch Government has said that the men on the flight will wear civilian clothes and are without weapons.

“We have also been informed by the Netherlands Government that these men are merely replacements for personnel who have already departed West New Guinea and that they will not rein-

force the Dutch military position in that area.”

United States officials said that the transportation of the Dutch troops was not “an unusual procedure” and had been done in the past. They said that as far as they knew, the Dutch Government had not informed the United States of any plans to send additional troops by the same route.

The officials added that no protest had been received in Washington so far from the Indonesian Government. In eastern Indonesia. Christians have been warned that a “hesitant attitude” on their part towards the Indonesian attempt to take over Dutch New Guinea could hamper the scheme. So concerned is the Government that it intends to send indoctrination teams to the eastern islands soon. Last week, talks on the Christian attitude were held between senior Indonesian Roman Catholic Archbishop Djojoseputro, and the secre-tary-general of the National Defence Council (Colonel Achmadi).

Colonel Achmadi told the Archbishop that Roman Catholic missions in the eastern islands had an important role in actively assisting in the implementation of President Soekarno’s “liberation” command. The Archbishop is reported to have said he fully supported the Government’s policy and would do what he could.

The United States Ambassador in Djakarta (Mr Howard P. Jones) had an hour-long talk on Friday with

the Indonesian Foreign Minister (Dr. Subandrio) at the latter’s home. The talks dealt with the West New Guinea situation.

U.S. Proposal Criticised

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) CANBERRA, Feb. 3

The Australian Minister for Trade (Mr John McEwen) today expressed concern over the United States decision to restrict agricultural production because of massive surpluses. He said it was a matter of concern if a rich and highly developed country had to deliberately curtail agricultural production when so many in underdeveloped countries had insufficient food or clothing. He said the Western world could make a vital contribution to the needs of great masses of people in underdeveloped countries by making foodstuffs and other essential commodities available on less than commercial terms to hungry people and needy nations.