Subandrio Says Indonesia Opposes Malaysia Plan

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30054, 12 February 1963, Page 13

Subandrio Says Indonesia Opposes Malaysia Plan

(N.ZP.A.-Reuter—Copyright)

DJAKARTA, February 11. The Foreign Minister, Dr. Subandrio, today declared Indonesia’s official opposition to the proposed Malaysia plan and said that if Malaya’s present hostility to Indonesia spread to the Borneo territories there could be armed conflict.

Speaking to foreign correspondents who were summoned to his home this afternoon for a special press conference, Dr. Subandrio said Indonesia was worried about the hostility “perhaps incurable hostility” being shown towards it by Malaya’s Prime Minister (Tunku Abdul Rahman).

“You can imagine what will happen if we have a common land frontier with the Federation that is hostile towards us,” he said. “The possibility of physical conflict would be difficult to avoid. “I do not mean war,” he said with emphasis, "but incidents incidents of physical conflict.” The Foreign Minister said that until now Indonesia had not declared itself against the proposed Malaysia Federation, although he was doing so now “Eighteen months ago when Lord Selkirk (the British Commissioner-General for

South-east Asia) came here, we discussed Malaysia. “I told him we appreciated that Britain wanted to dispose her colonies and that in what way it was done was up to Britain and the people concerned.

“Later in the United Nations and other place® I deliberately did not say we were not supporting Malaysia, because I did not want to go over the heads of the people,” he said. “This was not a mere tactical move —we meant it” Dr Subandrio said that tn Indonesia "sections of the country” opposed Malaysia and “they more or less reflect the general feeling here. “It is not only Dr Soekarno and Dr. Subandrio but the people—in fact we are keeping the people down “If we did not there would be demonstrations everywhere. Everybody wants to demonstrate for Azahari.”

Charging that Tunku Abdul Rahman “has always been hostile to Indonesia.” Dr Subandrio said he “more or less had the same aim as our (the 1957 'colonels’ revolt) and was disappointed that ft did not succeed.”

He said that during the 1957 revolt the Tunku had ambitions to annex Sumatra for Malaya. "The Tunku needs Indonesia badly to face Chinese equality with the Malays inside Malaya,” Dr. Subandrio said.