MOVES BY MALAYAN GOVERNMENT

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30056, 14 February 1963, Page 13

MOVES BY MALAYAN GOVERNMENT

Detention Of Opposition Leader; Forces Expansion

(N -Z.P.A -Reuter—Copyright) KUALA LUMPUR, February 13. The Malayan Government announced today that the leader of the opposition Socialist Front, Inche Ahmad Boestamam, aged 41, had been detained under the Internal Security Act for alleged subversive activities.

The Government also announced that it will begin an immediate and substantial expansion of the country’s armed forces.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister (Tun Abdul Razak) said in a statement issued after a Cabinet meeting which lasted several hours that the Cabinet, regarded Indonesia’s “confrontation” policy towards Malaya and “hostile attitude” towards the proposed Malaysia Federation as a threat to the security of the country.

The Government said it was known that Inche Boestamam had been in. close collaboration with the Indonesian Communist Party and that he was forming a secret underground movement in the Federation for subversive purposes.

The Government statement •aid: “For many months the Government has been aware of Boestamam’s close connexions with those who were planning the Brunei revolt. •'During a visit to Brunei, B ■estamam visited a training camp which had been constructed for the training of Brunei rebels. •‘Since 1956, Boestamam has been a close confident of Aza hart, the leader of the Partai Rakyat Brunei and they have met on many occasions, both in Brunei and in the Federation,” the Government statement said. "After the outbreak of the revolt, Boestamam, using the framework of the Partai

Rakyat Malaya, solicited in the Federation support to provide finance and material aid for the rebellion in Brunei,” the statement said. “In December, 1962, he claimed to have enrolled 300 Federation volunteers prepared to go to Brunel. The secret organisation which he has been forming is designed to exploit any serious crisis which may develop as a result of the strained relations between the Federation and Indonesia.

“He is also planning to establish a secret route from the Federation to Indonesia. Both in policy and in activity, he has consistently followed the international

Communist line and has accepted hidden direction from the Parted Komunis Indonesia. ‘‘The Government is convinced that Boeetamam’s activities are prejudicial to the security of the State and action to stop these activities is essential,” the statement said.

Inche Boestamam was arrested at bis house early this afternoon. He was detained for seven years and a half during the Communist emergency by the British Government and was released in April, 1956. Inche Boestamam is a Socialist Front member of Parliament and leader of the party. He is married and has two teen-age children. Inche Boestamam toured Britain and Europe last year as a member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s Malayan branch. Tun Ra-ak said that in view of the Indonesian threat, “the Federation Government is determined to defend the country at whatever cost.

“The Government, therefore, at today’s meeting of the Cabinet, decided to take immediate steps to effect a substantial expansion of our armed forces —the Army, Navy and Air Force —for our national defence. “This ex-

pansion of our armed forces will involve, in the next few years, a substantial increase in capital expenditure and will result in a greatly increased annual recurrent expenditure,” Tun Razak said. “The expenditure is required for the purchase of new ships, aircraft and new weapons and equipment. The number of men in all the three services will also be considerably increased,” Tun Razak said.