Indonesians To Stay In Borneo

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31112, 15 July 1966, Page 13

Indonesians To Stay In Borneo

(N.Z. Press Assn. —Copyright) CANBERRA, July 14.

Thousands of volunteer I n d on e s i a n soldiers would remain along the border areas of North Borneo even after confrontation hostilities come to an end, a spokesman for the Indonesian Embassy, Mr A. Marentek, said today in an interview.

The Indonesian Government planned to resettle permanently many of them in the underdeveloped border regions close to Sarawak and Sabah, he said.

At the moment the Indonesian “irregulars” were strung out along the border areas and living in primitive regions close to the borders. The borders themselves have been the scenes of bloody clashes between anticonfrontation forces and Indonesian infiltrators.

Australian, British, and New Zealand troops are still

in their jungle outposts as Indonesia’s confrontation of Malaysia recedes. The gradual withdrawal of allied and Indonesian troops from the North Borneo border areas will take place after a formal end to the Indonesian-Malaysian breach.

Mr Marentek said the number of Indonesian troops deployed along the borders was “a military secret.” Most foreign speculation had placed the number at 15,000 regular and irregular troops, he said. He said about two-thirds of these were irregular forces (although others have estimated that proportion of regular troops). Mr Marentek said a call would be made to the volunteer soldiers to remain in the northern border regions to help settle and develop it. The Indonesian Government wanted them to stay there and make their lives among the local inhabitants. This would be part of the great Indonesian migration plan, which aimed at a more equitable distribution of the country’s teeming millions, he said.