Last Hours Of Confrontation

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31135, 11 August 1966, Page 17

Last Hours Of Confrontation

(N.Z.P.A. Reuter —Copyright)

DJAKARTA, August 10.

Indonesia and Malaysia today moved swiftly towards healing the wounds of their three-year confrontation, which formally ends with the signing of a peace agreement at noon tomorrow 7 . It was announced in Djakarta that the Indonesian Foreign Minister, Mr Adam Malik—the man who negotiated the peace agreement —will fly to Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital, on Friday.

The Malaysian Pi ime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, said he would worship with Mr Malik at the national mosque in Kuala Lumpur and entertain him to lunch.

The visiting Minister would also be received by the King of Malaysia. Indonesia will treat the visit tomorrow of the Malay-

sian Foreign Minister, Tun Abdul Razak, as a state occasion. He is due with a party of 50 officials and ministers to sign the peace agreement. A spokesman for the “Crush Malaysia Command” said the signing tomorrow will lead to the “normalisation” of relations between the two countries and a peaceful solution of the Malaysia issue, based on the Manila Agreement. It would be a significant

contribution towards political stabilisation in South-east Asia. The Indonesian student newspaper “Kami” and the independent daily “Merdeka” today welcomed the peace agreement. “Kami” is the organ of the powerful anti-Communist Students’ Action Front, which has campaigned for weeks for an end to confrontation and for the money used for military purposes to be made available for peaceful production to raise living standards. Tun Razak has said that those who died in the three years of confrontation with Indonesia did not give their lives in vain. Not In Vain He told a rally at Rompin, Central Malaya, last night: “Some people have been deprived of their lives and property in defence of the country, but their sacrifice has not been in vain.” “We can now look forward to the future with more confidence and determination.” Tun Razak also said that he hoped the formal ending of confrontation would mean continued peace between Malaysia and Indonesia. Now that the war with Indonesia had ended Malaysia could devote more attention to the Communist problem, the Malaysian Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman said after a meeting of the Federal Cabinet. He said that the country was ready for a new rebellion by the Communists.