CONGRESS RIFT OVER SUKARNO

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31316, 11 March 1967, Page 13

CONGRESS RIFT OVER SUKARNO

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright)

DJAKARTA, March 10. Indonesia’s supreme policy-making People’s Congress split today during secret sessions between those who want to drop President Sukarno gently from office and those who want to push through with his dismissal without honour.

The armed forces representatives in Congress have made it clear that they would like to keep President Sukarno in office until the General Elections, which are due next year. But in accordance with public statements by the Army leader, General Suharto, the military say that they will not use force on the 651-man Congress. Congress is debating a Parliamentary motion on President Sukarno’s sacking and legal investigation of his alleged involvement in the 1965 putsch. The Army’s view is that President Sukarno could remain in office completely without power. But political parties and the numerous action fronts, intellectuals, civil servants, doctors and militant students are still pressing for his complete humiliation. Congress sources today said a solution to the critical situation would be for President Sukarno to accept the opportunity of resigning. One point of mutual agreement appears to be that the

President should be banned from political activity. Reliable sources today said that President Sukarno was no longer allowed any State visitors at his palaces in Djakarta and Bogor. Only personal friends were allowed to see him. Last month, General Suharto took full executive powers and became the head of Government.

Meanwhile, the Army today launched a large scale action in Central Java to hunt down the Communist supporters of a Javanese mystic killed in a pitched battle with paracommandos five days ago. Brigadier General Sugandhi, chief of the Armed Forces Information Centre, said that the death toll in the battle had risen to more than 100.