Colony merges with Indonesia

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 34026, 15 December 1975, Page 17

Colony merges with Indonesia

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright) JAKARTA, Dec. 14.

A Portuguese enclave in the'Far East has officially merged with Indonesia, Radio Republic Indonesia has reported.

The enclave, Oecussie, in Indonesian East Timor, was officially incorporated into Indonesia at a ceremony in Kupang, capital of Indonesian Timor, on Saturday, ending 400 years of Portuguese colonialism, the radio said.

The Indonesian Timor Governer (Brigadier General El Tari) said at the ceremony, held in a special session of the local legislative assembly, that he accepted the merger and would submit it to President Suharto in Jakarta.

The merger, which followed the fall of Dili, capital of Portuguese Timor, to proIndonesian forces last Sunday, was seen as an attempt to avoid violent upheavals in the enclave which has not been affected by the Timor crisis, the radio said. Four Indonesian freighters carrying food, medicines and cloth arrived in the East Timor capital of Dili as the U.N. General Assembly demanded Indonesian with-

drawal from the Portuguese colony.

One thousand tons of rice was distributed by the vessels’ crews sent to Dili on a humanitarian mission.

A large number of the Left-wing Fretilin followers have surrendered to proIndonesian troops capturing Dili.

The U.N. Security Council will begin debate on the Indonesian action against Portuguese Timor on Monday afternoon. The council president (Ivor Richard, the chief delegate of Britain) made the announcement as the council adjourned its discussion on the Cyprus question. Indonesia denied that any of its troops were in Portuguese Timor, and said it did not feel bound by a U.N. resolution calling for the immediate withdrawal of “the armed forces of Indonesia” from the colony. The Indonesian Foreign Minister (Mr Adam Malik) said: “We are not bound by the resolution because we do not conduct any military intervention there.” He said that Indonesian volunteers were present in Portuguese Timor at the request .of the four parties there “to help restore peace and order.”