MOLUCCAN ‘Surrender no sign of weakness’

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 34027, 16 December 1975, Page 21

MOLUCCAN ‘Surrender no sign of weakness’

(New Zealand Press Association—Copyright)

AMSTERDAM, December 15.

South Moluccan leaders in the Netherlands say that the bloodless surrender of the hijacked train and its hostages was intended to emphasise their nationalist demands, and was not a sign of weakness. The head of the South Moluccan community in the country, Mr Johna Manusama, a teacher, said today that he did not exclude further terrorist acts unless the Dutch Government lent a willing ear to the South Moluccans’ case.

Mr Manusama, a key negotiator in the talks that led to the surrender of the six terrorists, and freedom for their 24 hostages, said on Dutch television: “From now on our words will carry more weight.”

The 12-day hijacking, which cost the lives of three Dutchmen in the early days of the siege, ended when the terrorists stepped, unarmed, from the train and surrendered to security forces. Their surrender follovred a final round of negotiations with a team of South Moluc-

can mediators, led by Mr Manusama, and the coldest night since the siege began: temperatures had fallen to minus six degrees Centigrade. The Minister of Justice (Mr Dries van Agt) said in a separate television interview that the South Moluccans’ nationhood aims had not been enhanced by the hijacking, or by the continuing siege of the Indonesian Consulate in Amsterdam. (Twenty-five hostages are still held in the consulate, which was seized 10 days ago by a second gang of South Moluccans.) Mr van Agt said he was convinced that the Dutch Government’s unyielding attitude had played an important role in ending the train hijacking. “The terrorists saw that it was useless to go on,” he said. “They realised that we were not prepared to make one single concession.” Hostages examined The gunmen had issued a complex string of political demands aimed at independence talks for their native East Indies islands, which were merged into the Indonesian Republic in 1950, having been previously under Dutch rule. The gunmen came off the train led by Mr Manusama. They slouched off in a group, hands thrust into pockets, and gave themselves up to a line of waiting troops. Shortly after, the hostages came out in groups. All were tolzori tn for

Shortly after, the hostages came out in groups. All were taken directly to hospital for examination. Most could walk unaided, but three were on stretchers. Their condition was described as from fair to good. Bomb-disposal experts checked the train to make sure that the gunmen had not planted explosives in it. Devices originally thought to be dynamite were found to be fireworks connected to wires. After the inspection, the train was driven away, and the troops who had surrounded it throughout the

siege returned to their barracks.

“During the first few days, when we thought that there were only five terrorists, we had orders to shoot if four of them came out of the train at the same time,” an officer said, “but never more than three appeared outside at any time, and when we discovered that there were seven aboard, the plan was scrapped.” Consulate siege Officials in Amsterdam are still grappling with the continuing siege of the Indonesian Consulate. A spokesman said late today that the police had been unable to find one of the key mediators, and the negotiations were at a standstill. The Rev. Semeul Metiary, a South Moluccan clergyman, severed his links ’ with the terrorists on Friday, but he called the police by telephone on Saturday to say that he had changed his mind, and would continue negotiations. The Dutch Prime Minister (Mr Joop den Uyl) said on television after the train surrender that the same firm methods would be employed at the consulate. He added that he hoped for an early end to the siege.