FIRMER MEASURES

Evening Star, Issue 25677, 28 December 1945, Page 5

FIRMER MEASURES

LAW AND ORDER IN JAVA GENERAL CHRISTISOH ACTS (Rec. 9 a.m.) BATAVIA, Dec. 27. Lieutenant-general Sir Philip Christison intends talking more active measures to ensure law and order in the area under his command, and has called on the Indonesian leaders to cooperate. General Christison, in a statement, said: “ British troops are only in Java in pursuance of the British and American decision allocating them responsibility for disarming and repatriating Japanese prisoners of war and rescuing European and Eurasian prisoners of war and internees. These objects can onlv be achieved if law and order are preserved. Meanwhile my troops, who have adopted the-principle of never firing unless attacked, have suffered, and are suffering daily, casualties at the hands of terrorist and extremist organisations. These people have committed horrible outrages not only against Allied troops, but against defenceless women, children, and civilians, including their own kith and kin.”

General Christison’s statement

continued: “ I had hoped conditions would improve, but they have not. While the future of Indonesia is a matter for the Dutch and Indonesians, 1 am compelled to take more active measures to ensure law and order. I call on Indonesian leaders to co-

operate and to make available, if possible, such units of their peace preservation' corps as I deem necessary to co-operate under my overall command.”

A military cordon lias been placed around Batavia to check the identity of people entering and leaving. The object, British headquarters stated, is to prevent the inflow of terrorists and bandits preliminary Jo the re-establish-ment of peaceful conditions. Reports from other Java trouble centres state that at Bandoeng British and Mahratta troops cleared an extremist training centre and found a well-organised system of trenches, trip-wiresj booby traps, snipers, mines, ana road blocks. Gurkhas, with tank support, attacked in another section of Bandoeng, but were forced to withdraw.

At Sourabaya 50 Indonesians attacked a patrol base with machine guns and grenades, wpunding two British soldiers.

At. Oengaren,. near Semavaug, two Japanese 75 mm. guns shelled British troops.