INDIANS DESERT

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 March 1946, Page 5

INDIANS DESERT

BRITISH FORCES IN INDONESIA SERIOUS PROPORTIONS (Rec. noon). H BATAVIA, March 1. An Allied headquarters spokesman, according to Dutch sources, said that no order for the evacuation of troops from Java had yet been received. He was commenting on General Sir Claude Auchinleck’s statement on February 28 that the withdrawal of Indian troops would begin to-day. The spokesman added that any orders for a move would come from Lord Mountbatten. The departure of Indians, who formed the bulk of the troops under British command in Java, would involve immediate replacement —obviously by Dutch troops—but no replacements had been arranged thusfar.

It is reliably reported that desertions of Moslem Indian troops from the British and Indian forces have reached serious proportions. Some men have written to their commanders explaining their reasons for going over to the Indonesians.

A Dutchman who escaped from the Indonesians after being kidnapped, declared that Japanese officers were directing the training of the Indonesian regular army behind the lines. He said that he saw, south of Bandoeng, 1000 Japanese apparently fully equipped, and Japanese-manned tanks on roads.

The Prime Minister of the Indonesian Republican Government (Sutan Sjahrir) stated that the first day of the conference of local leaders of the Indonesian Central National Committee had not yielded positive results. The committee will be in session for two more days.