Jakarta Uneasy As Dutch Fear Reprisals

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 December 1950, Page 3

Jakarta Uneasy As Dutch Fear Reprisals

JAKARTA, Dec. 28.—Jakarta was a tense city today after news had been ‘ received of the deadlock- at The Plague talks on Western New Guinea. Troops and military police, raced through the streets in lorries and jeeps and armed police stood guard outside Dutch business houses. Uneasiness swept the Dutch community. This is the climax to several weeks of mounting tension as it daily became more evident that the Netherlands would not secede Western New Guinea.

Many Dutch in recent weeks, have received anonymous letters threatening reprisals and housewives are’ reported to have laid in several months’ food supplies in the event of a’ boycott. The Indonesian Government issued a communique calling on the Indenesian people to abide by the democratic principles of the Indonesian constitution. This followed threats of an anti-Dutch boycott and strikes.

A high Indonesian official said the Government would not interfere so long as the people’s actions were within the limits of the law. He expressed the fear that the Dutch would “lose all goodwill” in indbnesia as a result of the breakdown of The Hague talks. The official predicted the end of the NetherlandsIndonesian union. However Indonesia would not relinquish its. claim “even if it takes two, five or 10. years to get Western New Guinea.”