EAST INDIES CONTROL

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21850, 22 October 1945, Page 3

EAST INDIES CONTROL

OUTLINE OF BRITISH DUTIES

NO INTERFERENCE IN POLITICS

military plans for indo-china (By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (10 a.m.) LONDON, October 21. General Christison is not authorised to interfere with the internal political situation in the Netherlands East Indies, says an official statement on the tasks of his command issued by Southeast Asia Command Headquarters. Apart from the areas under British control, the whole of Java in the hands of the Indonesians . is claimed to be administered by the self-styled Republic Government under the leadership cf Dr. Soekarno. General Christison has occupied key points in Java and Sumatra, his tasks being limited to disarming the Japanese and dealing with Allied prisoners of war and internees. In no circumstances could he have been made responsible, with the forces then at hi 3 disposal, fcr maintaining public order in the islands unless the co-operation of the Indonesians themselves had been assured. But the situation has been seriously complicated by the strength of the Nationalist movement and its attitude towards resumption of Netherlands sovereignty. It will shortly be possible to increase the numbers of the French and Dutch treops in InaoC'hina and Java. This will enable the French and Dutch authorities respectively to assume full control.

Exemplary Forbearance The supreme fcommander has repotted home in the meantime that the troops in the command have accomplished with willingness, courage and efficiency all that British policy demanded of them and are behaving with exemplary forebearance under extremely difficult circumstances. Command forces, totalling about 300,000, in addition to the torces in Burma, have arrived in Malaya, Sumatra, Java Siam, French InaoChina, Hongkong, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and every available ship and transport plane is in full use, along with warships and bombers wherever possible. Over 250,000 Japanese have been disarmed in Southeast Asia and 80,000 prisoners of war and internees evacuated. In French Indo-Chir.a there have been sporadic attacks- by armed bands who attempted at various times to capture points vital to the maintenance ot the public services and communications. The statement said that the truce on October 2 between the French and Annamese leaders was frequently broken by elements over whom the leaders of the .ndependence movement had not established control. There were nearly 125,000 civilian internees, nearly all Dutch, in Java. Another 25,000 were in the neighbouring islands. Dutch Rehabilitation Policy The Dutch policy was for the great majority to resume their previous occupations in the Netherlands East Indies but, under present conditions, this was clearly impossible. The statement continued that it had been necessary to leave most of them in the internment areas, and Admiral Mountbatten was entrusting to British and Indian troops the responsibility for their safety. He was bringing in additional troops for this purpose, in face of all these difficulties, both in French Indo-China and the Netherlands East Indies. All possible steps were being taken for the liberation and care of Allied prisoners of war and internees and for the maintenance of public order. It was inevitable under the circumitances that the disarmament of the Japanese troops should have been greatly delayed. In any case, shipping