N.E.I. FOCAL POINT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21923, 18 January 1946, Page 3

N.E.I. FOCAL POINT

THE DUTCH FORCES

HAGUE PROPOSALS VAN MOOICS MISSION

(11 a.m.) THE HAGUE, Jan. 17. The Dutch War Minister, M. Meijner, told Parliament that the future point of principal concentration of the Dutch forces would be the East Indies. Europe would have a secondary role in the future defence policy of the Netherlands. Training henceforward would be directed primarily towards preparing the troops for tropical service. The Netherlands planned to send two divisions and eight battalions of infantry, the latter comprising 4000 men, to the East Indies in 1946. The Minister said that if M. Sjahrir, the Republican Premier, bluntly rejected the Dutch Government’s new proposals which M. van Mook was taking to Batavia it would lead to an open break between the Netherlands territories.

Winding up the debate on the Indonesian problem, he added that, in that event, the fault would be shown to lie on the Indonesian side and the Netherlands would be able to count on help from their allies in any further action.

A message from Batavia says that the British lost three killed and 21 wounded in a series of clashes with the Indonesians in the Sourabaya area. The British used artillery and mortars in the operations. Seven Indians were wounded when two vehicles were wrecked by mines.