DUTCH PROCLAIM FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR INDONESIA AND BEGIN MILITARY ACTION AGAINST TERRORISM

Grey River Argus, 20 December 1948, Page 5

DUTCH PROCLAIM FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR INDONESIA AND BEGIN MILITARY ACTION AGAINST TERRORISM

The new bodies are:—The Federal . Council; the Representative of People’s Council; and the Council of Secretaries of States. All of the authority and the power which previously were vested in the Crown and in the Dutch Parliament will be transferred to the new Federal Indonesian Government. The Indonesian Republic is not represented in the three bodies. The Government, in an announcement, said that the decree is aimed at the establishment of a Government for Indonesia which, in the Dutch opinion, is one responding most nearly „ to the wishes" of the greater majority of the Indonesian people. The establishment of the Interim Federal Government was expected to realise as nearly as possible the ultimate aim of a completely free sovert eign, federal state, united with the ‘’■s—Netherlands, in a Netherlands-Indo-neStfm Union. . As establishment of the interim administration obviously will take some .provision has been made for a gradualXtransfer of the powers to the 1 Federal Government. This Government "T.'Wld not be fully established, as originally was planned by January Ist next. ; The decree has providled for the inclusion of the Interim G'Overnment of "‘those areas whose representatives so far have not co-operated 'in the present federal arrangement. I

(Rec. 9.50) THE HAGUE, December 18. A Netherlands Royal decree, which takes effect immediately, has been issued, establishing an Interim Eederal Government in Indonesia. The decree provides for three new bodies, which will have transferred to them all of the powers which up till now have been exercised by the Queen and the Parliament of the Netherlands. At the same time the Dutch Army has made landings near the Republican capital, and has advanced in central and east Java, and also in Sumatra, with the object of putting an end to terrorist action.