ORDER IN JAVA

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXVI, Issue 25, 28 December 1945, Page 5

ORDER IN JAVA

MORE ACTIVE MEASURES

INDONESIANS WAENED (N.Z. Press Association.—Copyright.) (Rec. 10.30 a.m.) BATAVIA, Dec. 27. The Allied Commander, in the Netherlands Indies (Lieut.-Gen-eral Christison) intends taking more active measures to ensure law and order in the area under his command, and has called on the Indonesian leaders to co-oper-

In a statement, General Christison says: ' 'British troops are only in Java in pursuance of the British and American decision allocating to them the responsibility for disarming an repatriating Japanese prisoners of war and for rescuing European and Eurasian prisoners of war and internees. These objects can only be achieved if law and order are preserved. Meanwhile, my troops, who have adopted the principle of never firing unless at-, tacked, have suffered and are suffering daily casualties at the hands of terrorist and extremist organisations. These people have committed horrible outrages, not only against Allied troops, but against defenceless women and children and civilians, including their own kith and kin." General Christison's statement continued: "I had hoped that conditions would improve, but they have not. While the future of Indonesia is a matter for the Dutch and Indonesians, I am compelled to take more active measures to ensure law and order. I call on tbe Indonesian leaders to co-operate and make available if possible such units of their Peace Preservation Corps as I deem necessary to co-operate under my overall command:"

CORDON" AROUND BATAVIA, A military cordon has been placed around Batavia in order to check the identity of the people entering or leaving. The object of this, British Headquarters stated, is to prevent the inflow of terrorists and bandits preliminary to the re-establishment of peaceful conditions. , Reports from other Java trouble centres' state that at Bandoeng British and Mahratta troops cleared an extremist training centre and found a well-organised system of trenches, trip-wires, booby-traps, snipers, mines and roadblocks. Gurkhas with tank support attacked in. another section of Bandoeng, but were forced to withdraw. At Sourabaya 50 Indonesians attacked a patrol base with machine-guns and grenades, wounding two British soldiers. At Oengaren, near Semarang, two Japanese 75 mm. guns shelled British troops.

BRITISH ATTITUDE WITHDRAWAL - BY MARCH. WASHINGTON, Dec. 27. Diplomatic quarters expect the Brit-ish-Dutch London conference to result in a liberal Dutch policy toward the' Indonesians' self-rule aspirations, says the New York Times corresponddent. , ' The British Labour Government is reported to be dissatisfied with the Dutch approach to the problem and is determined to 'extricate itself from the present politically and militarily embarrassing position. The British are expected to establish March as the deadline for the withdrawal of their troops from Java. Moreover, they are not willing - to reinforce, the two , British divisions there. At the same time it is pointed out that the Attlee Government cannot go too far toward meeting the Indonesian demands because, firstly, it might inspire a similar situation _in some British colonial possessions in the Far East; secondly, Britain desires to retain the friendliest relations with the Netherlands in the post-war organisation of Western Europe. However, the British at the moment are pursuing a programme in Java designed to minimise the possibilities of armed conflict with the Indonesians and are limiting their activities to the terms of the Allied directive—the disarming of the Japanese and the liberating of prisoners and internees. The Dutch, on the other hand, feel that the British have the added responsibility of "restoring the State and the community." This difficult task seems impossible of accomplishment on purely military measures, since the Dutch have only 5000 marines in the islands. dr sjahrirTonsulted CO-OPERATION ASKED FOR. , LONDON, Dec. 27. The Allied commander in the Netherlands East Indies (Lieut.-General Christison) has been conferring with the Indonesian Premier (Dr. Sjahnr) and his. Minister of Information (Dr. Sjar Fuddin) on the situation in Java. The Australian Minister of Immigration said in Melbourne that permits would be granted for the landing of Dutch evacuees from Indonesia to the limit of Australia's capacity to absorb them. Indications were that a considerable number would be taken to Australia and New Zealand.