MARINES LANDED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26045, 8 January 1946, Page 5

MARINES LANDED

DUTCH REINFORCEMENTS THE FIGHTING IN JAVA REBELS SHELL SEMARANG (Rec. 11.15 p.m.) BATAVIA, Jan. 7. The Dutch last week officially announced that the American vessel No"ordam landed 2000 Dutch marines at Batavia. The American Associated Press correspondent says it is known that only 1800 landed. The Noordam, with 1200 marines still on board, left for Singapore. The Dutch say the marines who landed were non-com-batant sections. No official explanation is so far available. A British destroyer to-day shelled Indonesian positions east of- Semarang. The Indonesians in the meantime continued to shell Semarang, apparently with three 75-millimetre guns, putting out of action an aerodrome. Twentysix of their shells fell in the British brigade headquarters area, injuring two Indians. A British announcement put the total casualties in the Netherlands East Indies fighting to January 1 at 1289 206 killed, 906 wounded, and 177 missing. The list included 47 British officers and 31 other ranks. The rest were Indians. Dr Soekarno, broadcasting from Jogjakarta, said Indonesia was determined to fight for its independence if necessary, no matter what powers, were thrown against it. Dr Soekarno appealed for United Nations’ recognition of complete independence. He said nothing else would satisfy Indonesia’s 70,000,000 people. The proposed talks in Batavia would be futile unless the Dutch first recognised the republic. . Dr Soekarno explained that he and Dr Hatta had gone to Central Java because the inland areas needed a more definite link with the Republican Government.