INDONESIAN REVOLT SPREADS

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23315, 26 September 1945, Page 5

INDONESIAN REVOLT SPREADS

Armed Clashes Feared Dutch Seek Speedy Reinforcements By Telegraph-NZ Pre«> Assn Convrign (8.5 p.m.) SYDNEY, Sept. 25. Late reports from Batavia state that the Indonesian revolt against Dutch control in Java has developed in the last 24 hours. Only strong Japanese forces are preventing widespread demonstrations in Batavia by Dr Soekarno’s Indonesian Republican Government. The Allied authorities fear that when the Dutch attempt to resume control, the Indonesians will take up arms to keep them out.

With thousands of sick and dying men. women and children still, being held in Japanese prison camps in Java, the Netherlands East Indies Government has asked for the release of ships to rush troops to the country. The Dutch have 42.000 garrison troops available. comprising 7000 Marines who have been training in the United States and 35,000 troops in Holland and England. Meanwhile the Federal Council of the Waterside Workers’ Federation has been asked to declare “black” ail Dutch ships on which Indonesian seamen are on strike, and the Federal executive of the Federation urges that there be no work on any vessel carrying munitions for the East Indies likely to be used to suppress the Indonesian E tmocratic Government. A Dutch official in Sydney said that Communists were misleading the Sydney watersiders when they told them that four Dutch ships in Sydney were being “loaded with supplies for the Dutch Army being brought from England to wage war against the independence of the Indonesian people.” “These are mercy ships.” he said. “Thev are carrying food and medical supplies to 68.000 Australian. British and Dutch men, women and children in Japanese prison camps.” Notorious VVomeTs Camp Major F. van Breeman. of the Netherlands East Indies Air Force, who has just flown to Sydney from Java, said to-day that European women were dying at the rate of four a day in the notorious Tjideng women’s concentration camp at Batavia. In Canberra the Minister for the Army (Mr F. M. Forde) announced that Java would not be taken over oy the Allies until the first week in October. It was estimated that there were 400 Australian war prisoners m Java. Planes were standing by at Singapore to fly out these prisoners as soon as the surrender is signed. Ships Held Up In Sydney the Federal executive of the Australian Waterside Workers’ Federation agreed to support Indonesian seamen in Australia in their

refusal to take Dutch ships to sea. At three Australian ports yesterday 12 Dutch ships were held up because the Indonesian seamen refused to sail. Foul ships are held up in Sydney, six in Brisbane and two in Melbourne. Six ships in Brisbane were declared “black” by the Disputes Committee of the Brisbane Labour Council. Indonesian seamen say that ships m Australian are carrying materials “for the suppression of the newlyelected People’s Government.” In Sydney the spokesman for the watersiders’ executive declared that, by the terms of the Atlantic Charter, Indonesians were justified as a democratic peon'e in objecting to an unwanted Government being imposed on them. He declared that the waterside workers would supply no labour for ships carrying military stores or ammunition which might be used against the Indonesians. Commander H. Quisepel, of the Netherlands East Indies Information Service, said the Indonesian Government, which was a quisling Japanesesponsored Government, had been disbanded. This Japanese-sponsored Government was th" Go* ■”*nraent which the Australian wharf labourers had decided should not be interfered with Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten has instructed Japanese forces in any Java faction, says Reuter’s SmgaJava not to hand over authority to pore correspondent. The Japanese still control Java five weeks after the official surrender Lord Mountbatten, with suddenly expanded commitments, has been unable to spread his forces in such time around enormous areas of the Netherlands East Indies. South-east Asia headquarters is undertaking occupation, as transport difficulties prevented the Dutch moving troops to the Far East. No ban is announced on movements into and out of Java, but it is believ-d that the British and Dutch wish at present to prevent such movements.