DUTCH STATEMENT TO UNITED NATIONS

Wanganui Chronicle, 24 July 1947, Page 5

DUTCH STATEMENT TO UNITED NATIONS

MILITARY OPERATIONS IN EAST INDIES ARE “POLICE MEASURES” New Yoik, July 22. A statement on the Indonesian developments has been made in a letter to the United Nations by the Netherlands Representative, Jonkheer Hurgronie. Justifying the military operations in Java, Jonkheer Hurgronje says: “It has become clear that the present Government of the Indonesian Republic is either not prepared or unable to implement the Linggadjati agreement.

“Furthermore, the Republican forces never complied with the truce concluded on October 14. During the last few months acts of violence both on the demarcation lines in Java and Sumatra and against East Indonesia and Western Borneo have rather increased than decreased. They were accompanied by senseless destruction of valuable economic assets. By maintaining a food blockade, part of Indonesia’s population was brought to the verge of starvation. Hostages are still being imprisoned and held in Republican territory, and hostile inflammatory propaganda maintained.

“The Netherlands, as the State with whom the sovereignty of this territory rests, cannot allow these inimical actions to continue. It has become patently clear that the present Republican Government is incapable of maintaining security, law, and order in their territory, whilst refusing to co-operate with the Netherlands Government to create the necessary conditions thereto. “In these circumstances, Her Majesty’s Government has, with the utmost reluctance, been compelled to authorise the Lieutenant GovernorGeneral to resort to police measures of a strictly limited character. The Netherlands Government wishes to stress that it maintains its unalterable decision to carry out a political programme based upon the principles underlying the Lingbarjati agreement. The Netherlands Government confidently hopes that circumstances will soon permit the resumption of constructive co-operation with the Republican territory, which co-opera-tion already successfully exists with the State of East Indonesia and Borneo.’’