Isolated Among Headhunters
pp. 16-17 · Read in the full issue
The East Indies Communist Camp in Dutch New Guinea
AT a point very close to the centre of the great untamed island of New Guinea (which is the largest as well as the least civilised island in the world) there is a remarkable community. It is a Communist camp established some years ago by the Government of the Netherlands East Indies.
The doctrines of communism, for some reason, secured an extraordinary hold upon the natives of Java, Sumatra, etc., and upon certain of the numerous half castle population, and a revolutionary movement developed which eventually gave the Government much concern. Anti communist propaganda was tried; but reason has little effect upon fanaticism, and the Dutch found that they would have to adopt more drastic measures. It was decided to round up all the principal Com munists in the East Indies, and particu larly those engaged in propaganda, and remove them to some inaccessible place where they might brood at leisure upon the world’s economic injustices, but where they could do nothing to disturb their neighbours. .
The Dutch authorities selected for their purpose one of the wildest and most iso lated places in the world —namely, the interior of Dutch New Guinea, near the border line which separates Dutch New Guinea from Papua and the Mandated Territory of New Guinea.
New Guinea is a land of mighty rivers.
We have heard often enough of the Sepik and the Ramu, of the Fly and the Purari. all of which are in British Territory. But there are equally great rivers in the little known Dutch Territory: and one of those is the Digoel, which flows in a south-wes terly direction from a point near che head waters of the Sepik and the Fly, and which reaches the Timor Sea on the south coast of Dutch New Guinea.
The Dutch Government, having gather ed the Communists together, brought them to Dutch New Guinea and took them hundreds of miles up the River, far into the mountainous interior. There they established two great camps—one a place of temporary residence, and the other (Tanah Merah, 100 miles further inland) a place of a more permanent character. Those camps are very well equipped. They are controlled by soldiers and supervised by medical officials; and, as far as possible, they are self-support ing. The country is high and very fer tile, and almost every kind of foodstuff may be grown there.
The captured Communist is taken first to the lower camp. He is treated firmly, but not cruelly. He is allowed to live in what may be called communistic condi tions. He is given every opportunity to think seriously about his communistic convictions in relation to his future life; and if, in the course of a little while, he can convince the officials that he will keep his politico-economic ideas to himself, and will behave in future as a good citizen of the Netherlands East Indies, he is re turned by the authorities to his home in Java or Sumatra, or where ever he may have come from.
But if the gentleman irreconcilable, and is so eaten up with the fervour of communism that he feels that he must convert all and sundry to a belief in his ideals, he is classed finally as a hopeless case, and accordingly he makes a further journey of 100 miles to the up-river camp of Communist irreconcilables. He may, if his conduct should justify it, be re leased from this place at some time or other, but the chances now are not very favourable.
Not many white except Dutch officials, have seen Tanah Merah; but apparently it is simply a compulsory community of Communists, isolated in the centre of New Guinea. The Com munists are not unkindly treated —they are forced, as far as possible, to be selfsupporting; they must observe the simple rules for health and the protection of person, and personal property; and they may not go away. But otherwise they conduct the affairs of their community much as they please. They are not alone —a large proportion of the men are allowed to have their wives with them, and there is accordingly a small number of children; but the men in the camp very considerably outnumber the women.
The native tribes which surround this settlement are among the most dangerous in the world. They are just as irrecon cilable head-hunters and man-eaters as the Javanese and Sumatrans are irrecon cilable Communists. As a consequence, the Communists make very few attempts to escape from Tanah Merah. It is better to be a well-fed Communist, still free co cherish certain political convictions, rather than a quite useless and insignifi cant part of a well-fed cannibal.
On a very few occasions, the Commu nists have fled into the jungle and tried to get across the border into Papua, which is not very far away. But almost invari ably- they have been either recaptured, or killed by the natives. A party of 16 made a dash for freedom about two years ago.
Only two came out of the jungle on the coast of Papua, and got across to Thurs day Island—where they were duly gather ed in by the Dutch authorities.
At one time, some five years ago, there were between 4000 and 5000 Communists in the two camps on the Digoel River, but the numbers since then have gradually dwindled, and to-day there are only about 1500 there altogether. Communism is not as active as it was in the Netherlands East Indies.