of New Guinea

Events In The

Moluccas Bring—

‘War’ Within Sight of New Guinea

A STATE of war exists in the South

Molucca Islands, according to

a formal statement by the govern ment of Indonesia on January 5.

The South Moluccas comprise the large islands of Ceram and Buru, the smaller but most important island of Ambon, the three small archipelagoes of Tanimbar, Kai and Aru, and a host of little individual islands.

According to Jakarta, the state of war affects Ceram and most of the little islands, but not Ambon, Buru or the Tanimbar archipelago.

There has been fighting recently in the Celebes, which adjoin the Moluccas on the west.

The Moluccas are practically within sight of Dutch New Guinea.

The Kai and Aru archipelogoes are off the south coast of Dutch New Guinea, and lie across the western end of Torres Strait, and therefore are quite close to Australia and the Western District of Papua.

There is nothing new in this development. When “the Jakarta gang” made the agreement with Holland of December 27, 1949, it promised that Indonesia should be a Federation, which all the Indonesian States should be free to join, or leave at will. But immedi ately after Holland gave up her sovereignty, the so-called In donesian government repudiated its undertakings, abolished the Feder ation and on August 17, 1950, pro claimed the “Unitary State of In donesia”, and proceeded to force each State into the union. This was the plan originally made by the Japanese invaders and the In donesian Communists, and pro claimed by Soekarno on August 17, 1945.

The South Moluccans, whose centre and chief town is Amboina, then went into revolt against the “Jakarta Gang” in 1950, declared themselves to be “the independent republic of South Molucca”; and

have been at war against Javanese set-up ever since. 1 repeated appeals for help, mad Britain, Australia, United SI and, more especially, Ur Nations, have been ignored.

The “Government” of Indor now is in a state of political economic collapse; Communist fluences have almost taken con and an alliance between Indor and Red China has been long u discussion and is said to be completion. It is clear that Jak is trying to divert the attentio the 60 million Javanese from 1 home troubles by threatening t to war against the Dutch in 1 New Guinea, and by actually gaging in war against the Molu There is more Communist r and political smoke than mili fury about this “war”. But : a fact that the Moluccas are near to Australian New Guin just over the western horizon that these events tend to give South Pacific Islands their taste of the hell’s brew tha beginning to boil in South- Asia.