[?]Erce Persecution
pp. 27-28 · Read in the full issue
Lice State Of
[?] Onesia
Of The Dutch
despatch from R. W. ROBSON , written in Singapore.
I May 4, at my office in Sydney, I was informed that the Nether lands Government had engaged tis-Bennett, Britain’s famous en’s Counsel, to defend in mesia 35 Dutchmen thrown prison by the Indonesian “Gov ment” on vague charges irently connected with espion me were held merely because were regarded as witnesses for prosecution. At least 32 had held in gaol for a year without Some had been tortured. One gone mad. ery step taken by the Nether > to induce the Indonesians to ; these people to a fair trial been defeated. The defence in the hands of Mr. H. A. lan, a Dutch Indonesian lawyer iblemished reputation. He had ed very hard on the case; but ever he seemed to be making ess the Indonesians blocked by introducing trumped-up :es against him. An agent cateur tried to trap him into ting a bribe. He finally ad d his helplessness and then Jague engaged Curtis-Bennett. [ was on the point of departure idonesia I put these details in ag, for personal investigation le spot. Frankly, I found it lible that such things should n so near the freedom-loving Pacific. in Jakarta on May 20 and There had been a sensa nal development only a few before. It had become plain the Indonesian Government urious at the engagement of -Bennett: and that Indonesian Is—u 11 er 1 y unscrupulous letermined to get Mr. Bouman If into gaol.
Jr. Bouman booked a passage edan, in Sumatra, by a KPM n another name; the ship, en :o Medan, made her usual call gapore; and at Singapore Mr. in very wisely took plane for d. The first that the ‘Sian Government knew of it i announcement over Holland Soekarno gang took it badly. news “broke” while I was y in Jakarta. The newspapers ed it while I was there; and, ime day, the officials “pulled ■s. Bouman and the manager
of the KPM line, for interrogation I do not know what has happened to them.
I learned the story behind the prosecution of Mr. Jungschlaeger, the principal man of the 35 Dutch men being held in prison, arid the head of the great KPM organisa tion here.
He was a naval reservist and a very clever man. When he was called back to the Dutch Navy in World War 11, he was sent to the Intelligence Section and, later, he was given a course of special instruction in America. After the war, when the Dutch be, an to return to the Netherlands Indies, Mr. Jungschlaeger was given important duties there; but when, in 1950, the Netherlands Govern ment accepted the unnalatable fact that the Indonesian “Government” was in charge of the country, Mr.
Jungschlaeger gave up all Navy duty, and returned to his KPM job.
AS everyone knows, the Indo nesian “government” is a tragic joke, and there are large areas under rebel administration. The Dutch, naturally, are sympathetic to some of these rebel movements: and it would appear that most of the men now in prison are charged that in some wav they have been helping the rebels and intriguing against the “State”.
Jakarta officialdom says that that is Jungschlaeger’s sin—that he assisted the rebels in getting supplies. This is denied: but the important point is that the Indo nesians have not allowed the Dutch
men to make any answer] the charges—they are siii imprisoned without trial, bashed whenever the officials feE the moed.
This is a Police State, ini most approved Communist or fashion. One cannot move wit official surveillance, arrogr given. Petty corruption is em —I have collected many exam You may not enter the cou without manv absurd formal! you are forced to submit to enc form-signing and ticket-giving; are beset constantly by thieves beggars—l would not have bel! it, had I not experienced it hit the hated Europeans speak with great caution —they are al in danger of being denounced! ill-treated —and their private le are frequently opened in a cun fashion and scrutinised.
Friends took me down toe ship at midnight. In the port our car was stopped. A sH soldier in full jungle battle held a rifle pointed at my shrir bosom while a compatriot exair my papers; and my friends similarly handled. To them, it. the normal orocedure of the H State of Indonesia. t The Suva City Council’s proc £4,000 loan for the reticulatio electric power in the Lami has been approved by the Got ment. This brings the tot:; loans raised by the Councii electrical services to more £200,000.