Prime Minister Menzies And “Turncoat"

[?]y Still May Meet

Soekarno

IE Suez Canal crisis blew out the Australian Prime Minister’s plan to visit Djarkarta on ust 25; but the persistence of mesia’s claim to West New nea might have made it worth e. ith politico-economic conditions [ndonesia growing progressively ie, and a steady immigration of lese, mostly under Communist lence, the vital importance of possible land bridge from Red inated countries of South-East Ito Australia and the South fic cannot be under-estimated, riting in the Dutch periodical, schrift Nieuw Guinea, Dr.

H. K. Feuilletau de Bruyn, of Hague, warns that South and Australia may be the Pacific’s time hartland in Communist [•term plans for world domina and he suggests that Indonesia d be included as a jumping-off he German word hartland is a olitical term meaning a country 1 to serve as a main centre of nation of a large part of the 1] I Djakarta meeting between f, Conservative Mr. Menzies and and slick President Soekarno, •ibed by his foes as a man of y masks, would at least have ided striking contrasts. f o. publication, entitled, “Once ancoat. . . the South Moluc l Anti-Communist Committee s a series of photographs de ig Dr. Soekarno entertaining being entertained by General and other would-be Japanese aerors of the Pacific during d War 11.

The committee says that Dr.

Soekarno won the plaudits of the Japanese in speeches which said in part: “America we shall iron out, Eng land we shall break part. .

“Your fight against the Americans is being joyfully acclaimed by u 5...”

“We Indonesians will continue to collaborate with Japan. . .”

For political power, the committee says, Soekarno would sell his birth right. To-day, he claims to be neutralist but he always has shown and still shows strong Communist sympathies. “Once a turncoat always a turncoat. .

Soekarno Joins Nasser In

Repudiating Obligations

INDONESIA will pay no more debts to Holland, the Indonesian Government announced in Djakarta on August 4.

The debts, involving about £A43O millions, were taken over by the Indonesians when they took administration from the Dutch East Indies Government.

The Indonesians have now dis covered that the debt is “offset” by the “war waged against us by the Dutch”—and, that, in fact, the Dutch owe them money.

This irresponsible action by the Indonesians was linked by the New York Times on August 6 with the Nasser grab at the Suez Canal.

These were matters of economic morality, said the Times, and asked what will happen to international economic society if this sort of thing becomes an accepted practice.

“Actions like President Nasser’s and President Soekarno’s make

a real international credit structure impossible.” (A week later, on August 11 was announced that a far-reachn trade agreement” had been reachf between the Indonesian Governme; and a Communist delegation froi Moscow.) The extraordinary effect of a sudden rush of power to the head; of such people as the Indonesians and Egyptians was simply illustrated some weeks ago when some of the Messageries Maritimes cargo ships on their way through Suez, were refused water at Port Said because the Egyptians did not approve of the line the French were taking in Algeria.

These people scream for inde pendence: and then, when it is given to them, they are incapable of accepting the obligations of nationhood.