Whence Goes Dutch

Newspapers Create a Confused Picture

New Guinea?

Some time in August, some

painstaking Australian journalist

started a rabbit—“if the Dutch could find a face-saving formula, they gladly would abandon West New Guinea, because its adminis tration is far more costly than it

is worth”.

WITHIN a week, the whole Aus tralian press pack was yelling in pursuit, and there were some remarkable newspaper stories:— • Netherlands proposes to walk out of W. New Guinea, and leave it to the Indonesians. • Netherlands proposes to offer the Territory to Australia, on cer tain conditions. • Netherlands proposes to offer the Territory to United Nations, with suggestion that West New Guinea should be administered by Australia as a Trust Territory, along with the former German New Guinea. • Netherlands has entered into a secret treaty with Australia, under which Australia will join with Netherlands in holding all of New Guinea against all-comers.

By September 1, the newspapers had reported that the Labour Party of Holland (which, with another kind of Socialist party, keeps the present Dutch Government in office) was in favour of a simple transfer of the Territory to Australia.

Thereupon, the Australian news papers interviewed Dr. H. V. Evatt (leader of the Australian Labour Party). Evatt, as was natural and proper, firmly approved of the Dutch Labour Party proposal—and then discussed it on the assumption that Australia, having graciously received the gift, would govern it as a United Nations Trusteeship.

Actually, the reports are like the stories about Princess Margaret and Townsend, and moon rockets and submarine monsters—mostly news paper speculation and imagination, designed to tickle the ears of the groundlings.

The only really significant event was a visit by the Australian Foreign Minister, Mr. Casey, to the Dutch Government at The Hague, wherein the common interest of both countries in West New Guinea was

discussed.

The resuUant squawk from Djakarta indicated Indonesia’s lively concern; but Mr. Casey wisely gave no details.

It is well known that the two countries are maintaining close

liaison now and exchanging useful data in their administration of East and West New Guinea; and that situation is likely to continue in definitely.

Well-informed opinion in Aus tralia is that, if the Dutch should decide to abandon New Guinea to Australia, Australia —after her ex periences with the late German Territory—probably would be reluct ant to treat West New Guinea as a UNO Trusteeship.

Australia holds Eastern New Guinea and Bismarck Archipelago as a natural barrier against Asia; and she already has learned the hard way that she can do that more effectively if New Guinea is an Aus tralian Territory, like Papua, rather than a UNO Territory, like the former German colony.

Meanwhile, the Dutch in West NG show no signs of leaving.

They have armed forces in the shape of small warships, planes and marines at Hollandia, Sorong and other handy places. They are just now organising a large semi-scientific expedition which, based on Merauke (a little westward of the Papuan border) is to go into and examine and map the hitherto unknown, rugged interior, which lies gener ally westward of the 141st degree of Longitude (the border line be tween Australian and Dutch New Guinea).

How Dutch Governor Sees it all Speaking to newspaper reporters in Port Moresby at the end of August, the new Governor of Dutch New Guinea (Dr. J. Platteel) made the following statements: • He could see “no good” coming from the supply of arms to Indonesia by USA (also see Commentary, page 25). • The non-indigenous people of West New Guinea (thousands of part-Dutch-part-Indonesians who have migrated from Indonesia to Dutch New Guinea in the last ten years) fear a war with Indonesia very much, because they have memories of cruelties committed upon them by the Indonesians, dur ing the Japanese occupation of 1942-45. “They hope never to meet Indonesians again—just as Aus tralian POW’s hope never to meet Japanese in prison-camps again,” added the Governors • A pact or military alliance with Australia, which would mean that the Dutch would not have to face Indonesia alone, would be welcomed by the Dutch Government, and would give the Dutch in West New Guinea a feeling of greater security, because it would be a deterrent to v;ar. • There was a movement in Holland to abandon Dutch N.

Guinea, but it came only from politicians of the extreme Left.

Governor Platteel was paying an eight-day courtesy visit to Papua and New Guinea.