PIM Special

Report

Some pretty fantastic claims to ither nations' territories are being ngued around the world today.

Host of those claims were never leard of until the Western Powers jegan tearing each other to pieces n World War I, World War II ind the Cold War.

Now, while the European mtagonists watch each other iercely on radar screens around he globe, all sorts of little people tre bobbing up to exercise “pride >f nationhood”, and “demand” this md that.

Afghanistan wants a bit of the Vestern Himalaya region; irgentine insists that the Falkland ’stands are hers; Iraq wants Cuwait; Guatemala demands British Honduras —the list is ilmost endless.

Some claims make out a good ase. Most are indefensible. Of he lot, none is more imaginative md absurd than the claim of Indo lesia to West New Guinea.

For several years, after it was irst raised in the early ’ Fifties, lone took the claim seriously.

Whenever the issue of West pJew Guinea (“Irian”) was raised, t simply was dismissed as a device ised by President Soekarno to Uvert the attention of his under privileged and frequently hungry >5 millions from their many domestic woes.

Year by year, Indonesia's conomic condition has become vorse, but also year by year, there i as been increasing shrillness in he Jakarta demand about its laim to New Guinea. Jakarta gnores the fact that every time he claim has gone before inter mtional conferences and I specially the United Nations—it vas dismissed because neither thnically, historically, nor politically could Indonesia estab ish any claim to the Territory.

But Indonesia kept on howling; md finally, in 1960-61, Soekarno stablished some sort of under tanding with the Communist ountries.

Then, late in 1961 and •specially after India attacked Goa —newspaper and radio commenta ors began to treat the Indonesian iemonstrations seriously. Here we five you the background of the iispute.