Parade Of Indonesian Force At
pp. 9-10 · Read in the full issue
West New Guinea Take-Over
Hollandia, May 1.
On schedule today in the presence of Indonesian Foreign Minister, Dr. Subandrio, and amid what has been calculated to be enough Indonesian flag fabric to girdle the Republic, West New Guinea became “West Irian” and Hollandia, “Kota Bam”.
IN what was called a simple cere mony, the blue UN flag came down from the flagpole where it has flown since the Dutch left last October, leaving the red and white flag of Indonesia flying alone.
Indonesia thus acquires about 800,000 new people, the majority of them primitive; and 161,000 square miles of territory, almost all un developed. West New' Guinea is the 17th Province of the Indonesian Republic.
But although the hand-over was
“simple”, the parade of military might that went with it was not. In the days previous to May 1, 10,000 extra Indonesian troops had arrived to join the 5,000 already there.
As the UN flag came down, Russian-built jet fighters and bombers flew low over Indonesian destroyers, submarines and troop transports anchored in Humboldt Bay. Ac cording to an Indonesian source, it was a sample of the force that would have been unleashed on the Dutch, in 1962, had not the policy of “con frontation” won the day without it.
At the take-over ceremony. Dr.
Subandrio said that Indonesia had now been able to put an end to the colonialist policy that had kept West Irian from the independence enjoyed by the rest of Indonesia; but that he expected it would soon be on a level with the growth in other regions and moving towards a “just and prosperous society—a socialist Indonesian society”.
Just before the take-over ceremony, it was announced that the new Governor of the West Irian Province
would be Elizier Jan Bonay, a Papuan former clerk with the Dutch.
One of the so-called elite, he had done little to distinguish himself up until the Dutch left.
On the day before the hand-over, the New Guinea Council, created as an instrument of self-government by the Dutch only in 1961, met quietly and dissolved itself. This piece of prudence now leaves the way clear for any form of administration the Indonesians think fit.
Although Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Subandrio represented presi dent Soekarno at the official hand over, Soekarno himself planned to visit West New Guinea within days of May 1.
President Soekarno will arrive in Humboldt Bay, Hollandia’s harbour, in the 19,000-ton Russian built cruiser Irian. With the Irian will be the largest fleet of ships to enter Hum boldt Bay since General MacArthur’s fleet was assembled there for the in vasion of the Philippines.
A fireworks display and an im pressive exhibition of air strength are among the features planned for Soekarno’s visit. Primitive tribesmen are being brought from the interior to watch the various ceremonies, at which Soekarno will be presented to the New Guineans as the liberator of their country.
After the Hollandia ceremonies, Soekarno will fly to Merauke to sub stantiate, symbolically, his boast of 13 years ago that “Indonesia stretches from Sabang to Merauke”. He will return home after a visit to Biak.
Request for Asylum
It was reported from Port Moresby on April 26 that seven West New Guinean medical students in that town had applied to the P-NG Administration for political asylum because they feared they would be in danger if they returned home.
They said they feared reprisals for articles written last year on Indo nesia’s claims to West New Guinea.
The Australian Government had made no decision on their applica tions when this issue of PIM went to press.
On April 28, it was reported from Hollandia that Australia had with drawn an application to open a consulate in WNG after Indonesia assumed control.
The decision was said to have followed insistence by Indonesia that it should have reciprocal representa tion in P-NG. The Australian Gov ernment feared that this might bring Indonesian agitation among the native population against its Admini stration there, the report added.