[?]e Background To West New Guinea

West New Guinea

ERE is the background to the present situation in West New nea, now formally named West i by Indonesia: ourteen years ago when the ch East Indies gained indepen ce from Holland and became the iublic of Indonesia, West New nea was excluded from the agree it and remained under Dutch con ndonesia stated that West New nea was an integral part of Indo ia and indicated her intention of iming control eventually from ang (off Sumatra), in the west, to rauke (in West New Guinea), in east. he decade which followed was a iod of long wrangling in which In icsia and Holland attempted to ve politically, ethnically, geogra cally and legally their respective its to West New Guinea.

"he situation came to a head in first six months of last year when onesia landed her “liberation” ly of paratroopers in West New inea. The move was more political n military, but its ramifications re ;ed in Indonesia achieving her aim. n August last year Holland and lonesia signed an agreement in ich Indonesia was to assume con l after an interim administration United Nations. }ne of the principal terms of the cement is that the native people of ;st New Guinea will make, by 39, “an act of self-determination” decide whether they stay with In icsia or gain their independence.

Fhe seven-month United Nations ninistration ended shortly after dday on May 1, when Indonesia limed control with a spectacular play of nationalism, noise, colour d some military strength.

Since then Indonesia has moved

with surprising speed to consolidate her position. Technically she is only an administering authority, but she regards herself as a sovereign power there.

Her attitude towards what she now calls the Province of West Irian is exemplified in the summary setting up of a non-elected legislature, the as sumption of supreme power there by the Indonesian President, Doctor Soekarno, and the announcement that no plebiscite of the people will be needed in 1969. In addition she has set out on a big campaign removing Dutch place names from the pro vince and replacing them with Indo nesian names.

With the aid of a United Nations fund Indonesia plans to spend an equivalent amount to the Dutch in West Irian (about 12 million Aus tralian) every year. In addition she will provide home expenditure for the upkeep of 15,000 troops in West New Guinea. She claims the troops will be used for the agricultural, social and general development of a country “stunted by the chains of colonialism for so long” and for the welfare of the native people whom “the Dutch regarded as nothing but anthropologi cal specimens in a human zoo”. (These quotations are from the the Indonesian Foreign Minister, Dr.

Subandrio).