REIGN OF TERROR IN INDONESIA

Chronicle (Levin), 1 May 1946, Page 7

REIGN OF TERROR IN INDONESIA

DUTCHMAN TELLS OF CRUELTY A letter was receutly reeeivcd by Captain L. H. Bpencer, of Palmerston North, not long returued from the war iii Burma, froni a Dutchmau friend wlio was a prisoner of tlie Japanese ou Java. Following his release aftcr tlie ftrmistiee had been signed, the correspondent was again taken prisoner, this time by the Indonesian extremists, aua 011 his recapture two months later, ho wrote to Captaiu Spencer, relating his treatment at the hands of his captors. After his release he noted that the Indonesians were friendly and cven polite towards the Europeans while they were taking part iu clearing up operations agaiust the Japauese. Nevertheless, he states, there was a general feeling amongst the Europeans that, having, Iinished with "the Japanese, the * Indonesians might turn agaiust the whiteS. They spent many long days of waiting for the expected -announcement of the impending arrival of Allied t'roops, but were disappointed dav after day. They were further shocked to hear that the relief ships had been delayed in Australian ports. About Oetober 10, 1945, the Indonesians began aTresting Europeans rvlio were working

for Itapwi or Ited Cross. tOetober 15 saw the extrcmists turn eouipletely agaiust the whites when they began to take alLmale Europeans from their liomes for internment. The whitc women were refused auy food wliich was for sale in the native market places and the water system was cut. On the afternoon of October 15 he was invited by two young boys, armed with spears, to go to a liouse nearby. He waited in the house to which he was taken in the coinpany of about 100 other inen, and then was loaded on to a truck which they were told. would take them to inore spacious accoinmodation. They arrived at the Werfstraat gaol and found themselves decanted befpre the building, in front of which stood a large mob arixied with clubs, knives and spears. The mob formed into two rows, running from the truck to the gates of the gaol, and "we were forced to run the gauntlet, ono by oue. A shower of blows rained down on our heads, and those wlio were carrying a suitcase were Ihe Sfirst- to be knoclced down by . the murderotis and rapacious crowd. Having reaclied the gates in a great sprint, and believing mysclf in safety there, 1 found that the wardens and convicts inside the gaol had formed another double row, and had armed themselves with elubs and kewangs (native swords), lead pipes, ctc. Again we had to pass this crowd, which hit and hacked away at us with a ven-

geance. I saw inen going down ou either side ' of me, some of them wounded, others killed outright. Having p'assed this mob, those of us who fiad managed ,to survive, ran into a shed whcre 'we expected to be iinished off. L -was surrounded by badly bieeding men," and 1 saw many of them fainting from loss of blood, luostly from liead wounds. After a brief inspection we were packed into cells in lots of 70, when actually the cells would not normally- hold more thau 25, aud I think that many ssilent prayers eame otit of our desperate hearts. Next "morning we'were aliowed to have our wounds baiidaged. . We remained in the gaol for 2(3 days in constant danger of our livesj We were guarded by gaol wardens, but for the most part by. convicts armed with bamboo spears. The food was botter thau 1 expected." The letter recalled how a , Gliurka battulion landed ou .October 25, and how when they thouglit tliey were saved,. the . battalion was driveii off again to fall back on Tandjong Perak. The Ghurkas managed to reach the gaol, and a guard of 12 had been stationed inside it, with orders to protect some 2(3 women and children who were also prisoners. As soon as the other troops were pushed back this guard was attacked by gaol personnel. Eiually the Ghurkas were informed by the extremists that unless they surrendered, the women and children would be burned with petrol. The tius of petrol were placed outside the cells. Tlie Ghurkas, who had retreated to the kitclien during the fight, were aliowed to send a message to tlie womeu who wero asked to give the Ghurkas a writtcn order to surrcnder. Tlie women replicd that they neitkor could nor sliould give auy udvicc iu the mattcr, and they left tlie decision in the- hands of the Ghurkas. In Ihe cnd the Ghurkas laid down their arnis with tears in their eyes,. and a few days later were miirdered iu their cells by the Indonesians., i , On Novcnfbei 10 a wliole" div'ision of Ghurkas landed. They reaclied the gaol about noo'n, an'd' towards 4 p.m. tlie prisoners were liberated and transferred to Bouralmya by truck. IJelief had arrived just in time, for that morning a truckload of petrol had beei'i unloadod at tlie gaol for the purpose of burning the inhabitants. A number of inen. women and children, whom tlie Britisli troops were unuble to reach in time or wlio had preI'errcd to reniaiu in their liomes, had been renioved by tlie Indonesians to Ihe intefior. "Their fate must be deplorjable, " tlie letter states. "Aiuong , them were many ex-interncos, wlio, six j months after tlie Jajianese capitulatiou, j ; are still living iu liell. Xow they are i left to the nierey of tlie Indonesian ; populaee. Judging by my owu experi- 1 ; ence 1 could not imagine a niorc piitif ul ; fate for auv person."-