WAR IMMINENT IN JAVA

Chronicle (Levin), 21 July 1947, Page 5

WAR IMMINENT IN JAVA

Press Assn.-

DUTCH COMMENCE OPERATIONS BY SEIZING REPUBLICAN-HELD UTILITIES {

By Telegraph

-Copyright

Received Monday, 11 a.m. BATAVIA, July 20. The A.A.P. correspondent at Batavla says that the Dutch " and Republican armies stand poised for war on Java's perimeters tonight, and a dawn attack is expected to be launched from all the Dutch-held Java perimeters, with the main drive on the Republican national capital, Jogjakarta. Observers «ay it will take at least two days to clear mines and obstacles, __ d "soften up" the Republican positions before the real X-narch begins.

"Preliminaries" to the Dutch military operations began at eleven o'clock Java time tonight. These are stated to have included the seizing of Republican-held utilities in Batavia and the rounding up of suspected people. A message from The Hague says that the Prime Minister, Dr. Louis Beel, broadcast that the Government had authorised the Dutch Lieutenant-Govemor in Indonesia, Dr. van Mook, to commence operations in a police action in Indonesia with the use of the Dutch armecl forces. The Dutch Catholic People's Party, which is the largest in the Coaiition Government in Holland. has appealed to the Dutch and Indonesians to support Dutch military action in Indonesia. It added : "After the Government's efforts to observe the agreement accepted by both sides, this measure is justified and obligatory." The extent of the resistance from the Republic is a mystery as the army remains problematical. With at least two divisions in east Java based on the hill town of Malang, another in central Java and two more west of Java, the Republicans are expected to resist fiercely the

initial Dutch attack and then fall back into Java's jungle-covered mountains in a difficult guerrilla war. Preparations for tonight's swoop on Batavia's Republican-held buildings began early tonight, when there was considerable military activity on the streets and in the army and police buildings. Armed with pistols and tommyguns, the police and Netherlands soldiers simultaneously arrived in motor trucks at railway stations, post offices, Republican departmental buildings and other public utilities, and' took thqm over without resistance. Earlier Republican employees had been giveri instructions by their Government not to resist. They were provided with two months' salary and as much rations as were available from Republican resources, and were told to start a non-co-operation campaign from comorrow morning. Telephone communication was silenced as the swoop began. Through a mistake in military instructions the cable office was also ordered to cease operations, but not until correspondents managed to get away the first flashes of the night's developments.