REVOLUTION AIMED AT

Grey River Argus, 21 September 1948, Page 5

REVOLUTION AIMED AT

Communists Grab East Java City from Republicans

UNDER MOSCOW-TRAINED LEADER

BATAVIA, Sept 19.

On Saturday a Communist group forcibly occupied the administrat.ye buildings and illegally took over the administration of the city of Madiun in East Java. This coup followed on fighting in the city. After this the Indonesian Republican Government, in a statement broadcast from their rad'o at Jogakartra, announced on Sunday that the Government was now taking strong measures to restore its administration and against the Indonesian Communist, Muro, who returned from'Moscow recently. A round-up of all dangerous Communists is believed to be in progress. The activities of the group led by Muso was endangering the Republic. The head of the Communist Government is a former vice-Mayor of Madiun, Dr. Supardi. He has given a letter of authority signed by the Madiun chairman of the Republican Trade Union Federation, head of the Communist Party, and also by the Madiun branch manager of the' Labour and Socialist Parties and the Madiun leader of the armed Socialist Youth Movement. The Republican Army Commander General Sudirman, announced tonight the appointment of Colonel Sungkono as Republican Army commander in East Java with full autnority to deal with the Communists at Madiun.

A Republican Government statement on the Madiun affair said that the “persistant and malevolent agitation of the Dutch” had created favourable circumstances for the, reception of Communism in the Republic or more correctly among the section of the political parties now claiming Communist ideologies. This was te background to the Communist coup in Madiun that seemed to be part of the Moscow plan in Southeast Asia as propounded by the new-ly-arrived Indonesian Communist Muso.

The President of the Indonesian Republic, Dr. Sukarno, in a specia’ broadcast tonight denounced Muso as a traitor to the Republic. Dr. Sokatno said that, anybody who could seize him would save Indonesia. Anybody who joins him is also a traitor.

Dr. Sukarno added: “Madiun must be 'in our hands very soon. I hereby declare all public utilities, such as telephones, electricity, railways and vital industries as militarised." DUTCH ANXIETY A Dutch communiique announced that the Indonesian Provisional Government ordered a number of Republican officials in Batavia to leave Federal Indonesian territory at short notice.

The communique adds that >. tiw F'rovisional Federal Government would not hesitate to take further action against those who sought to undermine it's authority or woifked in connivance with the Republic. The Planters’ Association, m the Tjulatjap Bandjar district, South Central Java, sent a message to the Government, asking for modern arms and radio transmitters to protect them from Indonesians infiltrating from Republican territory. demanded action to check the infiltration, which now threatened their existence.

In Batavia five Indonesian political organisations sent a resolution to The Hague Government urging the immediate formation of a National Federal Interim Government.