Cablegram K25 BATAVIA, 22 December 1947, 1.27 a.m.
IMMEDIATE SECRET
The Netherlands Special Committee presented a memorandum this morning [1] regarding the Committee’s plan for a speedy truce. [2] The main points are summarised below:
(1) The Netherlands Special Committee accept the principle of the truce in general terms as a working basis and that the plan is of a provisional nature.
(2) It believes that the plan can only be carried out adequately if agreement has previously been reached as regards the term ‘occupied territories’. The Netherlands Special Committee understand that this is territory actually under the control of the occupying forces.
(3) The Netherlands Special Committee believes that agreement should first be reached as to the extent and delimitation of the areas occupied in Java and Sumatra as it will otherwise not be possible strictly to define the rights and duties of each party ensuing from any such agreement and to see that they are fulfilled.
(4) The Netherlands Special Committee wishes it to be noted- (a) Netherlands East Indies Government at the conclusion of police action on August 4th 2400 hours at once assumed responsibility for law and order in areas at that moment occupied by its forces.
(b) The Netherlands East Indies Government still maintains this responsibility in its entirety.
(c) The standpoint of the Netherlands East Indies Government is that areas within the Van Mook line must be regarded as territories occupied by the Netherlands troops with the inclusion of the whole island of Madura.
(5) The Special Committee is therefore of the opinion that the Van Mook line [will in principle have to be the line] [3] of demarcation and at either side of the line a demilitarized zone will have to be established.
(6) The responsibilities of the Netherlands Forces can only be transferred gradually to the police in areas to be demilitarized as required, concentration of police forces in these areas makes heavy demands on available police personnel.
(7) Therefore police duties in the Netherlands areas for the time being will have to be discharged by Netherlands troops.
(8) Regulations limiting strength and arms shall unambiguously make clear the police function of the Netherlands [Military] Police units.
(9) Time of operation of regulations to be decided later dependent on the general situation.
(10) Netherlands Special Committee propose that restrictive regulations shall in the first instance be considered binding for fourteen days at the most. If the truce regulations are strictly observed the period will be extended each time for fourteen days.
If the truce regulations are not strictly observed the restrictive regulations are automatically annulled. It would be appreciated if military assistants of G.O.C. will undertake to observe the manner in which truce regulations are carried out by both parties.
(11) In the first instance those Netherlands areas will be demilitarized which are situated between [4]
(a) the demarcation line connecting the Netherlands for-ward positions.
These areas have been indicated as ‘areas controlled by the Dutch patrols’ on maps transmitted by the Netherlands Special Committee to the G.O.C.
(12) The Netherlands demilitarized zone may be further extended should the general situation continue to develop favourably.
(13) Remnants of Republican Forces which, when the cease-fire and stand fast order is issued, are still inside the Netherlands occupied territories will have to be evacuated to areas controlled by Republican troops with their arms, equipment and military stores.
(14) There is no objection to the establishment and maintenance of goods and passenger traffic between the Netherlands and the Republican held territories provided:
(a) routes of communication are determined beforehand in mutual consultation along which this traffic will be conducted and outside which traffic will not be permitted.
(b) both commercial and passenger traffic are subject to regulations passed or at a later date to be passed by the Netherlands East Indies Government regarding Foreign Exchange, imports, exports and transit of goods etcetera; adequate measures for control of which shall be taken on the Netherlands side of the demarcation line.
(15) The Netherlands Special Committee conclude that on the basis above they will be glad to continue discussions on points of detail of the plan so that complete agreement can be reached.
Meanwhile the Netherlands Special Committee draws attention with the utmost emphasis to its proposal of December 9th [5] which, to the Netherlands Committee, appears essential for smooth and favourable progress of discussions on the plan.
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1 21 December.
2 Document 449.
3 Words in square brackets have been inserted from the text of the Dutch memorandum given in United Nations, Security Council Official Records, Third Year, Special Supplement No.1, pp.20-3.
4 A sign here indicates ‘as received’. The corresponding paragraph of the Dutch memorandum proposed that in the first instance the Dutch controlled areas to be demilitarised would be those situated between (a) the demarcation line proposed in paragraph 5 and (b) a line connecting the Dutch forward positions.
5 See Document 478 and note 5 thereto.
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[AA:A1838/274, 854/10/4/2, iii]