Cablegram [K]272 BATAVIA, 22 February 1949, 10.20 p.m.
RESTRICTED
Every effort has been made to induce the Commission to withdraw its previous advice [1] to the Council but Cochran insists on waiting until 1st March to see what action the Netherlands will take towards implementing the resolution. [2] The Netherlands statements on conversations with the Republicans, and my arguments, are making some impression on Cochran, but he is remaining stagn[ant]. In his conversations at The Hague he obviously underestimated the importance of re-establishment of the Republican Government at Djokjakarta but he is now well aware of this and is correcting any false impressions he may have given.
2. Cochran agrees that the Commission must report at the end of the month and that, unless the unexpected happens, this report must be strongly critical of the Dutch.
3. I have been informed by Tahya of East Indonesia that his Government is becoming increasingly restless at the Netherlands’ failure to seek a real settlement in Indonesia. There is a possibility that a number of Federal states may come out openly to demand the implementation of the Security Council’s resolution under the Commission. Tahya suggests that East Indonesia and Pasundan could bring in behind them all of Borneo save West Borneo, East Java, Madura and possibly some of the Daerahs such as Bangka. As what appears to be a first step in this direction, the Pasundan Parliament yesterday, 21st February, passed a series of resolutions:
(a) Recommending the acceptance of the Security Council’s resolution as a basis for B.F.O. talks;
(b) Condemning the Dutch police action;
(c) Demanding the release of the Republican leaders, and (d) Calling for the release of Pemjoso and other Pasundan leaders arrested on 23rd January.
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1 i.e. the advice that the UN Commission for Indonesia postpone its report to the Security Council From 15 February until 1 March (see Document 224).
2 Document 168.
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[AA : A1838, 403/3/1/1, xxi]