Canberra, undated
Confidential
Visit of Brigadier General Sarwo Edhie to T.P.N.G.1
Brigadier-General Sarwo Edhie, Indonesian Military Commander of West Irian visited the Territory of Papua and New Guinea from Monday 9th December 1968 to Saturday 14th December 1968. He was accompanied by a party often officials (including three air crew).
Considering the short notice available to the Administration; the recent press and House of Assembly interest in West Irian and West Irianese refugees in T.P.N.G.;2 the reports from Djakarta indicating that the purpose of the visit was to discuss border control;3 and the size of the party: the visit ran smoothly and was successful in conveying a picture of developments in T.P.N.G.
[ matter omitted ]4
3. Sarwo Edhie
Peter Hastings (his letter to Minister for E.A. on 13-8-68) said ‘He is supposed to be clear thinking, progressive and clean handed. I, in fact, found him rather vain, a trifle arrogant and somewhat repressive. However he is nobody’s fool’.5 My impression is that he is probably all of these things. During the visit he showed many characteristics. He delighted in having his photograph taken and in the formal occasion e.g. military dinner, ceremonial parade where he was placed at centre stage and would perform much more than adequately as the tough, upright, fighting soldier leader of men{.Y}et simple courtesies pleased him (a cup of local coffee spontaneously made by an Australian volunteer serving as a local government clerk in Asaro) and simple uneducated leadership and hard work impressed him (John {A} kanai, New Guinea Local Government Councillor, entrepreneur and coffee grower, who marched him back and forth throughout his coffee plantation at Goroka). His vanity (pride) was hurt by some slight discourtesies—yet he understood clearly when small things have6 gone wrong (e.g. the usual plane delays and accommodation difficulties) through no real fault of anyone. He thought Somare a rather overbearing young man who should know more about a subject before being critical of those who at least know something of it.7 He considered Voutas an interesting if odd young man who really only wanted to practise his Indonesian.8 He showed considerable warmth towards Hunter but could not make up his mind about Hay.
The teachers college and its students made a marked impression as did the dedicated Australian and Dutch (!) agricultural officer at the Papuan Livestock Station. He drank little, rarely smoked and at social gatherings did his duty well (if a little studied). Publicly, his comments and remarks were strictly in accordance with his brief. In private discussion with Europeans and indigenes who asked frank and sometimes awkward questions he gave an impression of honesty and frankness which was often disarmingly charming.
In general, he left, I would assess, a particularly good impression as a leader, with a difficult task which he intended to carry out justly and with honesty. To those whose only knowledge of Indonesians and their activities in West Irian has been drawn from the press, his visit has doubtless caused some to question a little more what they may hear on the radio or read in the press.
4. Attitudes of Territory people
It is difficult to assess the views of the people of the Territory to the visit. It was widely reported by press and radio. At least one newspaper (South Pacific Post) ran an editorial commending the visit. Throughout the visit the party was well received. At social functions, attended by a good cross section of European and indigenous people there was considerable interest shown in the group and in Sarwo Edhie himself. There were no difficult exchanges at social functions although at times the questioning about developments in West Irian was frank and searching.
At the outset the Administration’s comment was that there would be no particular reaction from the great majority of the people. There seems to have been none.
Amongst the more informed groups (as best one can assess this when so closely allied with the visitors) the attitude generally was one of interest—but generally no surprise that a visit from T.P.N.G’s closest neighbour should occur. From Indonesia’s point of view, the more informed groups in the centres visited will now be better informed of Indonesia’s policies towards West Irian and, possibly, a little more sympathetic.
If the reception given to Sarwo Edhie at the Goroka Teacher’s College is any guide the younger educated people of the Territory welcomed his presence. The students were overwhelmingly friendly, this was infectious, and the visit to the college was a considerable success from any viewpoint.
5. Anti-Indonesian criticism
Reports of Sarwo Edhie’s arrival in the Territory and his press conference drew a public response from Benedictus Sarwom (West Irianese Permissive Resident in Port Moresby).9 At first Sarwo Edhie was inclined to issue a press statement but after consideration he agreed that the better course was to ignore Sarwom and his statement.
Interestingly, although Sarwom is employed at the Gateway Hotel he made no attempt to contact the party nor were any public demonstrations held in Port Moresby or elsewhere. In Lae, Administration officials believed that a demonstration was likely, and informed the West Irianese concerned that to so demonstrate would not only breach terms of their permissive residence but would also embarrass the Administration and the Australian Government. In the end, no demonstration took place but a petition was received by the District Commissioner and passed to Sarwo Edhie.
In Goroka, a West Irianese, Hendrickus Jokoe, an employee of the Bird of Paradise Motel where the group was staying was directed to other duties on the Motel Owner’s plantation for the period of the visit (The owner, Mr. Bob Gibbes, was known to Sarwo Edhie and {Rotty}10 and had flown Peter Hastings to West Irian earlier in the year).
Jokoe presented an unsigned petition to the District Commissioner. It too was passed to Sarwo Edhie.11
These were the only clearly anti-Indonesian incidents that occurred during the visit. Although irritated by the Sarwom statement and the two petitions, Sarwo Edhie professed to be able to see them in perspective and not as something about which he should make a major issue. None the less, he expressed to me privately the thought that if we allow the West Irianese too free a {rein} we might be encouraging them to do more than simply write the occasional letter.
Maximum protective security was observed at all hotels during the visit. This police assistance was unobtrusive yet effective. I was impressed with this effort which must have caused a major strain on resources. Sarwo Edhie was also impressed and, perhaps in part as a result, quickly decided to leave his two policemen in Lae during his visit to Goroka.
6. Some general conclusions
The visit allowed Sarwo Edhie and his party to see the developments occurring in T.P.N.G. They were impressed particularly in the Highlands, and privately and publicly stated their understanding of the major efforts being made by Australia and Australians in the Territory. Although there was little anti-Indonesian sentiment expressed, Sarwo Edhie, {Rot}ty and Supomo12 took on board our sensitivity to the views of indigenous leaders and the House of Assembly. They noted the presence of indigenous elected leaders at social functions and the place they hold in the overall Territory machinery of Government and in the forming of Territory public opinion.
The value of a reciprocal visit to West Irian was mentioned privately on a number of occasions by Sarwo Edhie—not only as a means of inter-Territorial co-operation, but also to improve understanding amongst elected Papuans and New Guineans of Indonesia’s policies. Two indigenous people he had in mind to visit West Irian were John Akanai, whose example would be useful in getting West Irianese to develop their land, and Michael Somare, who ‘needs to have his eyes opened’.
Of the other visitors, only four seemed to be of any significance. Amos Indey13 as a West Irian indigene was used a little as a gimmick and although he must have realised this he seemed to recognise realistically that his country’s only chance was to remain with Indonesia and that he had a part to play in its development. Rotty, a charming, articulate, English speaking foreign service officer, was both interpreter and political adviser to Sarwo Edhie, and of great assistance to the writer of this report throughout the visit. Colonel Sa{nt}oso14 wrote many pages of notes presumably to prepare a {J.I.C.} type report on the Territory’s development. Colonel Supomo (Indonesian Embassy, Canberra) was the only other visitor of any significance. He will doubtless now consider himself the New Guinea expert at the Embassy.15
[NAA: A452, 1968/4602]
1 For background, see Document 244.
2 See footnote 19, Document 246.
3 Edhie was reported by Indonesia’s official newsagency, Antara, as saying he ‘planned to hold a meeting with the military commander of the Australian-administered Papua New Guinea to discuss ways of stopping rebels from fleeing out of West Irian into the eastern part of the island’. Edhie remarked that ‘about 15 people’ had gone to PNG, who ‘operate there by sending propaganda materials, insignias and nicely-printed leaflets’ into Irian (see cablegram 2026, Djakarta to DEA, 22 August 1968, NAA: A1838, 3034/10/1/4 part 2).
4 Matter omitted includes a narrative of Edhie’s visits to various centres.
5 See footnote 1, Document 244.
6 Presumably, this should read ‘had’.
7 Galvin explained earlier in his report that a reception was held at the District Commissioner’s residence at Wewak, attended by Somare, which ‘allowed the visitors to meet a further group of indigenous people, to hear their views and to provide information on Indonesia’s plans and policies for West Irian’.
8 Voutas accompanied Edhie during his visit to Lae and environs.
9 The statement, signed by Sarwom and E. Marjen on behalf of the Papuan National Front, noted a remark by Edhie that an ‘Act of Free Choice’ would occur in Irian in 1969, and stressed that ‘If Indonesia is really an honourable nation as General Edhie claims [it] to be then she should honour her international obligations [and] should respect the right of the Papuan people to decide in an atmosphere of frreedom their future’. The statement also attacked Indonesia’s military presence in Irian and defended the right of Papuans to resist through the Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM—a loose term used to describe, inter alia, armed opposition to the Indonesian administration) (telex 754, Hay to Canberra, 11 December 1968, NAA: A1838, 3034/10/1/4 part 3).
10 J. Rotty, Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative attached to local government, West Irian.
11 Sudjarwo Tjondronegoro, Malik’s Adviser on West Irian affairs, told Loveday that Edhie had been ‘embarrassed’ by the petitions. Sudjarwo added that he ‘could not understand how the Administration could accept such letters from West Irianese settled in towns’; he ‘appreciated the removal of West Irianese rrom the border area but was concerned that there might not be strict enough supervision over town-dwelling West Irianese who were engaged in political activity’ (Savingram no. 58 to Canberra, 20 December 1968, NAA: A1838, 3034/10/1/4 part 3).
12 Col. Imam Supomo, Military Attache, Indonesian Embassy, Canberra.
13 Deputy Governor of West Irian.
14 Col. Loekito Santoso, Provincial Security Officer, West Irian.
15 The Australian Military Attache in Djakarta, Colonel D.G. Sharp, later spoke to Edhie about his trip and recorded the latter’s comments, including that he ‘was impressed by the security arrangements’; ‘He was impressed by the standard of training and the manner and bearing of the Pacific Islands Regiment soldiers … [and] by the high standard of Army barracks at Moresby and Wewak’; ‘He was interested in the way the Administration is, to use his own words, “training people to accept the system of administration”’ (the system being a ‘good one’); ‘In general the party was well looked after everywhere’; and the ‘highlight of the visit was his friendly discussion with Brigadier Ian Hunter’, who was Commandant of the Staff College during 1964 when Edhie had attended as a student. With regard to the press, Edhie said they were ‘friendly and gave him no trouble’; he ‘remarked that he knows how to handle Australian Pressmen after his period in Australia’. He said he ‘sidestepped their questions about border-crossing’ because of the agreement reached between Australia and Indonesia prior to the visit. Sharp commented that he ‘seemed very pleased with himself over his handling of the Press in this regard’ (memorandum, Djakarta (Loveday) to DEA, 3 January 1969, ibid.)