Trouble On Esperance Bay Explained

Trouble On Esperance Bay Explained

CANBERRA, Monday.-The 1,400 Indonesians
who had embarked in the Esperance Bay in Australia
for return to the Netherlands East Indies had not been
searched for arms before they embarked, the Acting
Minister for External Affairs, Mr. Makin, said to-day.

Moreover, on the advice of the
master of the ship and of the Aus-
tralian authorities on the spot, it had
been decided not to put armed guards
on board.
The only guard on the ship when
she left Australia consisted of 40
ratings of the Defence Emergency
Marine Service-ship's guards.
Mr. Makin said other precautions
were taken, but be did not reveal
what they were. 

Dutch Request

The Indonesians, he said, had
proved absolutely co-operative until
the attempt at Kocpang (Timor) to
put 19 of their leaders ashore, at
the urgent request of the Dutch
authorities, made after the ship had
left Australia. The Dutch had feared
that there might be extremists on
board, and objected strongly to any
of the Indonesians being landed in
either Java or Sumatra.
The- Australian Government had
decided on a compromise which, it
hoped, would not delay the Esperance
Bay and at the same time would
meet the Dutch objections and still
honour thc assurance given ta the
Indonesians to land them in thc
Indies. *
Therefore, Australian and Dutch
security authorities compiled L list
of 44 reputed leaders of. the Indo-
nesians, which was sent to the Esper-
ance Bay at Koepang. An endeavour
was made to induce the 44 men on
the list to go ashore there, in order
to prevent any delay in the sailing of
the ship to Java. Only 19 of the men
could be identified and an attempt
was made to disembark them.

Became Threatening

Only then did the Indonesians
become threatening. -The attempt lo
disembark the men was abandoned
land an . armed guard wai put ? on
board. The Esperance Bay continued
her voyage to Java, with the Aus-
tralian destroyer Arunta, which had
accompanied her from Darwin, as
escort.
Eighteen of the Indonesians on
board asked lo be landed at Madang,
and the remainder wished to be dis-
embarked at Sourtvbaya.
"lt is likely," said Mr. Makin,' "that
the Indonesians hoped that by the
time the Esperance Bay reached the
Indies, the whole area, or at least
the ports at which they wished to
land, would be under Nationalist
control."
This expectation was not realised
Mr. Makin went on. During the
voyage from Koepang thc situation
in Java deteriorated rapidly, and it
became quite impossible to land any
of the Indonesians at Sourabaya. The
master of the Esperance Bay found
it necessary to go to Batavia, when
all the Indonesians would be disem-
barked except the 19 leaders, who
would, be taken back to Koepang.
Mr. Makin said he had no advice
of the reported refusal of 800 of the
Indonesians to leave the Esperance
Bay unless the 19 lenders were landed
at Batavia or of a discontinuance of
landing operations pending a settle-
ment of that dispute.
MT. Makin said he had no com
ment to make on a report that the
Netherlands Minister In Australia
Baron van Aaersen had sald he was
receiving no co-operation from the
Australian Government.
 

The Leader of the Country Part)
Mr. Fadden, said: '.'Apparently when
some of our soldiers and sailors are
murdered by Indonesians, the Aus-
tralian authorities and thc Minister for
Immigration, Mr. Calwell, ' will
awaken to a sense of their responsi-
bilities.
Mr. Fadden said that Mr. Calwell,
referring to complaints that the In-
donesians Were armed,' had said that
the fact that the Australian security
service supervised the embarkation
satisfied him. To-day's reports were
that a big stock of arms had been
taken from the Indonesians at
Batavia. 

As the destroyer Arunta had.now
been admitted to have escorted the
'Esperance Bay from Darwin the
Government might now answer the
question he had asked earlier, which
was whether those responsible for the
ship had refused to take her further
without escort. To-day's .disclosures
were so scrfous that thc Prime Mini-
ster, Mr. Chifley, should make a full
and immediate ^investigation and
might well find out where the In-
donesians could and did get arms and
ammunition.
Communists, said Mr. Fadden,
were provoking international trouble
through the Indonesians, and internal
trouble in the form of strikes, and
Federal Ministers seemed prepared to
allow these dtsruptíonists to menace
the nation.
I demand that' the Government
order an immediate investigation on
whether indictments could be pre-
sented under the Crimes Act for their
part in thc Indonesian trouble/' he
said.
Mr. Makin said Mr. Fadden'* com-
ments Were . mischievous, misguided,
and ill-informed, and required no
answer.

Union Protest

Thc Services Officer of the Labour
Council. Mr. J. Hooke.'said yester-
day that the following telegram had
been sent to the-Prime Minister, Mr;
Chifley:-
'The Labour Council Indonesian
Independence Committee protests
against Dutch airmen and soldiers
wearing Australian uniforms. Wc re-
quest your Government to demand
that this practice shall cease to avoid
complications.
"The committee also, protests
against Dutch military forces entering
Australia for preparation for attack
on Indonesians In their own territory.
Wc request your Government lo take
appropriate action. Wc also request
the Government, to intervene to en-
sure the safe landing and repatriation
'of Indonesians on-the Esperance Bay.
We have reason-to believe that Press
reports regarding arms and disturb-
onces are exaggerated."