Netherlands Sends Carrier Karel Doorman To West Irian On Today's History, April 4, 1960

The aircraft carrier Karel Doorman, the command center of the Dutch troops in the war for West Irian against Indonesia. (Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA – Today's History, 62 years ago, April 4, 1960, the Netherlands sent the aircraft carrier Karel Doorman to West Irian. The delivery was carried out by the Dutch to strengthen its defense. Moreover, Indonesia and the Netherlands at that time were fighting over West Irian.

Therefore, the presence of Karel Doorman is considered a challenge. Indonesia's guts did not shrink. Instead, the Tri Komando Rakyat (Trikora) was echoed by Soekarno. The practice was carried out to seize West Irian.

Soekarno considered the Dutch recognition of Indonesian sovereignty to be insufficient. Bung Karno wanted something else. The narrative was conveyed by the Indonesian delegation at the Round Table Conference on August 23-November 2, 1949 in The Hague, Netherlands. Bung Besar wanted the Dutch to release West Irian. This is because West Irian is considered to have a close relationship with Indonesia.

The results obtained by Indonesia are the opposite. The Dutch did recognize Indonesia's sovereignty, but the Dutch were reluctant to hand over West Irian to Indonesia. Soekarno did not give up either. Various negotiations are perpetuated. The goal is clear. West Irian must be part of Indonesia's sovereignty.

Carrier Karel Doorman. (Wikimedia Commons)

In fact, this desire was not just Bung Karno's wish. The Indonesian people also want the same. The actions of the Dutch who did not want to release West Irian made the Indonesian people angry. The confrontation was carried out. A number of Dutch-flagged companies in Indonesia were nationalized.

The Dutch were furious that he didn't play. They immediately devised a strategy to send a message to Indonesia: that the Dutch would not let West Irian go. The strategy is in the form of sending the aircraft carrier Karel Doorman to West Irian. The goal is to strengthen the defense in West Irian.

"In fact, the attitude of the Netherlands is getting worse, it is proven that on April 4, 1960, the Netherlands sent the aircraft carrier Karel Doorman to West Irian, followed by several other warships. The delivery of Karel Doorman has met with opposition from the people of Indonesia and the rest of the world. The Japanese government did not allow the aircraft carrier to stop at Japanese ports,” wrote the book 25 Years of Trikora (1988).

The presence of an aircraft carrier has made the West Irian dispute even more heated. Moreover, the Dutch themselves are increasingly daring to establish a Papuan puppet state. The Dutch bluff did not make Sukarno's guts shrink. Bung Karno's anger peaked. He put up a fight. As a result, Bung Karno launched Trikora in North Square, Yogyakarta on December 19, 1961.

KRI Irian (201), an Indonesian warship purchased from the Soviet Union as one of the main weapons in the Trikora war, the seizure of West Irian from the Dutch. (Wikipedia)

Bung Karno inflamed Trikora to ignite the enthusiasm of the Indonesian people to reclaim West Irian. Indonesia's number one man mandated efforts to thwart the formation of a puppet state of Papua made in the Netherlands, to raise the red and white flag in West Irian, and to maintain the integrity of the country. In the future, this effort was able to bring West Irian into Indonesia.

"Now I ask all of you, the international community, why the Dutch have made West Irian a puppet of Papua. The Dutch instigated the people of West Irian to carry out a policy of dividing the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia by establishing the State of Papua, raising the Papuan flag, and creating the zoogenamde national anthem," said Trikora Soekarno's speech at the time.