History Of The Liberation Of West Irian

West Irian Liberation Monument (Detha Arya Tifada/VOI)

JAKARTA - Indonesia is too soft on Dutch imperialism in West Irian. Soekarno could not stand it. West Irian must be freed as soon as possible. In Palembang, South Sumatra, April 10, 1962, Soekarno promised the liberation of West Irian in order to make it part of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).

West Irian, which is now the province of West Papua, is Soekarno's favorite. Soekarno even served as Commander of the West Irian High Command. For Bung Karno, the problem of seizing West Irian (Papua) was a crucial personal matter. Without West Irian, the archipelago would not be fully Indonesia.

Not once or twice did Bung Karno express his love for West Irian. In almost every moment Bung Karno always showed his love for West Irian. Bung Karno even made an analogy of West Irian as a part of the body, where if one part is missing, then the balance will not be obtained.

“Compared to our archipelago, West Irian is only as wide as a moringa leaf, but West Irian is part of our body. Would someone allow a limb to be amputated without putting up a fight? " Bung Karno said, quoted by Cindy Adams in the book Bung Karno: Connecting the Tongues of the Indonesian People (1965).

Soekarno (Source: geheugen.delpher.nl)

Everything was ultimately centered on the struggle for West Irian. Because of the importance of West Irian, Rosihan Anwar revealed that Bung Karno had forgotten the problem of the prices of goods which were then increasing. On the one hand, Bung Karno did this to realize his dream so that West Irian would become part of Indonesia. On the other hand, the other Indonesian people are in a state of misery.

“Since these few days my wife has been dizzy looking for bread for the children to eat at school. Since there was no flour, the bakeries messed up their work plans. The audience felt the consequences. Fresh bread is difficult to obtain and if there is a piece price of Rp. 30 to Rp. 35, whereas a few months ago the price was only Rp. 10 a piece, "said Rosihan Anwar.

Bung Karno's move was also described by Sukawarsini Djelantik in the book Asia-Pacific: Conflict, Cooperation, and Relationships and Between Regions (2015), as a form of political and economic interests. Because West Irian is a country rich in natural resources (SDA), Indonesia has economic interests. As is well known, Bung Karno knew West Irian did not only store petroleum, but also uranium. In an atomic age like that time, these findings were very important.

Commencement of efforts to liberate West Irian

West Irian Liberation Monument (Detha Arya Tifada / VOI)

The effort to liberate West Irian itself began when the Dutch refused to recognize West Irian as part of the Republic of Indonesia. This attitude was conveyed by the Dutch during the Round Table Conference (KMB) negotiations, 23 August-2 November 1449. The Indonesian and Dutch delegations had different views. Indonesia believes West Irian is part of East Indonesia which is part of the territory of the Republic of the United States of Indonesia (RIS).

Meanwhile, the Dutch are of the opinion that West Irian has no relationship with other parts of Indonesia. Therefore the Dutch wanted West Irian to be given a special status. The Indonesian National Archives (ANRI) noted that the two parties finally agreed to resolve the problem through continued negotiations between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and RIS.

The negotiations were conducted one year after the transfer of sovereignty, 27 December 1949. However, the negotiations on the status of West Irian did not come to a light, even though one year had passed since the recognition of Dutch sovereignty. ANRI also recorded two meetings, which were held in Jakarta in March 1950 and in The Hague in December 1950.

The two meetings were on the agenda of gathering facts. The results are reported to the Indonesian-Dutch Union. Again deadlocked because the two parties reported different results. Indonesia then took the path of political-economic confrontation. Indonesia briefly cut off relations between the Indonesian and Dutch Union on February 15, 1956.

Indonesia also canceled the KMB agreement unilaterally on March 27, 1956. In addition, Indonesia formed the Autonomous Province of West Irian on August 15, 1956. Another step was taken by nationalizing Dutch-owned companies, ranging from airlines, shipping, gas companies, sugar factories, to bank.

The Dutch responded to Indonesia's actions by increasing their military strength. Ultimately, Indonesia cut diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of the Netherlands on August 17, 1960. After the breakdown, Soekarno, who was also the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Indonesia, was increasingly active in training and preparing military strategy.

The Indonesian government also sent young people from various regions in Papua in 1961. This step was taken in response to the expulsion of the pro-NKRI community by the Dutch. Not only expelling them, in the 1950-1960 period, the Dutch also brought anti-Indonesian people to West Irian.

Papua in the past (Source: Commons Wikimedia)

Indonesia has also taken diplomatic steps to a number of friendly countries, garnering support from the international community. Significant results were obtained. From the Soviet Union, Indonesia received heavy weapons to long-range bomb launchers, the Tupolev-16 and the cruiser, Sverdlov, which was later named KRI Irian.

In 1961, Indonesia formed the Supreme Command for the Liberation of West Irian (KOTI). Soekarno, as commander-in-chief also announced the Tri Komando Rakyat (Trikora).

Thwarting the formation of a puppet state of Papua, the colonial Dutch. Raise the Red and White in West Irian Indonesia Homeland Get ready for general mobilization to defend the independence and unity of the Motherland and Nation. New York Agreement

The tension between the two countries grew after the Dutch attacked Indonesian ships in the Arafuru Sea. Commodore Yos Sudarso and his entire crew died. Soekarno then ordered Brigadier General Soeharto, who headed the West Irian Liberation Mandala Command, to carry out three stages of military operations: infiltration, open attacks, and the establishment of full power in West Irian.

The death of Yos Sudarso emphasized Indonesia's stance that West Irian be freed as soon as possible. However, before the battle began, US President John F. Kennedy ordered Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy to bring the two sides together.

The negotiations were also led by US diplomat Ellsworth Bunker. The aim of the discussion was to hold the talks in New York on August 15, 1962 and produce the New York Agreement.

Snippet of the New York Agreement sheet (Source: Commons Wikimedia)

Apart from the US, the New York Agreement was also facilitated by the United Nations (UN) which ordered the Netherlands to hand over the government of West Irian to the UN - the UN Provisional Executive Authority (UNTEA). UNTEA then officially restored Indonesian sovereignty in West Irian on May 1, 1963.

Terms and conditions applied. Indonesia had to hold a referendum or the Determination of People's Opinion (Pepera), with a deadline of 1969. The Pepera took place on July 14, 1969 in Merauke and ended on August 4, 1969 in Jayapura. As a result, West Irian remains part of Indonesia.

The results of the Pepera were reported by Indonesia to the 24th UN General Assembly. The UN accepts all the results. After that, Indonesia declared May 1, 1963 as the Anniversary of the Liberation of West Irian. The warning is aimed at commemorating the sacrifice of the patriots who died and at the same time emphasizing that Papua and West Papua are forever part of the Republic of Indonesia.

* Read other information about PAPUA or read other interesting articles from Detha Arya Tifada and Yudhistira Mahabharata.

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