Evening star., 1947-07-22
Fighting Heavy
0n.Java Coasts,
Dutch Report
Amphibious Landings
Made; Sumotru Also
Scene Of Clashes
By the Associoted Press

by me Assoeioted Press
BATAVIA, July 22.-Indo-
neSian sources said today that
Dutch troops who stormed
ashore on the north and east
coats of Java yesterday had
been engaged in heavy fighting.
The Dutch, reporting all objec-
tives reached in the operation,
said resistance was Iess than
expected"
A Dutch Army communique
placed Dutch casualties yesterday
at $50 dead and wounded.
A Royal Netherlands Navy COM
munique said landing craft of the
Navy and warships disembarked
troops at Banjoewangi on the east
coast of Java and at Pasir Putuh
on the north coast. A Dutch Army
communique said the troops gained
initial objectiyes and made addi-
tional advances.
A severe five-hour engagement
In the Padang sector of Sumatra
yesterday and other clashes on that
island were reported by an 1ndo-
nesian Army communique. The
bulletin also said that on Sunday,
two Dutch warships off Merak on
the extreme western tip of Java
were shelled by Indonesian mortars
and left the area after suffering
damage.
Premier Appeals to World.
Premier Amir Sjarifoeddin in a
broadcast from Jogjakarta beamed
to Australia, appealed "to the world
in general and our friends in Aus
tralia in particular to strengthen
their efforts to prevent further
bloodshed." He said it was clear this
colonial war" was not in the in
terest of general peace in Southeast
Asia and the world.
IF efforts are being made in our
behalf, they must be made quickly" :"
he said in speech heard by the
Dutch monitor here.
Associated Press Correspondent
Harris jackson reported from jog
lakarta that the Indonesians claimed
in a communique to have made
progress west of Semarang" today
This was the first Indonesian asser-
ton of military success since the
outbreak of hostilities, Sunday.
Indonesians Attacking.
A broadcast Indonesian communi-
que heard In Batavia said the In
donesians were attacking west OF
Semarang on the north central coast
of Java.
Mr.. jackson quoted an Indonesfan
communique as saying the Dutch
bombed Ambarawa, 40 miles south OF
Semarang. The area was the scene
Of severe fighting two years ago.
The fight, which began Sunday
with the Dutch acting first, origi-
mated in disagreements over the
future government Of the East
Indies, rich in oil, rubber, sugar, tin
and other products. The Repub-
licans call it Colonial war" the
Dutch local police action"
Dutch troops, mainly American
trained Marines, were said to have
captured four East Java coastal
points after going ashore from
naval vessels in the large-scale oper-
alton yesterday. They were reported
to have established bridgeheads
along 55-mile coastal road between
two of those points-Probolinggo
and Sitoebondo.
Operations Under Way.
First reports from Sumatra said
Dutch troops jumped off in local
actions yesterday at three towns on
that big island northwest of Java
Medan in the north, Palembang in
the southeast and padang in the
middle-and had completed the Pa
dang operation without casualties.
On Java itself, most pcpulous
island of the East Indies, news bull
letins and communiques from both
sides indicated that at least seven
Dutch operations were under way in
what observers interpreted as an
attempt to pinch off the republic
into isolated segmentS for final
cleanup.
These operations were: In West
ern Java, drives south from Buiten-
zorg, east from Bandoeng and west
from Bandoeng; in Central Java, a
movement south from Semarang,
and, in Eastern Java, push south
from Soerabaja, movement in
land from Probolinggo and stand
at Banjoewangi-this last to prevent
any republican flight eastward to
the island of Bali
AP Dispatch withheld.
The Netherlands army censor
withheld in its entipety an Asso-
clated Press dispatch on Dutch
military actions in Java which con-
tanned material obtained from a
high-ranking Dutch officer.
The censor said he killed the story
on instructions from general staff
intelligence. He said no military
information from Dutch sources
would be transmitted which had not
been included in official commu-
niques of the army or the Neither
lands East Indies government.
The Indonesian republics radio
Jogjakarta, previously an important
source of news from the Republi-
can side, was being jammed sys-
tematically, monitors reported. Re
publican Radio Soerakarto still was
being heard, however.
The State Department in Wash
ington yesterday said in a statement
that 1.-The United States Government
1See INDONESIA, Page A-40