Evening star., 1949-12-26
New Indonesian Union
C|imaxes Efforts 10
Free Colonial Peoples
BY the Associated Press

LAKE SUCCESS, Dec. 26.-
seventy-seven million people in
the old Dutch East Indies isles get
their independence tomorrow
after more than 800 years under
Dutch rule.
They won it as the result of two
major factors: The long struggle
of a comparatively few Indonesian
Patrick Henrys such as President
Soekarno and Mohammed Hatta
and trend led first by the
United States and then joined by:
Britain to free the peoples of
Asia and Oceania from foreign
overlordship.
The trend has brought about
the birth of six new nations and
the rebirth of another in the Far
East and created the state of
Israel at the Western end of Asia.
The United States of Indonesia
represents the first sovereign
breakaway from the Dutch over
seas empire comprising oil-rich
East and West Indies isles and
Dutch Guiana on the South
American mainland.
To Recognize Queen.
In a compromise on what they
called psychological grounds. the
1ndonesians agreed to placate
Dutch feelings by continuing to
recognize Queen Juliana as their
monarch-but without granting
her executive power. They remain
In unio1; with the Dutch home
land under the crown without this
affecting their new sovereignty.
In the train of events leading
to Indonesian independence. Brit
iSh and American diplomats con-
cede the United States set the
pace for the whole trend of geo.
political transition in the Far East
by giving independence to the
Philippines-f1nally signalized on
July 4, 1916.
British Tories were bitter. They
contended the United States was
setting a bad example for their
colonials.
But the British already were
dickering with India for freedom
and the deal was sealed after the
wartime conservative government
of Winston Churchill was re-
placed by the present labor
regime.
In one of his last statements
as prime minister Mr.. Churchill
said: Il did not become the King
first minister to preside over the
liquidation of his empire"
Indian Freedom Recalled.
The grant of independence to
British India was arranged by
Admiral Viscount Mountbatten,
cousin of King George vi and the
last of the viceroys. And it came
so abruptly that Indians could
not believe it was true.
British India was partitioned
August Is. 1947. to make up the
dominions of predominantly Hin
du India and Moslem Pakistan,
and both decided to remain the
British Commonwealth Of Nations
on their own terms of allegiance
to the King. -Four hundred million
people we're involved.
The 1947 British act freed 600
odd princely states Of Indian
India from British paramountcy.
Most of these states quickly joined
or were induced by various means
to join the respective dominions
for central unity. Fighting result
ed over some holdouts-princi-
pally the rich Nizam's Hyderabad
state, now taken over by India:
and Kashmir, still in dispute be-
tween India and Pakistan.
After pulling out Of India, the
British gave Ceylon and Burma
their choice of remaining in the
Commonwealth as dominions or
taking complete independence.
Ceylon chose to be a sovereign
island dominion; Burma elected
to become a republic free of all
foreign alliances and now is en-
gagged in a ruinous civil war.
Aftermath of War.
The wars aftermath thus has:
Resulted in the formation of
six new sovereign states in the
Far East-the Philippines. India,
Pakistan, Ceylon, Burma, and In
doneSia.
Taken Korea out of Japanese
hands and set up divided nation
there in dispute between the Com
munist North and the Western
slanted Seoul government in the
South.
Restored Formosa to the Chi
nese after half century under
Japan, and incidentally provided
the last standing ground of the
Chinese Nationalists.
Created the state of Israel in
Palestine. where the British gave
uP tliS1 41CdSuC VI 4Ndt4Oklo AldA-
date rule May Is. 1948.
States Join u. N.
OF the new postwar states, the
Philippines, India, Pakistan,
Burma and Israel are members
Of the United Nations. Russia has
vetoed the applications of Ceylon
and Korea and is expected to
veto the United States Of Indo-
nesia.
Another independence move
ment is still being fought out in
Indo- China with a welter of
cross purposes confusing the issue.
The main forces fighting the
French are tainted-in the West
ern view-by the communism of
their leader, Moscow-trained Ho
Chi Mimi. The French effort to
restore Emperor Bao Dai of
AMMAN as puppet ruler of an
INTERNALLY autonomous" state
further complicates things in this
rich, productive area.
The approach Of the triumphant
Chinese Communists to the Indo-