Evening star. Washington, D.C. (December 27, 1949)
By the Associated Press
BATAVIA, Java, Dec. 27.—Holland’s tricolor, symbol of three centuries of rule in the East Indies, fluttered down today ever the palace of the high commissioner as a crowd of 20,000 cheered the hoisting of the revolutionary red and white banner of a new nation —the United States of Indonesia.
The flag ceremony followed the signing of the protocol of transfer Indonesia freedom seen set back for Soviet Russia. of authority within the palace almost simultaneously with the proclaiming in Amsterdam of the new republic’s sovereignty and in dependence by Queen Juliana.
The solemn but congratulatory speech by Queen Juliana was heard in a three-minute broad cast during the ceremonies here. (Five countries today an nounced recognition of the government of the United States of Indonesia. They are Canada, Australia, India, Pakistan and Burma.)
Sultan Accepts Authority.
The man of the hour was dashing 37-year-old Sultan HemangkuBuwono, deputy premier of the new United States of Indonesia, who accepted the turnover of authority from Netherlands High Commissioner A. H. J. Lovink.
Outside the palace and through out the capital, 6,000 Republican troops under the Sultan’s com mand and armed with machine guns, kept law and order and watched for possible attempts by Communists and a few diehards to heckle the ceremony.
Independence day for 77,000,000 people, occupying a vast necklace of some 3,000 Southwest Pacific and Indian Ocean islands, dawned warm in the tropical sun.
Already the new nation’s revolutionary bunting, once declared Batavia Is Renamed Jacarta as Capital Of Free Indonesia.
THE HAGUE, the Netherlands, Dec. 27.—Starting today the name for the capital of the United States of Indonesia will be Jacarta instead of Batavia, an Indonesian spokesman said last night. Jacarta means “important city.” It is the ancient Indonesian name for the big Javanese city. The Dutch renamed the city Batavia when they landed in Java 350 years ago. The name is not to be con fused with Jogjakarta in Eastern Java which was the capi tal of the Indonesian Republic now merged in the United States of Indonesia.
The Indonesian flag, illegal by the Dutch during the four years of bloody strife leading up to this day, lined the streets.
Never Jailed by Dutch.
The Sultan and his Indonesian delegation had ridden to the palace in a motorcade from home in the Pegangsaan district where Indonesian leaders originally declared independence from the Dutch August 17, 1945.
The feudal prince, who has a reputation for being liberal and democratic, had been one of the few independence-seeking leaders whom the Dutch never jailed dur ing the bitter times before the Netherlands - Indonesian agreement was finally signed in The Hague last October.
Buwono and his delegation were met in the great central hall of The Royal Palace in Amsterdam.
With Juliana’s signature, the United States of Indonesia be came tire world’s newest independent nation. It also began an experiment in international part nership — the Dutch – Indonesian union under which the Dutch kingdom and the Indonesian re public are loosely linked by the symbol of the Netherlands crown.
"Peace Desire Realized.” The Queen declared that sep aration of the East Indies colonies from the Netherlands was "pierc ing the very roots of our existence” and added:
"The world looks on in wonderment and perceives that, here and now, these two countries are realizing its own deepest desire, the desire for peace.” “In the Netherlands, this is viewed with solicitude,” she continued, indicating mildly that a strong minority in the Nether lands had opposed the time of the transfer of the sovereignty. “But at this moment, and in this place I would state emphatically that in the Netherlands one and all con cur with the principle of the transfer of sovereignty.”
Inside the hall, as the Queen spoke, there were some 250 guests along with the entire Dutch cabinet, members of the Indonesian delegation and presidents of both chambers of the Dutch Parliament.
Outside only a small crowd gathered. About 50 Indonesians wearing red and white ribbons—the colors of the new state—sang the Indonesian national anthem as it was played on the palace carillon.
During the ceremony the Queen looked serious until she shook hands with Indonesian Premier Mohamed Hatta, when she smiled.
0 Comments