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Historical documents

248 Critchley to Department of External Affairs

Cablegram K160 KALIURANG, 20 September 1948

SECRET

Further reports (still to be confirmed) from the Madiun indicate
that early Saturday morning a force of approximately 2000 Pesindo
(irregular socialist youth forces) took over key points of the
town after disarming the police and army. A Soviet Republic was
then proclaimed with Muso as president and Sjarifuddin as Prime
Minister.

2. Madiun is in the strategic position to cut off Djokja from
Republican East Java and the main routes to the Republic's two
main south coast ports. There have been less important outbursts
in other areas, the most serious of which has cut the railway
between Surakarta and Purwodadi which cuts Republican
communication with their only Northern port at Tuban.

3. There have also been 'reports' of a social revolution in
Republican held Tapanuli (W. Sumatra) on September 10th when a
communist-led people's army took up arms against the T.N.I. The
rebels are assumed to be in control of the territory. Hatta
confirms that there has been trouble in this area for which he
blames Chinese communists brought to Sibolga from Malaya and the
infiltration permitted by the Dutch of Chinese communists from
Medan.

4. The Government has taken immediate and firm measures to put
down communist uprising in Java.

a. Government forces are converging on the Madiun areas from three
directions with a view to surrounding it and capturing the
ringleaders. Troops are also being moved up to Madiun from Solo
where the situation is considered to be well in hand.

b. Prominent members of the Indonesian Communist Party have been
arrested. In Djokja about 200 people have been arrested including
representatives of the party in the parliamentary working
committee.

c. Beginning of the 19th September the Government has instituted a
curfew in Djokja between the hours of 2200 and 0500.

d. All communications and vital industries in Republican Central
Java have been placed under military control.

e. The parliamentary working committee by 25 votes to one has
conferred on the President for a period of three months full
emergency powers to deal with the situation.

f. Sukarno made a broadcast appeal to the people to assist the
Government to smash all uprisings and help restore Madiun to
lawful administration. Leaflets of his speech are being dropped in
Madiun. Broadcast appeals to support the Government have been made
by the C. in C. [1], the leader of the Masjumi [2] and the Sultan
of Djokjakarta. [3]

1 General Sudirman, Commander-in-Chief of the TNI.

2 Dr Wirjosandjojo Sukiman.

3 Hamengkobuwono IX.


[AA:A4357/2, 48/260/1, iii]
Last Updated: 11 September 2013
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