Mrs Robeson in Amsterdam (report on the Asian women's conference in Beijing)
Het Parool report (18 Jan 1950, p.168) on a press conference in Amsterdam by Eslanda Robeson, with Rie Lips-Odinot, Mrs L. Suripno who represented Indonesian women in Beijing, and Annie van Ommeren-Averink, after the December 1949 Asian Women's conference in Beijing and a Moscow meeting of women from 36 countries. They
Indonesian delegate: victory in China inspiring (Lillah Suripno)
De Waarheid item (10 Feb 1950) quoting Indonesian delegate Lillah Suripno at the Asian Women's Conference in Peking: guerrillas fight oppressors, Indonesian women's task is a free democratic state, the Chinese revolution is an example, and victory needs a democratic front under the Communist Party. Photo shows her besi
Soviet Woman, 28 Feb 1950, p. 47: A. N. Atanepesova's account of the Conference of Women of Asian Countries, Peking, late 1949 (198 delegates). Indonesia appears via delegate 'Lilia Suripno', who described partisan women fighting Dutch troops with babies on their backs. Reflects early WIDF-linked Asian solidarity; Gerw
Irian must belong to Indonesia!
De Locomotief, 13 Mar 1950 (Aneta): RIS parliament unanimously adopts a motion that Irian be linked to Indonesia within a year, and the government accepts it. In the defence-minister Q&A, it is noted that the Defence Ministry has asked the NIT government about the arrest of Salawati Daud, still unanswered; Supomo repor
PSII men (arrests; detention of Salawati Daud)
Het Nieuwsblad voor Sumatra (13 Mar 1950, p.3): the Sultan (Hamengkubuwono IX) explains arrests of PSII men Abikusno and Anwar Tjokroaminoto over APRA contacts and Zakaria in Kalimantan; on the detention of Mrs Salawati Daud, the defence ministry has contacted the NIT government but has had no reply. He reaffirms a nat
Only workers; youth organisations merge into a new front
Short items in De Vrije Pers (11 Apr 1950): a clarification about banknote distribution for workers, and a merger of Front Pemuda Indonesia and eight youth groups into Gerakan Pemuda Rakyat, with A.L. Fanggidaej as one of the secretaries. Gerwis/Gerwani is not mentioned; the Fanggidaej named here is not identified as F
CIA information report, 14 April 1950: Communist developments in Indonesia
CIA information report, 14 April 1950: 'Communist Developments in Indonesia', on the PKI, FDR and Partai Murba after the 1948 Madiun revolt, their alliance, infiltration of labour and army, and factions. Tan Ling Djie, Abdul Madjid, Sakirman and Wikana are named; Umi Sardjono appears only as head of one Partai Buruh In
Daily Worker, 17 April 1950: I saw Mao Tse-tung - delegate's report on the Conference of the Women of Asia, Peking
Page 5 of the Daily Worker (New York, 17 Apr 1950) carrying Betty Millard's first article on the Peking Conference of the Women of Asia, organised by the WIDF. She describes the train journey from Moscow with delegates including a Dutch woman active against arms shipments to Indonesia. OCR is garbled and the article co
WIDF president Eugenie Cotton accused over anti-war poster
Short De Waarheid item (2 Jun 1950): WIDF president Eugénie Cotton, also head of the Union of French Women, was accused over a poster urging French mothers not to let under-age sons enlist for Vietnam; the paper compares it to Dutch women's action against the Indonesian war and calls for protest letters. No Indonesian
National Committee of South Celebes
De Locomotief, 29 June 1950 (Aneta): the South Sulawesi people's representation, meeting as 'Komite Nasional Indonesia Sulawesi Selatan', elects Salawati Daud, 'a well-known political figure in Makassar', as chairwoman. Her arrest in the Masamba affair had recently been raised in the RIS parliament; she was released sh
Salawati Daud, chair of South Celebes representation
Bredasche Courant, 11 July 1950: short item recalling that the 'Masamba affair' implicated a woman member of parliament, Salawati Daud, released soon after her arrest and now elected chair of South Sulawesi's people's representation. The rest of the item (Soviet divisions on the Yugoslav border) is unrelated.
Last phase of parliament: the constitution
De Locomotief, 25 July 1950: report on the last phase of the RIS parliament, opened by Sartono, and the draft unitary constitution. Mrs Moedigdio (Mudigdio) of the Socialist Party is one of the members who say parliament must keep the right of amendment. Text is partly garbled; no Gerwis reference.
'17 August, a day of mourning': bitter announcement of a formed committee
Algemeen Indisch Dagblad (1950-08-14, p. 1): SOBSI, Rukun Tani Indonesia, the Front Nasional Pemuda and the women's organisation Gerwis, among others, form their own committee to commemorate 17 August 1950 because the government excluded organisations. They call the day one of mourning for a 'unitary state à la RTC' an
'Peace' demonstration in Medan
De Locomotief, 14 Aug 1950 (Aneta): about 5,000 attend a Medan peace-committee rally, mainly plantation, peasant and pedicab unions, with anti-American banners. Speakers include Tuti Rukmi for 'Indonesian women'. The resolution urges Indonesia not to join the 'imperialist war' in Korea and calls for a ban on atomic wea
'They were not allowed to take part': 17 August is a day of mourning
De Locomotief, 15 Aug 1950 (Aneta): SOBSI, Rukun Tani, a youth front, PRRI and the women's organisation GERWIS form a committee to commemorate the 'People's Proclamation of 17 August 1945', declaring 17 August 1950 a day of mourning because the RTC-style unitary state buries the 1945 republic. They protest the ban on b
SOBSI regards 17 August as a 'day of mourning': 'unitary state a la RTC'
Het Nieuwsblad voor Sumatra (15 Aug 1950, p.2): organisations including SOBSI, Rukun Tani Indonesia, Front Nasional Pemuda, PRRI and the women's organisation Gerwis formed a counter-committee, Panitya Peringatan Proklamasi Rakjat 17 Agustus 1945, after the government excluded parties from its commemoration committee. T
CIA-held copy of the joint SOBSI publication, 17 August 1950 (Bangun, Tenaga, Pekerja, Buruh)
CIA-held copy of a joint SOBSI publication of 17 August 1950 (Independence Day issue of the labour magazines Bangun, Tenaga, Pekerja and Buruh), in Indonesian, issued by the SOBSI Information Bureau. It contains union and anti-imperialist articles, an item on prostitution in Tanjung Priok, appeals for WFTU unity and re
'We do not pay the bill'
De Locomotief, 6 Oct 1950: Semarang forms an action committee against the Aniem electricity tariff rise, representing 38 organisations, chaired by Dr Rustamadji of the Partai Rakjat. Gerwis sits on the committee alongside Partai Rakjat and the youth front; it was decided to send two delegates to Jakarta and not to pay
Regency council installed
De Locomotief, 10 Oct 1950: report on the installation of the Semarang regency council by Resident Milono, listing about 40 members from many parties and bodies. Mrs Sri Utari is named as the Gerwis representative; Mrs Sukandar and Suwarti represent GPII's women's wing. Records Gerwis's presence in local government in
City news: Semarang, 2 November 1950
De Locomotief, 2 Nov 1950, Semarang city news column. Relevant items: Gerwis Semarang has a new board chaired by Miss Kadarsih after merging its three branches; Gerwis (with Perwari, Kowani) is on the committee for the reburial of Lt-Col Sirojo (catering); a PKI branch opens in Semarang. The 'Kartinah' mentioned died o
FBIS, 13 November 1950: Women's federation (Kowani and WIDF delegates)
FBIS note (13 Nov 1950): the Kowani executive reports that three WIDF delegates (Shen Chi-shu, Chen Ke, Chi Yun) would leave Peking on 16 Nov to attend the Kowani Congress, 24-26 Nov; Kowani is described as a WIDF member. Shows WIDF links with Indonesia's women's federation shortly after the Sept 1950 founding of Gerwi
Shen Zijiu and others to represent WIDF at Indonesian women's congress (Renmin Ribao, 20 November 1950)
Short Xinhua item in Renmin Ribao, 20 Nov 1950 (p. 4): Shen Zijiu, Zeng Ke and Qi Yun of the All-China Democratic Women's Federation, with secretary Zhou Shumin, leave Beijing on 17 Nov as WIDF representatives to attend the All-Indonesian Women's Congress to open in Jakarta on 24 Nov. Early evidence of WIDF links to In
Shen Zijiu and others to represent WIDF at Indonesian women's congress (Renmin Ribao, 20 November 1950)
Short Xinhua item in Renmin Ribao, 20 Nov 1950 (p. 4): Shen Zijiu, Zeng Ke and Qi Yun of the All-China Democratic Women's Federation, with secretary Zhou Shumin, leave Beijing on 17 Nov as WIDF representatives to attend the All-Indonesian Women's Congress to open in Jakarta on 24 Nov. Early evidence of WIDF links to In
Salatiga: Gerwis meeting on labour protection
De Locomotief, 23 Nov 1950: Salatiga news column. A well-attended Gerwis (Gerakan Wanita Indonesia Sedar) meeting with local women's organisations, addressed by central board members on the 1948 Labour Ordinance, adopts a motion urging the government to enforce article 13 on protection of women workers, which employers
FBIS, 29 November 1950: Women's Congress (Kowani)
FBIS item (29 Nov 1950): the Kowani congress ended on 28 Nov and set up an all-Indonesia federation of women's organisations called the Indonesian Women's Congress. Secretariat headed by Dr Maria Ulfah Santoso (OCR: Marta Ulfan). Programme: Pancasila basis, full independence, equal rights for women, peace, and pressure
It began in Paris: five years of the WIDF
De Waarheid retrospective (14 Dec 1950) on five years of the WIDF, founded in Paris in Dec 1945, describing its heroines and growth to 91 million members in 59 countries, the 1946 founding of the Dutch Women's Movement, the 1949 Asian women's conference in Peking and the Stockholm Appeal. Indonesian women are only name
Law No. 1 of 1951 Extending the 1948 Labour Law to All Indonesia
Text of Law No. 1 of 1951, signed by Sukarno on 6 January 1951, extending the 1948 Labour Law (No. 12) to all of Indonesia. It limits children's and youths' work and bars women from night work, mines and hazardous jobs. It grants women paid rest on the first two days of menstruation, 1.5 months before and after childbi
CIA report, 26 February 1951: Estimate of the current economic situation in Indonesia
CIA report, 26 February 1951, on alleged communist-directed strike sabotage in Indonesia via SOBSI and WFTU. Gerwani-relevant only for naming a batik workers' union organised by Mrs Trimurti.
Janet Robb, 'Five Women from the Far East' (UN Commission on the Status of Women, 1951)
Booklet by Janet Robb (AAUW New York City Branch, 20 Oct 1951) on the UN Commission on the Status of Women, with 25 delegate biographies, an IFUW statement on women's education and an account of the 1951 ILO equal-pay convention. The section 'Five Women from the Far East' profiles Artati Sudirdjo of Indonesia, a young
Chinese women did not get visas to Indonesian women's congress
De Nieuwsgier, 3 Jan 1951 (AP): Peking radio complains that the Indonesian consulate in Hong Kong refused visas to three Chinese women delegates to an Indonesian women's congress; they returned to Beijing and filed a report with the WIDF, which had delegated them. Organisation of the congress is not named in the text.