Indonesian Peace Movements (FBIS, 6 Jun 1952)

=== [PDF page 1] === Indonesian Peace Movements Peking, Chinese Home Service, in Mandarin, June 6, 1952, 1330 GMT--B (Excerpts) In a press interview, Suwarti and Surjonegoro, peace delegates from Indonesia to the preparatory conference for a peace conference for the Asian and Pacific regions, told reporters that the special characteristics of the Indonesian peace movements were the people's love of peace and their demand for a solution to the problems of livelihood, and added that consequently a large number of the Indonesian people were generally and warmly demanding peace. They pointed out that in order to give a clear picture of the people's desires for peace before the peace movements were started, it would be necessary to mention the present conditions of their livelihood. "Indonesia is a tropical land," they said. "It produces rubber, quinine, tobacco, petroleum, and other products, and possesses rich resources. For many years, the imperialists have been robbing the Indonesians of their wealth and resources. The Dutch people, who dominated Indonesia for 350 years, always regarded Indonesia as their foreign market and depended upon her resources for raw materials. In 1945, the Indonesians staged a campaign for national independence, but their hands were tied down by the agreements concluded at the American-controlled (Indonesia-Dutch [Unreadable]) conference. "Because of the agreements reached at this conference," Surjonegoro continued, "the whole economy of Indonesia is at present still in the hands of foreign capitalists. Indonesians have no industries of their own. Their daily necessities are all imported, and their exports have failed to bring in the machinery necessary for the development of industry. The market value of their merchandise is totally controlled by foreign capitalists. The people, under such economic conditions, face inflation, high cost of living, and increasing economic difficulties, and as a result their livelihood has been in the worst possible condition. At present, the daily income of an Indonesian worker is just enough to cover his bare subsistence. === [PDF page 2] === "Because the land question has not been solved, the people [are] unable to settle down to produce. Consequently, [Unreadable] in many places [Unreadable] has gone to waste during the entire year, creating serious famine. Since World War II, American military supplies have been flooding the local market, thus aggravating the serious economic conditions." Suwarti and Surjonegoro further pointed out that Indonesia sustained great [Unreadable] from the imperialists' policies for war and their so-called "assistance." "American assistance," they said, "is not a sincere help, because instead of [Unreadable] machinery and tractors being sent, American perfumes, stockings, and other luxury items have been sent. American loans also carry conditions that control the economy of Indonesia." Effect of Embargo "Since the embargo was put into force on merchandise to certain countries in June 1951, the market price of raw Indonesian rubber has dropped almost 70 percent, and the livelihood and business of the people have been seriously threatened since the foreign market for rubber, the main local product, was cut off. Furthermore, the American capitalists are forcing rubber prices to a lower level, thus causing the bankruptcy of Indonesia. "Owing to these facts, opposition against the unreasonable U.S. trade policy has intensified daily, while newspapers have repeatedly raised protests and have demanded explanations from the authorities for the severance of [Unreadable] relations with the Soviet Union, China and other democratic countries, and the failure to seek new markets [Unreadable] "The people of Indonesia are living in hardship. They value peace highly, and their enthusiasm for the peace movements is always increasing. In April this year, over 600,000 Indonesians signed a request for a peace pact among the Big Five Powers. In the May 1 celebration of 1951, the people of Indonesia staged a large-scale campaign to support and defend world peace. On May 1 this year, they also held celebrations and protested against the American use of bacteriological warfare." In conclusion, they expressed their firm belief that the calling of a peace conference for the Asian and Pacific regions was a matter of great importance, and sincerely wished that the future agreements of the conference would bring forth effective measures for defending peace in Asia and the Pacific region.