Esperance Bay 'Double Cross'

Esperance Bay
'Double Cross'
An attempt was made to prevent Indonesians on the
British ship Esperance Bay from landing at Sourabaya,
despite an official Australian pledge that they would
suffer no interference on their way home to the NEI.

INSTRUCTIONS to land some of
the men in Timor were later
withdrawn after a protest meeting
of the Indonesians.
The Esperance Bay left recently
with 1400 Indonesians who had refused
to man Dutch ships.
A Federal official accompanied them to see
that they reached their home ports
safely.
A correspondent from the Esperance
Bay, now at Timor, reports that
Brigadier General Dyke, AIF chief in
that area, issued an order, apparently
received from Australia, that 40 men
were to be taken ashore.

No Safe Conduct

Reason given for the order was that
Lord Louis Mountbatten, CIC of the
South East Asia Command, would
not grant these men safe conduct to
land at Sourabaya.
Included among these men were
Senan, Soeparmin and Saedyut,
former political exiles from the
notorious Tanah Merafh concentration
camp in New Guinea.
"After a conference lasting about
45 minutes it was decided that they
should go ashore voluntarily," the
correspondent says. "It is to be
noted, however, that whatever our
decision, the instructions were to use
force if ncessary.
"Later the sub-committee decided
to call "an urgent mass meeting of all
Indonesians aboard.
"Here It was unanimously decided
that If these men were taken
ashore, all men would leave the
ship.
"This dcision was forwarded to the
Brigadier-General, and another conference
was called.
"The men argued that before leaving
Australia, Mr. Calwell had
guaranteed that they would all reach
Indonesia without trouble."
Order Was Cancelled
The correspondent says that when
the ultimatum was presented, the
Brigadier adjourned the meeting and
communicated with Australia. The
order to put the men ashore was then
cancelled.
The men have cabled the NSW»
Labor Council president, Mr. Guy
Anderson, and asked the Labor movement
to ensure that pledges of noninterference
are carried out.
The Labor Council last week
unanimously agreed to send a deputation
to the KPM (Dutch) shipping
line and to the Indian High Commissioner
in Canberra, to demand
that feeding of striking Indian seamen
be the responsibility of the KPM
and Indian Government.
Other recommendations made by
the Council are:
• That seamen be transferred to
other companies with ships not going
to Indonesia or that they be repatriated
home.
• Payment of all money due to
seamen and the issue of a clean discharge.
• Return of pass books, pay books
and all other personal property held
by the KPM.
• That the Federal Government be
asked to place Dutch ships back in
the pool, to be used to load food for
Australian troops in Wewak.
QANTAS Airways employees who
refused to work on Dutch flying
boats at Rose Bay, decided at a
Trades Hall meeting on Friday not
to return to work before reinstatement
of two workers who were dismissed
for refusing instructions to
work on Dutch planes.
No victimisation or discrimination
are conditions of their return to
work.
Building workers on the Belfield
'Housing job unanimously carried a
resolution last week asking the Federal
Government to remove the Dutch
from Australia.
Another resolution called on the
Government to give Customs the
authority to remove all arms and
munitions from Dutch ships in
Sydney.