Word: irian
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...head-on fighting. The Netherlands government protested that Indonesia had been caught in "an unashamed attempt at open invasion." Arguing that his ships were only on routine patrol and in any case outside Dutch territorial waters,* Indonesia's President Sukarno summoned a special meeting of his West Irian (Indonesian for New Guinea, meaning "hot country") Operations Staff and, as usual in times of crisis, arrested 16 prominent critics of his regime. The army announced that 3,000,000 Indonesians had registered as volunteers for the invasion of New Guinea; one grim-faced army officer warned: "The Dutch have chosen...
...heard since William Jennings Bryan." After one of Sukarno's inflammatory anti-Dutch orations during his East Indonesia swing, Jones was introduced to the crowd and cried into the microphone: "Merdeka [Freedom]!" Just before Jones, the Soviet Ambassador had stepped up to the mike and intoned: "Merdeka Irian Barat [Freedom for West New Guinea]." Jones's choice of words stirred a furor in The Netherlands, where a high government official was quoted as describing him as ''Sukarno's court jester." There were questions in Parliament, and Foreign Minister Joseph Luns expressed his government...
...last week, Indonesia's jaunty President Sukarno tried to hitch a ride. Standing beneath a canopy in the cultural center of Djokjakarta, Sukarno told a wildly cheering crowd of 100,000 to prepare "for the coming general mobilization of all the Indonesian people soon to liberate West Irian from the claws of Dutch imperialism. My brothers, this is my command...
...West Irian is the Indonesian name for a California-sized island of swamp and jungle that the Dutch call Netherlands New Guinea (the eastern part of the island is administered by Australia, whose rights there Sukarno so far has not disputed). To add muscle to his speech, Sukarno has assembled an invasion army of 16,000 (backed up by another 100,000) on a small group of islands near the coast of New Guinea, which is defended by some 5,000 Dutch soldiers and marines. For air cover Sukarno can use 60 MIG jet fighters and 26 TU-16 bombers...
...legality" to an illegal act. In a speech to a mothers' meeting last week, in which he urged them to put their sons and daughters in uniform, Sukarno cried: "I call on the whole world not to bother trying to get us talking about self-determination for West Irian. We definitely reject that sort of self-determination...