Martin Elands, Alfred Staarman
Afschied van Nieuw-Guinea: Het Nederlands-Indonesische conflict, 1950-1962.
Bossum: Thoth Uitgeverij, 2003. 9068683233 207 pages.
Large-format hardcover volume, measuring approximately 9" x 11.5", is new, still in shrinkwrap.
""On October 1, 1962, the Netherlands transferred the western part of New Guinea to the United Nations. Seven months later, on May 1, 1963, the peoples' organization in turn transferred authority over the area to Indonesia. The Netherlands was its last colonial bastion in "The East" and the Papuans have lost their hope for their own nation. This was preceded by a long political conflict between the Netherlands and Indonesia. It was a conflict that became increasingly violent around 1960 and that almost resulted in a full-scale war in 1962.
"Farewell from New Guinea: The Dutch-Indonesian Conflict, 1950-1962" focuses on the Dutch protagonists of this colonial drama. After an extensive presentation and analysis of all political developments and the reactions to them in parliament and the press, the military events in and around Dutch New Guinea are discussed in detail. The description of the primitive conditions under which approximately thirty thousand Dutch soldiers had to live and work and of the way in which they, together with the Papuans - civilians, police officers and soldiers - confronted the Indonesian infiltrations, bring this turbulent episode back to life. It becomes clear that many veterans look back on their deployment with mixed feelings. Some of them cannot or do not want to completely let go of the tragic fate of the Papuan population, which is the common thread in this book."