The United States Peace Corps will cease operations and its members will leave Indonesia in the next few weeks, it was announced today. This has been agreed upon by President Sukarno on Indonesia and Ellsworth Bunker, President Johnson's special envoy, during their series of four talks here over the last two weeks. In a joint statement they agreed that the Malaysian problem had produced certain tensions between Indonesia and the United States. Indonesians have accused the United States of siding with Malaysia, Indonesia's archenemy.
Peace Corps to Quit Indonesia
Peace Corps to Quit Indonesia; Jakarta Seizes a US Company
April 15, 1965
Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, April 15 (Rueters) - The United States Peace Corps will cease operations and its members will leave Indonesia in the next few weeks, it was announced today.
This has been agreed upon by President Sukarno on Indonesia and Ellsworth Bunker, President Johnson's special envoy, during their series of four talks here over the last two weeks.
In a joint statement they agreed that the Malaysian problem had produced certain tensions between Indonesia and the United States. Indonesians have accused the United States of siding with Malaysia, Indonesia's archenemy.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Government announced that it had taken over the management of the American-owned National Carbon Company.
The decision was announced by the official Antara press agency. Indonesian employees of National Carbon recently took over the company's plant in one of a series of worker actions against United States property.
As a result of Indonesian-American differences over Malaysia, President Sukarno and Mr. Bunker agreed that United States program of assistance ot Indonesia should be reviewed and revised on a continuing basis.
The United States is willing to continue technical assistance to certain Indonesian universities but, because of the current situation, Peace Corps operations will cease, the Sukarno-Banker communique said.
The United States has already closed its Information Service libraries in Indoensia following demonstrations against them.
Mr. Bunker arrived her March 31 to discuss with Mr. Sukarno and other leaders the rapidly deteriorating relations between the two countries.
Their meetings made possible a full and frank exchange of views of the attitudes and desires of the two Governments, the statement said.
Mr. Sukarno emphasized the Malaysia issue as being of the greatest importance and that he wished to see it settled on the basis of the Manila or Tokyo agreements, it added.
Leaders of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines met in Manila in July 1963 and agreed to join in a loose confederation called Maphilindo, a word derived from the names of the three countries. Maphilindo never materialized because of subsequent bitterness among the parties. They met again in June 1964 in a vain effort to end the Indonesia-Malaysia dispute.
Mr. Sukarno has vowed to "crush" Malaysia, a federation of the former British colonies of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak and Sabah. He has termed it a "neocolonialist tool" of the West designed to encircle Indonesia and impede her development.
