The Liberation Of West Irian (May 1, 1963)

t had always been agreed that the Republic of Indonesia covers the entire region that were previously under the colony of the Dutch East Indies. Based on this ideal, Indonesia had taken every possible measures to liberate Irian Jaya. All attempts to reinstate Irian Jaya under the authority of the Republic of Indonesia by means of negotiations and through deliberations at the General Assembly of the United Nations had never been successful.
The Dutch chose to give the people of lrian with the right to self-determination with the intention of purging Indonesia’s claim over the territory and to establish a puppet nation. Undoubtedly, Indonesia decided to liberate Irian Jaya by force.
In a general assembly held on December 19, 1961, in Yogyakarta, the President of the Republic of Indonesia pronounced the Three Commands of the People, which were: quell the establishment of a Papua state conceived by the Dutch, raise the Indonesian flag in Irian, and be prepared for a general mobilization. A special task force, named the Mandala Command, was set up under the command of Major General Soeharto. The formation of this new command indicated the beginning of the military operation in Irian Jaya. Under such circumstances, on August 15, 1962, Indonesia and the Dutch reached the New York agreement. On May 1, 1963, the Dutch through the offices of the United Nations officially transferred the soverignity over Irian to the Republic of Indonesia.