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Salient: Victoria University Students' Paper. Vol. 27, No. 12. 1964.

Food-bombs For Indonesia ?

Food-bombs For Indonesia ?

RAF V-bombers based in Malaysia should drop food parcels on areas in Indonesia hit by famine, particularly Java, according to Mr. M. D. Butler. He was speaking at a meeting of the Labour Party Club's sub-committee on defence and external affairs.

Millions were involved in the famine, which the Indonesian authorities were doing little to alleviate, said Mr. Butler. The action would not only be humanitarian but would also have useful psychological effects by demonstrating the economic and military strength of the British and Malaysian alliance in the Indonesian leader's heartland—the area where most of his popular support lies.

Other measures outlined by Mr. Butler, which the Commonwealth forces could take should the conflict escalate, included a fixed scale of reprisals by air and sea for attacks launched on the ground by Indonesian forces. It was clear, he said, that Indonesia could continue to harass Malaysia by ground attacks for a long period and for a comparatively small monetary outlay, and this offensive could tie up considerable Commonwealth troops and money. It had to be made obvious that any attack would be met by firm retaliatory measures, and this could best be done by adopting a clear "tit-for-tat" policy such as that employed by Israeli forces, he said.