The Indonesian Revolution and the Singapore Connection, 1945-1949.

THE INDONESIAN REVOLUTION AND THE SINGAPORE CONNECTION, 1945-1949. By Yong Mun Cheong. Leiden (the Netherlands): KITLV Press. 2003. xvi, 210 pp. (B & W Photos, maps.) Euros 25.00, paper. ISBN 90-6718-206-0.

Befitting a fine historian, the author provides a detailed account of the multifaceted relationship--diplomatic, commercial and security--between Indonesia and Singapore from 1945 to 1949, as well as of clandestine activities between the two countries during Dutch "police" actions aimed at reasserting Dutch control over Indonesian territory. That Singapore would serve as a base for a variety of commercial activities (chapter VII), including smuggling of contraband, is no surprise, given the city-state's historical role as a trading entrepot at the heart of Southeast Asian commerce.

Of particular interest is the alleged "Singapore connection," referring specifically to clandestine operations between Singapore and Indonesia during this period, suggesting that such operations may have played an important role in the situation prevailing in Indonesia during this period. The author notes that the connection was not confined to trade in weapons but extended to all kinds of goods deemed by the Dutch to be contraband or vital for the survival of Indonesia. The connection was "an open door drawing all kinds of visitors," including diplomats, journalists and private businessmen, many of the latter being smugglers. The Indonesia Office in Singapore, or Indoff, "could justly claim legitimacy conferred upon it by the Republic of Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs," although the very young central government of Indonesia was not yet a monolithic authority. Oetoyo Ramelan would emerge as the main Indoff representative.

Clandestine smuggling (chapter VI) "played a crucial role in advancing the Republican cause" in Indonesia. However, the author himself admits that the secretive nature of smuggling does not permit any accurate estimates about its extent. Moreover, a sense of how specifically the extent of smuggling might have made a difference to the Indonesian struggle is diluted by the detailed description of the various components of the smuggling operations and routes.

The smuggling of weapons from all parts of Southeast Asia is particularly relevant to this study. The author cites the Philippines as a major source of weapons. As for the Singapore connection, evidence of the smugglers' identity was "not easily available" and the vigilance of the Singapore police made transactions in weapons difficult. He also notes that often "it was difficult to distinguish between weapons smuggling and trade in approved commodities" (p. 118). Such operations were carried on by private individuals, the Chinese and the Indonesian Republican Army in Pekan Baru. For example, at a parade in 1946, some 1,000 Republican army personnel donned British uniforms, all sequestered from Singapore. As for the Chinese, Singapore served as a launching pad for operations involving China, then in the midst of a civil war.

Were Indoff and Oetoyo involved in the smuggling operations? A competitor of Oetoyo at Indoff, one Oemar Selamat, reportedly appointed by President Soekarno himself, seems to have been involved in the smuggling as he chartered planes between Singapore and Yogyakarta and, in March/April 1947, he transacted to bring goods, "probably of military nature," from China to Java. Following the departure of Oemar, the author says that "it was likely that Oetoyo had no hand in the smuggling" but that "he could have been unwittingly drawn into providing indirect help to weapons smugglers as the person in charge of Indoff" (p. 121). It appears that overall, beyond successful individual operations, there were no extensive schemes in operation. This is confirmed by subsequent Dutch accounts of smuggling at that time.

The author provides a useful narrative, rich in detail on the components of the Singapore/Indonesia commercial relationship in this period, and which will be of use to historians of Southeast Asia. This study provides the raw materials for a future assessment of the impact of the Singapore connection on the Indonesian situation.

ROBIN RAMCHARAN

Royal Military College, Kingston, ON, Canada