1950-1959

1950 (mid)

The non-governmental Badan Perjuangan Irian (Irian Struggle Body) formed. [bab]

1950 March 09

Australian Foreign Minister Spender stressed the importance of New Guinea to Australian defence. [bab]

1950 April

Netherlands-Indonesian Union Conference held at Jakarta; the West New Guinea issue is to be decided later in 1950. [bab]

1950 August

Sukarno announces the formation of the unitary Indonesian Republic to replace the Indonesian Republic of the USI. [jfs]

1950 August 17

Sukarno puts West Irian in a prominent position in his Independence Day speech. [bab]

1950 August 29

Spender denies the Indonesian claim to West New Guinea [bab]

1950 September

The Netherlands and Indonesian delegations in the Ad Hoc Committee on West New Guinea submit separate reports to the United Nations. [bab]

1950 December

Netherlands-Indonesian Union talks at The Hague fail to resolve the question of West New Guinea's final status. [jfs]

1950 December 04

Netherlands-Indonesian Union Conference at The Hague; Netherlands demands that West New Guinea be allowed to exercise its future self-determination [bab]

1951 December

Netherlands-Indonesian Union Conference at The Hague.

1952 January

Dutch constitution amended to include West New Guinea. [jfs]

1952 January

Netherlands Constitution amended to include West New Guinea. [bab]

1953 July

Netherlands-Australian Co-operative Agreement signed. [bab]

1953 December

An Irian Bureau was established as part of the PM's office. [bab]

1954 August

Sunario-Luns Protocol, to slightly modify Round Table Conference agreements; no progress made on West New Guinea issue. [bab]

1954 November

Some Indonesian military incursions of a limited nature take place on fringe of West New Guinea. [bab]

1954 November 23- December 01

Eleven meetings of the First Committee of the United Nations regarding West New Guinea. [bab]

1954 November 30

UNGA rejects an Indonesian sponsored resolution on West New Guinea. [jfs]

1954 November 30

United Nations rejects Indonesian claims to West New Guinea. [bab]

1955 February

West Irian Liberators' Front established in Semarang. [bab]

1955 April 19-24

Asia-Africa Conference, Bandung. [bab]

1955 September 29

United Nations Committee discussion concerning the West New Guinea dispute; not raised at the 10th Assembly due to the forthcoming Netherlands-Indonesian talks. [bab]

1955 December

Dutch/Indonesian talks at The Hague fail to resolve their dispute over West New Guinea's future status. [jfs]

1955 December 10

Indonesia and the Netherlands resumed negotiations at The Hague. No progress was made on the West New Guinea issue as each side maintained its former position. [bab]

1956 January 07

Indonesia broke off negotiations when threatened by Moslem parties' opposition to talks. [bab]

1956 February

Further Dutch/Indonesian talks held in Geneva fail to resolve the West New Guinea dispute. [jfs]

1956 February 05

Indonesians and Dutch agreed to exchange prisoners. [bab]

1956 February 07-11

New talks held in Geneva; stalled on Indonesian claim that the Round Table Conference had already given West New Guinea to Indonesia. [bab]

1956 February 13

Burhanuddin Cabinet announced unilateral dissolution o the Netherlands-Indonesian Union. Financial agreements under the Round Table Conference abrogated. [bab]

1956 February 13

Indonesian government announces that it is unilaterally dissolving the Netherlands-Indonesian Union. [jfs]

1956 April 21

Indonesian parliament revokes the 1949 Hague Agreement. [jfs]

1956 August 16

Indonesia provides for an autonomous provincial government of West Irian, based in Tidore. [bab]

1956 October

UNGA rejects Indonesian sponsored resolution on West New Guinea. [jfs]

1956 October 08

Indonesia again requests discussion of the West New Guinea dispute at the United Nations; backed by fifteen countries. [bab]

1957 January

A petition signed by 400 Dutch citizens living in Indonesia is sent to the Dutch States-General calling for a rapid negotiated settlement of the West New Guinea dispute. [jfs]

1957 August

Indonesia backed by twenty other nations requests discussion of the West New Guinea question at the United Nations. 200 Papuans and 10 Dutch officials reported killed in an incident near Enarotali. [bab]

1957 November 06

Canberra and The Hague issue a joint statement on future cooperation in the development of both sides of New Guinea. [jfs]

1957 November 29

The UNGA votes again not to adopt an Indonesian sponsored resolution on West New Guinea. [jfs]

1957 November 29

United Nations rejects Indonesia's claims to West New Guinea. [bab]

1957 November 6

Joint Australian-Netherlands Agreement on the future of West New Guinea. [bab]

1957 December

Central Action Committee for the Liberation of West Irian established by Indonesia. [bab]

1957 December 02

Indonesian nationwide 24-hour strike to protest against Dutch retention of West New Guinea. [bab]

1957 December 02

National twenty‑four hour strike takes place in Indonesia protest at Dutch control of West New Guinea. [jfs]

1957 December 06

Dutch nationals living in Indonesia required to leave.

1957 December 06

Most of the 50,000 Dutch nationals living in Indonesia told to leave the country by the authorities. [jfs]

1958

A series of (US backed) regional rebellions break out in Sumatra and the Celebes against the central government in Jakarta. Government forces succeed in ending most of the rebellions by the end of 1958. [jfs]

1958 January

John Kerr proposes a Melanesian Federation consisting of Papua, New Guinea and the Solomons. National Front for the Liberation of West Irian set up by Nasution and the Army (lasted until 1960). [bab]

1958 October

Conference on Australian-Netherlands joint statement of 1957, held in Canberra. [bab]

1959

Elected regional councils begin to be set up by the Dutch in West New Guinea. [jfs]

1959 February 15

Casey-Subandrio Joint Statement. [bab]

1959 August 17

Sukarno's Independence Day speech outlining Guided Democracy. [bab]