Twenty-three
Australians were killed during Confrontation, seven of them on operations, and
eight were wounded. Because of the sensitivity of the cross-border operations,
which remained secret at the time, Confrontation received very little coverage
in the Australian press.
Between 1962 and 1966 Indonesia and
Australia fought a small, undeclared wa. The conflict resulted from Indonesia's
President Sukarno's belief that the creation of the Federation of Malaysia,
which became official in September 1963, represented a British attempt to
maintain colonial rule behind the cloak of independence granted to its former
colonial possessions in south-east Asia.
The term "Confrontation" was
coined by Indonesia's Foreign Minister, Dr Subandrio, in January 1963, and has
come to refer to Indonesia's efforts at that time to destabilise the new
federation, with a view to breaking it up. The actual war began when Indonesia
launched a series of cross-border raids into Malaysian territory in early 1963.
The antagonism that gave rise to
Confrontation was already apparent in December 1962, when a small party of
armed insurgents, with Indonesian backing, attempted to seize power in the
independent enclave of Brunei, only to be defeated by British troops from
Singapore. By early 1963 military activity had increased along the Indonesian
side of the border in Borneo, as small parties of armed men began infiltrating
Malaysian territory on propaganda and sabotage missions. These cross-border
raids, carried out by Indonesian "volunteers", continued throughout
1963. By 1964 Indonesian regular army units had also become involved.
Australian units that fought during
Confrontation did so as part of a larger British and Commonwealth force under
British command. Australia's commitment to operations against Indonesia in
Borneo and West Malaysia fell within the context of its membership in the Far
East Strategic Reserve.
At first the Australian government kept
its troops from becoming involved in Confrontation, not least because of fears
that the conflict would spread to the long - and difficult to defend - border
between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. Requests from the British and Malaysian
governments in 1963-64 for the deployment of Australian troops in Borneo met
with refusal, though the Australian government did agree that its troops could
be used for the defence of the Malay peninsula against external attack. In the
event, such attacks occurred twice, in September and October 1964, when
Indonesia launched paratroop and amphibious raids against Labis and Pontian on
the south-western side of the peninsula. Members of the 3rd Battalion, Royal
Australian Regiment (3 RAR) were used in clean-up operations against the
invading troops. Although these attacks were easily repelled, they did pose a
serious risk of escalating the fighting. The Australian government relented in
January 1965 and agreed to the deployment of a battalion in Borneo.
The military situation in Borneo thus far
had consisted of company bases located along the border between Indonesia and
Malaysia to protect centres of population from enemy incursions. By 1965 the
British government had given permission for more aggressive action, and
security forces now mounted cross-border operations with the purpose of
obtaining intelligence and forcing the Indonesians to remain on the defensive
on their own side of the border. Uncertain where the Commonwealth forces might
strike next, the Indonesians increasingly devoted their resources to protecting
their own positions and less on offensive operations, although these continued
on a much reduced scale.
The first Australian battalion, 3 RAR,
arrived in Borneo in March 1965 and served in Sarawak until the end of July.
During this time the battalion conducted extensive operations on both sides of
the border, engaged in four major contacts with Indonesian units, and twice
suffered casualties from land mines. Its replacement, the 28th Brigade, 4 RAR,
also served in Sarawak - from April until August 1966. Although it had a less
active tour, the 28th Brigade also operated on the Indonesian side of the
border and was involved in clashes with Indonesian regulars. Two infantry
battalions, two squadrons of the Special Air Service, a troop of the Royal
Australian Signals , several artillery batteries, and parties of the Royal
Australian Engineers were involved in Borneo. Ships of the Royal Australian
Navy served in the surrounding waters and several RAAF squadrons were also
involved in Confrontation.
Continuing negotiations between Indonesia
and Malaysia ended the conflict, and the two sides signed a peace treaty in
Bangkok in August 1966. Twenty-three Australians were killed during Confrontation,
seven of them on operations, and eight were wounded. Because of the sensitivity
of the cross-border operations, which remained secret at the time,
Confrontation received very little coverage in the Australian press.
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