Japanese aid Irians in revolt

Uit de Sunday Mail 28-03-1976

A leader of a group of Japanese World War II. soldiers says his Tokyo organisation has been supplying funds for arms purchases by West Irian rebels for their campaign for independence from Indonesia.

Mr. Tomio Matsumiya, secretary-general of the Nippon-Papua Friendship Associatïon, said the association had been providing financial and material aid for the West Irian rebels for 12 years.
Part of the money, totalling more than $A 160,000 had been used for purchasing weapons for the rebels, whose poorly-armed regular troops now numbered about 5,000.

Mr. Matsumiya said that none of the arms had been shipped from Japan.
Japanese Foreign Ministry sources said Mr. Matsumiya's activities in Japan were regarded as negligible.
The sources viewed his role as similar to a co-ordinator in Japan for the West Irian rebels, releasing publicity papers and meeting journalists. They did not know how the money raised in Japan was being sent to the rebels or how it was being used.

Webmaster: Chris P. van der Klauw