in2ebook Chapter 354 The storm (1)
Chapter 354 The storm (1)
However, the French also suggested that the Netherlands should let go of the issue somewhat. They could grant autonomy to the Chinese in Java, just as the British had done in Malaysia, while requiring the Chinese in other parts of Indonesia to relocate to Java. This would eliminate the uncertainty surrounding the Chinese in other regions and significantly reduce the pressure on the Dutch to deal with the Indonesians, who had no support.
The British, however, showed little concern, offering only nominal moral support to the Dutch. British officials had already reached a consensus, intending to abandon their Malaysian colonies. This was also the reason they supported Liu Xiao and formed Chinese armed forces in West Malaysia. They intended to leverage pro-British Chinese forces to shift the model and maintain control over the crucial Strait of Malacca. The ultimate goal of colonization was wealth; as long as British assets in Singapore and the Strait of Malacca were maintained, the rest of the country would be nothing more than a burden to the British.
The three countries discussed the situation in Southeast Asia, and originally they had their own thoughts. The British seemed to be perfunctory. However, after one night, the British suddenly became active and greatly increased their support for the Netherlands. They even leased some World War II warships to the Netherlands, provided a large number of weapons, and sent a large number of military instructors to assist the Netherlands in training colonial troops.
The British had a reason for this change of heart. Just a few days earlier, Hindu hunger strikers had obstructed the work of the British colonial government. Angered, the 3rd Indian Army opened fire and massacred protesters in a square. The incident, captured on camera by American journalists and broadcast worldwide, caused an uproar and put the British government under immense pressure. The British government was forced to initiate a plan to divert the blame eastward, strongly supporting the actions of the Dutch and French in their Southeast Asian colonies, hoping they would take greater action to shift public opinion.
Governor General Hubert Jan van Mock, who had received substantial military aid from Britain and France, was overjoyed and rushed to Sukarno's island, where he engaged in a major battle with Sukarno's supporters. For a time, war erupted across Southeast Asia.
On July 1948, 7, just after a typhoon, a Dutch colonial force, under the cover of warships, suddenly landed in Makassar (Ujung Pandang) in southern Sulawesi. They then secretly moved north to the market town of Zojasibundun, where they attacked a large, secret Indonesian resistance base. Due to the resistance's lack of weaponry and military training, the battalion-sized Dutch colonial force of approximately 16 men quickly overran the base, capturing a large number of the resistance's support staff and family members. The commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Henke, was a typical Europeanist and white supremacist. In his eyes, these charcoal-skinned, short Indonesians were no more than human beings. The large number of personnel at the resistance base, despite their inferior weapons, resulted in dozens of casualties for Henke's troops. Furious and humiliated, Henk took advantage of the night to order a massacre of the families, women, and children of the resistance fighters. Most cruelly, they repeatedly resorted to shooting and stabbing, tied people up, and burned them alive. There were even instances of children being beheaded and left hanging on bayonets.
Henk knew such a thing couldn't be exposed to the world. After slaughtering nearly 10,000 women and children, he ordered his soldiers to burn everything in an attempt to conceal his crime. He also strictly ordered his soldiers not to retain any traces, especially photographs. However, he hadn't anticipated that several of his soldiers would not only retain many unique souvenirs but also lavishly take photos. As luck would have it, as Henk's troops continued their northward campaign, they were attacked by resistance forces. These soldiers were tragically killed, and their souvenirs were captured by the resistance, revealing the truth behind this horrific massacre.
The truth behind the "Zojiaxiwangdun Massacre," revealed by American journalists, once again drew global attention to the independence and freedom of colonial nations. The Dutch government, along with Governor-General Van Morck, was strongly condemned. Consequently, the Dutch government detained Lieutenant Colonel Henke, who was tried by a military tribunal and ultimately executed. Governor-General Van Morck was forced to resign, and the Dutch government negotiated with the resistance through a third party.
Similarly, France encountered difficulties in its campaign against the insurgents in South Vietnam. The tropical jungle terrain significantly impacted the French army. Coupled with the widespread support of the South Vietnamese People's Army, the French army's operations became increasingly restricted. Traps abounded, and the French army, unable to distinguish between civilians and resistance fighters, gradually became mired in the people's war. Consequently, lower-level French officers and NCOs, driven by a desire for survival, resorted to indiscriminate massacres. However, the more they massacred, the more resistance they encountered, a classic example of a vicious cycle. Consequently, the French army expanded their massacres, and South Vietnam and Cambodia were filled with the sound of gunfire and the smoke of war.
In Malaysia, Governor-General Tun Abdul Razak was acutely aware of the bloodshed pervading Southeast Asia and was unwilling to see the Malays mired in such a quagmire. Through his own channels, he learned of the British's plans. While secretly joining UMNO, he actively negotiated and coordinated with various factions. While secretly promoting Malaysian independence, he also negotiated the country's future after independence.
That day, Tun Abdul Razak personally traveled to Penang and secretly met with Liu Xiao. The two calmly sat down and frankly discussed Malaysia's future. Tun Abdul Razak's first encounter was with Liu Xiao, the renowned guerrilla fighter who had massacred Japanese prisoners of war in Burma and was subsequently dismissed by the Allies. Liu Xiao had marched from Malaya to China after the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, joined the Chinese army, and later, through a series of twists and turns, fought in Burma with the Chinese Expeditionary Force, ultimately leading him to this position. When he left the 166th Corps of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, he was a Brigadier General. Most of his men followed him back to the Malay Peninsula to be reorganized by the British colonial authorities. Currently, he serves as the Commander of the Malaysian Chinese Self-Defense Force.
The British received a promise from Qin Shi, so they intentionally or unintentionally arranged the Chinese Autonomous Army in Penang, Malacca and Singapore, especially Singapore, where the proportion of Chinese is as high as 70%, and almost all the police are Chinese. It is like a port city dominated by Chinese.
Tun Abdul Razak initiated negotiations with Liu Xiao with the clear intention of determining the division of spheres of influence between Malays and Chinese after Malaysia's independence. According to Tun Abdul Razak and the various Malay political parties, they were prepared to grant Singapore autonomy in exchange for control of Malacca and Penang.