MILITARY HISTORY

(DUS 1062)
MALAYSIA-INDONESIA
CONFRONTATION (1963-1966)
(LECTURE 9)

DISCUSSION
BACKGROUND
BEGINNING OF THE CONFRONTATION

THE UNDECLARED WAR

THE CONFRONTATION GUERRILLA WAR
BRITISH RESPONSE TO CONFRONTATION
TIME LINE CHRONOLOGY
END OF CONFRONTATION
SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION
THE CONFLICT WAS AN INTERMITTENT

WAR WAGED BY INDONESIA TO

OPPOSE THE FORMATION & EXISTENCE
OF THE FEDERATION OF MALAYSIA
THE KONFRONTASI WAS AN
INTERMITTENT (IRREGULAR)WAR
OVER THE THE FUTURE OF BORNEO
BETWEEN INDONESIA & BRITISH
BACKED MALAYSIA
IT WAS MARKED BY ARMED
INCURSIONS, BOMB ATTACKS & ACTS
3

BACKGROUND WHY CONFRONTATION

WHEN THE ANNOUNCEMENT MADE IN

1961 NO OBJECTION FROM INDONESIA

AS PART OF WITHDRAWAL PLAN FROM SE
ASIA, THE UK MOVED TO COMBINED ITS
COLONIES ON BORNEO (SARAWAK, SABAH
& BRUNEI) WITH THOSE ON PENINSULAR
MALAYA, TO FORM MALAYSIA
INDONESIA UNDER SUKARNO OPPOSED
PHILLIPINE UNDER MACAPAGAL MADE A
CLAIM FOR SABAH ARGUING THAT IT HAD
HISTORIC LINK WITH THE PHILLIPINES
THRU THE SULU ARCHIPELAGO

BACKGROUND CONT
IN BRUNEI THE INDONESIAN BACKED

NORTH KALIMANTAN NATIONAL ARMY

(TNKU) REVOLT ON 8 DEC 1962
THEY TRY TO CAPTURE THE SULTAN, SEIZE
THE OIL FIELDS & TAKE EUROPEAN
HOSTAGES. THE BRITISH FAR EAST
COMMAND ENDED THE REBELLION
OTHER REASON ONE BELIEF WAS THAT
THE INDONESIAN PRESIDENT SUKARNO
HAVE AMBITIONS OF INCLUDING NORTH
BORNEO TERRITORIES TO FORM A BIGGER
INDONESIA OR A BORNEO STATE
SYMPATHETIC TO OR ALIGNED WITH

BACKGROUND CONT
SUKARNOS CONFRONTATION ACTION

WAS BECAUSE THE ESTABLISHING OF

MALAYSIA IN ITSELF ABORTED SUKARNOS
SCHEME TO FORM THE GREATER
INDONESIAN EMPIRE.
SUKARNO WAS SAID TO LAUNCHED THE
CONFRONTATION AS A TACTIC TO DIVERT
THE PEOPLES ATTENTION AWAY FROM
VARIOUS INTERNAL PROBLEMS WHICH
WERE AFFLICTING INDONESIA AT THAT
TIME
6

HISTORIAN ANALYSIS

BEGINNING OF
CONFRONTATION
20 JAN 1963 - ANNOUNCEMENT OF

CONFRONTATION
INDONESIAN FOREIGN MINISTER
SUBANDRIO ANNOUNCED THAT
INDONESIA WILL PURSUE A POLICY OF
KONFRONTASI WITH MALAYSIA
12 APR 1963 INDONESIA VOLUNTEERS
(ALLEGED TO BE TNI) BEGAN TO
INFILTRATE INTO SABAH & SARAWAK TO
ENGAGE IN RAIDS, SABOTAGE & SPREAD
PROPAGANDA
SUKARNO DECLARED THAT HE WAS

THE CONFRONTATION
16 AUG 1963 BRITISH GURKHAS

CLASHED WITH 50 INDONESIA

GUERRILLAS
16 SEP 1963 THE FORMATION OF
THE FEDERATION OF MALAYSIA
BRUNEI DECIDED AGAINST JOINING
MALAYSIA
PHILLIPINES BREAK OFF DIPLOMATIC
RELATIONS WITH MALAYSIA
SINGAPORE SEPARATED LATER
8

CONFRONTATION.CON
T
TENSION ROSE ON BOTH SIDES

OF THE STRAITS OF MALACCA

IN JAKARTA, RIOTERS BURNED
THE BRITISH EMBASSY & SACKED
THE SINGAPORE EMBASSY
IN KUALA LUMPUR, CROWDS
ATTACKED THE INDONESIAN
EMBASSY
9

CONFRONTATION.CON
T
THE FLOW OF CONFRONTATION IT

STARTED IN BORNEO/KALIMANTAN
AUG 1964 - IT MOVE TO PENINSULAR
MALAYSIA
AIR/SEABORNE 100 SOLDIERS
MOVED BY BOATS VIA THE STRAITS OF
MALLACA LANDED IN SOUTH JOHORE.
THEY WERE KILLED & CAPTURED BY
COMMONWEALTH FORCES
SEP 1964 2 X C130 LOAD AROUND
10
LABIS 96 x INVADERS

CONFRONTATION.CON
T
SUKARNO WAS LIMITED IN HIS

OPTION FOR OPPOSING MALAYSIA

THE INDONESIA ARMED FORCES
THOUGH WELL EQUIPPED WERE
INCAPABLE TO ENGAGE THE BRITISH
OPENLY
SUKARNO ENCOURAGED SUBVERSIVE
MOVEMENT ALREADY EXISTED IN
BORNEO AS AN ALTERNATIVE
11

GUERRILLA WARFARE
IN 1964 INDONESIA TROOPS BEGAN TO

RAID AREAS IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA,

ARMED INDONESIA WERE CAPTURED IN
JOHORE
COMMONWEALTH FORCES DEPLOYED 18 x
BATTALION + GURKHAS WITH SUPPORT
FROM ROYAL AIR FORCE & ROYAL NAVY
17 AUG 1964 INDONESIA PARATROOPERS
LANDED IN SOUTH JOHORE (LABIS) &
ATTEMPT TO ESTABLISH GUERILLA GROUPS
SEP 1964 NEW ZEALAND ARMY CAPTURED
INDONESIAN SOLDIERS LANDED IN PONTIAN
12

GUERRILLA WARFARE
..CONT
JAN 1965 AUSTRALIA REINFORCED TROOPS

TO BORNEO
MAC 1965 INDONESIA SABOTAGE HONG
KONG & SHANGHAI BANK (MACDONALD
HOUSE) IN SINGAPORE KILLING 3 PEOPLE &
INJURED 33
MID 1965 INDONESIA GOVT OPENLY USE
INDONESIAN ARMED FORCES
JUN 1965 INDONESIA TROOPS CROSSED
INTO SEBATIK ISLAND (TAWAU) CLASHED
WITH COMMONWEALTH TROOPS, INDONESIA
TROOPS WITHDREW
13

END OF CONFRONTATION
30 SEP 1965 INDONESIA ARMY

14

CRUSHED AN ATTEMPT COUP BY THE

PARTI KOMUNIS
INDONESIA (PKI)
EARLY 1966 GROUP LED BY GEN
SUHARTO CAME INTO POWER IN
INDONESIA
INDONESIA INTEREST IN CONTINUING
WAR WITH MALAYSIA DECLINED
28 MAY 1966 MALAYSIA & INDONESIA
GOVT DECLARED THE CONFLICT OVER
13 AUG 1966 THE CONFRONTATION
WAS OVER. RE-ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC

CASUALTIES
MALAYSIA/COMMONWEALTH

15

TROOPS:
KIA 114
WIA 181
INDONESIAN FORCES:
KIA 590
WIA 220
CIVILLIAN:
KIA 36
WIA 53

BRITISH RESPONSE TO THE

CONFRONTATION
THE BRITISH RESPONDED IN A 2 PRONGED

MANNER
IN ORDER TO DETER THE INDONESIAN
FROM MOUNTING AN OPEN ATTACK ON
MALAYSIA, SUBSTANTIAL AIR/NAVAL
FORCES FROM COMMONWEALTH
COUNTRIES WERE DEPLOYED IN & AROUND
SINGAPORE

16

TIMELINE - CHRONOLOGY
DEC 1962 BRITISH TROOPS

17

CRUSHED BRUNEI REVOLT

JAN 1963 SUBANDRIO
ANNOUNCED THE POLICY OF
CONFRONTATION
SEP 1963 THE FEDERATION OF
MALAYSIA
MAC 11965 MAC DONALD HOUSE
IN SINGAPORE BOMBED
SEP 1965 INDONESIAN ARMY
CRUSHED ATTEMPT COUP BY PKI

SUMMARY
PERIOD FROM 1961-1965

18

RELATIONS BETWEEN MALAYSIA &

INDONESIA WERE COLOURED BY
HOSTILITIES, CONFLICT &
CONFRONTATIONS
SUKARNO GOVT PERCEIVED THE
FEDERATION OF MALAYSIA WAS A
FORM OF NEO-COLONIALISM
BRITISH RETAIN CONTROL OF
ECONOMIC & POLITICAL POWER IN
SE ASIA..HIS VISION WAS PURE
INDEPENDENCE WITHOUT

SUMMARYCONT
BY DECLARING CONFRONTATION,

19

SUKARNO WAS NOT ONLY FACING

MALAYSIA BUT BRITAIN AS WELL AS
AMERICANS. BOTH HAVE ECONOMIC,
POLITICAL & STRATEGIC INTERESTS
IN MALAYSIAN REGION
SUKARNO USED CONFRONTATION
AS A POLITICAL ESCAPISM FROM
THE INDONESIAN MASSES TO
DISTRACT THEM FROM DOMESTIC
PROBLEMS

Q&A
20