Historians join debate about our role in post-war Indonesia
AUSTRALIA'S part in the attempted restoration of Dutch rule in
Indonesia is an unlikely candidate for a more critical re-examination of
our wars abroad, says historian Anthony Reid.
He was commenting on a contentious article, Australian espionage and the history of foreign intervention in Indonesia, written by Melbourne University's Thomas Reuter and published recently by The Conversation website and The Jakarta Post.
The article presents the spying scandal as simply the latest instance of "constant foreign intervention in Indonesian affairs that few Australians are aware of".
Professor Reuter, an anthropologist and an Australian Research Council Future Fellow, suggests that Australia owes Indonesia an apology for its part in the post-war attempt by the Allies to help the Dutch return as imperial masters after the defeat of the Japanese....