Operation Trikora

Operation Trikora
Part of the West New Guinea dispute and Cold War
Indonesian stamp commemorating the Battle near Vlakke Hoek
Date 19 December 1961 – 15 August 1962 Location Western New Guinea Result Indonesian victory, New York Agreement, Western New Guinea ceded to the United Nations
Belligerents
Indonesia Supported by:  Soviet Union	Netherlands Netherlands New Guinea
Commanders and leaders
Sukarno General Suharto Rear admiral Tjernobajs Captain Rudolf Ryzjikov Captain Gennadi Melkov	Netherlands Lieutenant C.J van Westenbrugge Colonel W.A. van Heuven
Strength
13,000 Soldiers 7000 Paratroopers 4500 Marines 3000 Soviet Navy 30 Soviet Air Forces	10,000 Soldiers 1400 Marines 200 Papuan Volunteer Corps
Casualties and losses
400 dead (approximately) 73 wounded	126 dead

 Netherlands

 Netherlands Lieutenant C.J van Westenbrugge

Operation Trikora was an combined Indonesian military operation which aimed to seize and annex the Dutch overseas territory of Netherlands New Guinea in 1961 and 1962. After negotiations, the Netherlands agreed on 15 August 1962 to hand over Western New Guinea to the United Nations.

When the rest of the Dutch East Indies became fully independent as Indonesia in December 1949, the Dutch retained sovereignty over western New Guinea, and took steps to prepare it for independence as a separate country. The Dutch and West Papuan leaders argued that the territory did not belong to Indonesia because the West Papuans were ethnically and geographically different from Indonesians, had always been administrated separately, and that the West Papuans did not want to be under Indonesian control. After its independence until 1961, Indonesia attempted to gain control of Western New Guinea through the United Nations without success. Since the Indonesian National Revolution, Indonesian nationalists had always regarded Western New Guinea as an intrinsic part of the Indonesian state. They also contended that Western New Guinea (Irian Barat) belonged to Indonesia and was being illegally occupied by the Dutch.

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Wikipedia