55 years since end of the Indonesian Confrontation
On 11 August 1966, a peace treaty was signed between the Indonesian and Malaysian governments, bringing to an end the Indonesian-Malaysian Confrontation.
The Confrontation was an undeclared war that began in 1962. Troops from New Zealand, Britain, and Australia arrived in Borneo from March 1965.
Malaya gained independence from the British in 1957. The conflict revolved around whether the former British colonies of Sabah and Sarawak, which bordered Indonesian provinces on Borneo, would become part of Indonesia or Malaysia.
The Confrontation began in December 1962 with an attempted coup in North Borneo by pro-Indonesian rebels known as the Kalimantan National Army who tried to capture the Sultan of Brunei.
In 1962, northern Borneo was made up of the British controlled Brunei and the colonies of Sarawak and North Borneo (now known as Sabah). The rest of the island was made up of Indonesian provinces of Kalimantan.
Australian forces became involved in the conflict through our membership in the Far East Strategic Reserve and fought as part of a larger British and Commonwealth force under British command.
During the conflict, Australia provided training and supplies to Malaysian troops, along with a number of Royal Australian Navy vessels to patrol the area.
Today, the Last Post at the Australian War Memorial will feature Private Victor Herbert Richards of the 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment.
Private Richards was wounded in action in a firefight in Sarawak, Borneo on 15 June 1966. He was evacuated by stretcher at night to a jungle helipad and evacuated by RAF helicopter the following morning. He tragically died of his wounds in hospital on 20 June, aged 24.
On 11 August 1966 Indonesian President Suharto signed a peace treaty with Malaysia. The treaty recognised that the North Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak would continue to be part of the Malaysian Federation.
“Tragically, 23 Australians were among the 114 Commonwealth serving members who lost their lives in the Confrontation,’ said Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Andrew Gee. ‘A further eight Australians were wounded.’
‘I urge all Australians to pause for a moment today to remember the selfless service, courage and sacrifice of those who fought in the Indonesian-Malaysian Confrontation, and those who gave their lives in service of our nation.’
For more information on the Last Post Ceremony, visit the Australian War Memorial website.
For more information on the Confrontation, visit DVA’s Anzac Portal or the National Museum of Australia website.
Soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), board a RAF Belvedere helicopter to search for Indonesian infiltrators, Sarawak, Borneo, 1965