o sung wu,
The Konfrontasie or Confrontation was a good name for it
Interesting and informative site about these blokes;
http://www.antenna.nl/~daktari/indie/indhis09.htm
We were sent up to Surabaya in early March 1966 to 'remove' Sukarno from power in favor of the Suharto led army generals.
When he resigned (at the point of a gun) we were ordered back to East Timor and very quickly deployed to Vietnam as a seconded 1RAR unit attached to the 173rd Infantry Brigade.
This was done, we now know, to the keep the knowledge of Australian involvement in Indonesia out of the world press.
It was nice after all those years to actually get a gong for the job.
Did you get yours mate?

spindoc,
Well put scenario indeed. My understanding is that they are still running around in '39/'45 US tin cans that are more rust than metal.
All the more reason why we should "spank the bully" now and maybe he'll learn to behave in school.
Sure they have a massive ground army but they still have to get them here. We could still get our guns back yet.
Maybe that's where the Prophet comes in.

Hi there CHRISGAFF1000...

Yes indeed, the 'Pingat Jasa Malaysia' Medal. I don't know if you were aware, the British Forces who were also awarded the same gong under the same rules of eligibility, weren't allowed to wear it on the left side amongst their other gongs ?

I understand they're still 'bluing'about it, and so they should in my opinion ?

As a couple have said, an army in Indonesia is about as dangerous to Oz, as a bunch of fuzzy wuzzies in the Solomons.

Indonesia has a lot of inter island ferries, you regularly hear about them sinking, but they have absolutely no capacity to deliver a force to Oz, let alone deliver it with weapons. To keep it supplied with food, let alone transport, fuel & weapons is totally beyond it's capacity with in 25 years.

Any Indonesians, with any sort of education know this, we also know this, which is why they are complying with Abbotts gentle request to stop the boats, & they will continue do so.

Labor could have done this at any time it was prepared to forgo the Muslim vote, particularly in western Sydney, & that of the inner city chattering class.

This is the worst thing for Labor about having bought so many different batches of votes. No matter what they do, they will upset some of the other special interest mobs they have bought.

Yep, we have much more to worry about with the inner wreckers in the ABC click, then we are ever likely to have from Indonesia.

The only proviso there is have the Labor defense cuts, [over a billion a year], left us without enough ammunition to keep stopping even row boats? Could we simply run out of the capacity to keep shooting?

To keep the Muslim vote they had to upset some of their traditional working class vote. They had better get off the pro boat people bandwagon damn quick, if they don't want to loose them permanently. They have been doing just about everything they could to alienate the Bellies of this world. Even the massive loyalty of Belly & his mates can't be pushed too far for too long. Loose those like him, & the Labor party becomes nothing but a memory.

Yep, we have much more to worry about with the inner wreckers in the ABC click, then we are ever likely to have from Indonesia.
hasbeen,
I'm sure it's just a typo & you meant clique & yes you're right. I would however not dismiss the military capacity of Indonesia so easily. Indonesia today is not what it was 30 years ago as is Australia. Indonesia is making progress.

Teddy Roosevelt had it right "Speak softly and carry a big stick". We do not want any wars with anyone least of all our next door neighbour.
Although saying that I have just heard a prominent British Muslim say you cannot wear a particular cartoon on your T Shirt because he finds it offensive? Now there is a lesson for us all.