said,
“Jf necessary, I will arm all our workers and peasants to defend the independence of the Indonesian Republic,” in Djakarta on February 11th. He said this at a rally attended by fifteen thousand workers. Sukarno said, “The British have concentrated their fleets, aircraft and troops in Malaya and North Kalimantan (Borneo) in an attempt to frighten us. I have said more than once that our withdrawal from the United Nations is not aimed at launching a war. But, should we be attacked, we will fight back, and we will smash completely the aggressors!” He continued: “I would like to tell Imperialism and old and new colonialism: the Indonesian armed forces are the strongest in South-East Asia. Apart from the regular troops, we
volunteers
have twenty-one million men and
women volunteers, and if necessary
I will arm all our workers and peas-
ants to defend the independence of
the Indonesian Republic.”
The President said that Indonesia
did not suffer any loss from its with-
drawal from the United Nations and
its specialised agencies. “Without the
United Nations, without the