§ Brigadier F. Macleanasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can give any further information regarding the situation in the Dutch East Indies.
§ Mr. Keelingasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a statement, about the present situation in the Dutch East Indies.
§ Mr. BevinI have little to add to the answer given by the Prime Minister on 17th October. Though the situation in Batavia itself is quieter, the general situation in Java continues to give rise to anxiety. British troops have now entered Buitenzorg, Bandoeng, Semarang and Sourabaya, and, with a view to ensuring that the Force Commander is in a position to fulfil the tasks indicated by the Prime Minister, reinforcements of British troops are being sent to the island. Meanwhile Admiral Mountbatten's Chief2154W Political Adviser has arrived in Batavia and is in close touch with the Dutch Lieutenant Governor-General, who is urgently studying the best procedure for conducting discussions with the local Indonesian leaders regarding the application of the reforms promised in the broadcast by Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands in December, 1942.