International Law, History & Policy - Centre for International Law

Singapore in the Early Years 33
pore joined the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, right up to 1966,
just after Singapore seceded from the Federation. Thousands of
disgruntled Chinese youths from Sarawak were trained by the
Indonesians and sent into different parts of Borneo and Malaysia
to begin an armed insurrection. The two countries were technically
at war. In Singapore, some 300 Indonesian agents, left-wing
Chinese militants and Malay extremists of the Partai Rakyat were
taken to Sumatra, trained in terrorist and sabotage tactics and
smuggled back into Singapore in barter boats. Eight days after
Singapore joined Malaysia, the terrorists set off their first bomb
at Katong Park, just opposite the Ambassador Hotel. In the next
20 months, 36 more blasts were unleashed at targets varying from
water mains to the perimeter of the Istana (the Yang di-Pertuan
Agong’s official residence). By the end of Konfrontasi in 1966, 60
people were either killed or injured. 67
At the United Nations, Sukarno continued to protest the
seating of Malaysia. Things came to a head in December 1964
when Sukarno announced that Indonesia would withdraw from
the United Nations if Malaysia – which had been elected as a nonpermanent
member of the Security Council – would be allowed
to take its seat on the Council. When Malaysia was seated on the
Council, Indonesia confirmed its withdrawal in a letter to the
Secretary-General dated 20 January 1965. 68 Indonesian was the
first state ever to withdraw from the United Nations and stayed
out of the world body till September 1966 when it resumed full
67 See Dennis Bloodworth, The Tiger and the Trojan Horse (Singapore:
Times Books International, 1985) at 273-274.
68 UN Doc A/5857 dated 21 Jan 1965. See Egon Schwelb, ‘Withdrawal
from the United Nations: The Indonesian Intermezzo’ (1967) 61(3)
AJIL 661–672.