Literature
Ramayana over West Irian
By Parto Suparman, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, 1965
Translated into English by Pieter Dubois, University of Amsterdam
Operation Trikora, formally known as Tri Komando Rakyat or the People’s Triple Command, was launched by President Sukarno on 19 December 1961 in a speech delivered in Yogyakarta. The operation aimed to end Dutch control over West New Guinea, which Indonesia called West Irian, and integrate the territory into the Republic of Indonesia by force if necessary. The three commands were to prevent the formation of a Dutch-backed puppet state in Papua, to raise the Indonesian flag in West Irian, and to prepare for general mobilization to defend national independence. Sukarno appointed Major General Suharto to lead the Mandala Command for the Liberation of West Irian. The campaign combined diplomatic pressure, infiltration by small units, amphibious landings, airborne operations, and limited air and naval actions, supported by Soviet-supplied equipment including MiG-17
