Cinched Shirts

Although forgotten by the world, and never mentioned by Sukarno on his diplomatic junkets abroad, the rebellion against his rule still sputters on. Last month the Indonesian government announced that Brigadier General Achmad Jani had flown to the important eastern island of Celebes "to receive the surrender of 10,000 rebels.''

Last week a spokesman for the rebels scoffed at the Sukarno government's figure of 10,000, said that scarcely "600 troops and their families" had surrendered after a scrap between rival factions among Celebes rebels. In turn. General Jani himself conceded that 30,000 more rebels remain active on Celebes. Rebel raids continue. Only well-armed government convoys venture out on the island's roads.

In Sumatra, where the government says a mere 1,500 rebels remain holed up in the jungle, the rebels themselves claim to number 7.000. After a recent hand grenade-throwing incident in the Sumatra town of Padang, nervous government authorities ordered all males to wear shirts tucked into trousers. Worn uncinched, the shirts too easily concealed weapons such as hand grenades. Declared the rebel spokesman: "Another month will mark the third year of our struggle against Djakarta. Our spirits remain high."

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