On January 10, 1967, the Government of the Republic of Indonesia enacted a new law on the investment of foreign capital (Law no. 1 of 1967). The former act on foreign investment of 1958 no. 78 has been withdrawn during the period of the “old order”. In the sphere of the “new order” now prevailing in Indonesia it is desirable to attract foreign capital in order to speed up the Indonesian economic development. For this purpose it is necessary to make clear provisions so that the foreign investors would have certainty about their position.

The foreign investment is to be realised in the juridical form of an enterprise, which is a body corporate according to the law of Indonesia and having its domicile within the territory of Indonesia. This is in accordance with the provisions of the Basic Agrarian Law 1964 concerning the requirements for foreign enterprises to obtain certain new rights on land.

Important is the stipulation that as a rule no nationalisation measures would be undertaken on the new investments. Expropriation is only possible in exceptional cases, when by Act it is declared that such measures are required for the State's interest. In that case compensation would be effected, the amount and ways of payments should be approved by the two parties. It ought to be effected in compliance with the principles of international law.

The Law further deals with special facilities granted to the foreign capital enterprise such as relief on taxes and other levies (tax holiday). Special attention was given to the cooperation of foreign and national capital (joint venture), which in the Government's opinion should be encouraged.

The Law also provides for an authentic interpretation of what is meant by the conception “foreign capital investment” and gives a specification of the fields of operation open to foreign capital.

Het is de vermaarde hoogleraar van de Amsterdamse Universiteit Henri Hijmans geweest, die in 1937, in zijn “Algemeene problemen van internationaal privaatrecht” de aandacht erop vestigde, dat er in Djakarta —toen nog Batavia, de hoofdstad van Nederlands Indië—, een aparte leerstoel bestond voor het z.g. “intergentiel recht” aan de Rechtshoge-school, de school die door de alom bekende Paul Scholten van Amsterdam was opgericht.

Internationaal privaatrecht—het geheel van regels dat zoekt naar wat recht is in gevallen met een internationaal kantje—is in de oren van Nederlandse juristen een bekende klank. Experts zijn weinig talrijk, maar iedere jurist heeft er wel enig begrip van of kan zich gemakkelijk enige kennis eigen maken.

28. The government has made it clear that both in general and in particular situations the provisions of the Convention are binding on the administrative authorities when exercising their functions. The direct influence of the Convention on the administration therefore arises mainly through the continuous interpretation of the provisions of the Convention by the public authorities when carrying out their duties. The influence of the Convention becomes apparent whenever there is a difference of opinion as to such interpretation between the administrative authorities and political bodies, such as the States-General, or between the administrative authorities and the private citizen. This may occasion discussion in the States-General or a decision by the courts.

1. In 1962 heeft Hijmans van den Bergh crop gewezen dat er in Nederland nog weinig aandacht is besteed aan de wijze, waarop de Anglo-Amerikaanse Trust moet worden beoordeeld op grondslag van de regels van het Nederlands Internationaal Privaatrecht. Zelf gaf Hijmans van den Bergh toen het goede voorbeeld, hetgeen tot uiting kwam in zijn beschouwingen, getiteld: “De Engelse Trust en het Nederlands Internationaal Privaatrecht.” Het voorbeeld is enkele jaren later gevolgd door Henriquez, die in 1965 een artikel publiceerde, getiteld: “De Trust in het Internationaal Privaatrecht.” Het genoemde onderwerp, en in het bijzonder een aantal Stellingen van Henriquez, hebben zodanig mijn aandacht getrokken, dat ik eveneens de verschijnselen, die zich voordoen wanneer de Nederlandse rechtsorde met de Anglo-Amerikaanse trust in aanraking komt, nader ben gaan bestuderen. Het terreni van mijn onderzoek heb ik daarbij iets enger begrensd, dan Hijmans van den Bergh en Henriquez hebben gedaan. Alleen het geval, dat in Nederland gelegen goederen toe-behoren aan een Anglo-Amerikaanse trust, wordt in de hierna volgende beschouwingen betrokken, niet andere denkbare gevallen, waarin de Nederlandse rechtsorde met een Anglo-Amerikaanse trust in aanraking kan komen.

Het hier volgende verhaal berust op aantekeningen, die ik vroeger op het Landsarchief te Batavia uit oude Siambundels maakte; ik heb ze hier met een bundel uit het oud-archief van “Buitenlandse Zaken” geverifieerd en wat nieuwe gegevens eraan toegevoegd (bundel B 109, Algemeen Rijksarchief inv. nr. 3164). Men verwachte hier geen doorwrocht artikel, waarin belangrijke rechtsvragen gesteld worden en al of niet beantwoord, noch een zwaar juridisch betoog. Er volgt niet anders dan een luchtig relaas, vergelijkbaar met reisverhalen uit lang vervlogen tijden over onbekende landen. En zijn niet Siam en Nederlands-Indië van een eeuw geleden voor ons mensen van 1967 ook onbekende landen?

The Conference which met at Lancaster House, London, from March 31 to April 6, 1966, from October 17 to 28, 1966, and from March 6 to 17, 1967, and which resulted in the establishment of a new “Convention on Conduct of Fishing Operations in the North Atlantic” was made necessary by the denunciation by the British Government in 1963 of the Hague “International Convention for regulating the Police of the North Sea Fisheries” which, since 1882, had governed the conduct of fishing operations and their policing between the coastal states of the North Sea. Formally the convening of this Conference was based on a resolution, adopted by the 1963/64 European Fisheries Conference on January 17, 1964, asking the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland:

“To invite the Governments of all countries participating in the North-East Atlantic fisheries to send representatives to a technical conference to be held as soon as possible to prepare for the consideration of the governments concerned a draft Convention, on the general lines of the 1882 Convention for regulating the police of the North Sea Fisheries, embodying a modern code for the conduct of fishing operations and of related activities in the North-East Atlantic;

And to invite the Governments of the United States of America and Canada to send representatives to the Conference so that the extension of the provisions of any such Convention to the North-West Atlantic Fisheries may be considered.”

La base de l'élément matériel de la coutume est une répétition de faits. Dans le paragraphe I de cette étude nous examinerons les faits qui peuvent fonder la coutume internationale et les conditions que doit remplir la répétition de ces faits. Les deux paragraphes suivants seront destinés à l'analyse de la répétition de faits dans l'espace et dans le temps.

Current trends in social relationships, strongly influenced by their increasingly international character, are resulting in a steadily growing interdependence of sovereign States. Political, economic, military and social problems have been re-examined. Organisations, economic unions, military alliances and defence agreements have been established. Free movement of persons and goods is everywhere considered to be desirable, while in the meantime the formalities to be completed on crossing frontiers have been reduced to a bare minimum. The development of tourism, which now plays an important role for three or four months in the year and which attracts all sections of the population, is equally a demonstration of a real desire for foreign contacts.

The events in this world consist of a rather confused complex of facts, opinions and comments, in which truth and falsehood can hardly be distinguished. Factual information is, however, a prerequisite for an impartial and frank appreciation of these matters. It is above all in international politics that opposed versions of the facts often make a clear view of the situation impossible.

Foreign judgments are not, as a general rule, recognized in Norwegian law unless a basis for recognition is provided in a convention concluded with the country in question; see the Act of 13th August 1915 relating to judicial procedure in civil cases (The Dispute Act) § 167:

By agreement with a foreign state it may be decided that decisions which have been passed by its courts concerning civil claims and which have become res judicata, shall have binding effect also in this Kingdom.

Decisions of foreign courts cannot be recognized, however, in such suits as are mentioned in § 23, item (1), or if the recognition would be contrary to decency or Norwegian invariable rules of law.