01.05.02. History | Indonesia

01.05.02. History | Indonesia

13 Apr 2022

Between 1670 and 1942 Indonesia was a Dutch colony. During the second World War (1942) Indonesia was occupied by Japan. Following Japanese surrender, Indonesia declared independence. After several years of guerrilla warfare, the Dutch recognised Indonesian independence in 1949.

In 1969 West Papua becomes the Indonesian province Irian Jaya. Six years later, in 1975, Indonesia invades and annexes East Timor after the country was given independence by Portugal. This lasts until 1999. In 1997, the Asian economic crisis has considerable consequences on Indonesian economic performance and development.

In 2002, the first major jihadist attack occurred in Bali. Others followed in 2011 and 2018. Military chief general Gatot Nurmantyo reported in 2017 that Islamic State groups were present in almost all provinces. As discussed previously, Indonesia, due to its location on the Ring of Fire, frequently experiences natural disasters causing substantial destruction and loss of lives (BBC, 2019).

References:

BBC. (2019). Indonesia profile – Timeline. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-15114517