War and Revolution: 1942–1949

1942 27–28 February: Battle of the Java Sea. 9 March: Dutch forces on Java capitulate to Japan at Kalijati. 27 March: Dutch forces on Suma- tra surrender unconditionally.

1943 June: Japanese order establishment of volunteer armies (Peta on Java, Giyu gun on Sumatra).

1944 September: Japanese Prime Minister Kuniaki Koiso issues declaration promising Indonesian independence.

1945 March: Japanese set up Investigatory Body for Indonesian independence. June: Sukarno formulates Pancasila. 15 August: Japan surrenders.

17 August: Indonesia declares independence. 18 August: Constitution prom- ulgated and Republic of Indonesia established. 29 September: First Allied landings in Jakarta. 5 October: Formation of Indonesian army. 10 October:

CHRONOLOGY • li Allied troops land in Medan and Padang. 1 November: Manifesto Politik

of the Indonesian Republic issued. 10 November: Battle of Surabaya. 14 No- vember: First parliamentary cabinet formed under Sutan Sjahrir.

1946 January: Tan Malaka establishes Persatuan Perjuangan. March:

Tan Malaka and followers arrested. April: First formal negotiations begin between Indonesians and Dutch. 15 November: Linggajati Agreement initialed; British forces leave Indonesia. 24 December: Negara Indonesia Timor founded.

1947 March: Komité Nasional Indonesia endorses Linggajati agreement. 21 July: First of Dutch “Police Actions” launched.

1948 17 January: Renville Agreement signed. September: Madiun rebellion launched and suppressed. 19 December: Second of Dutch “Police Actions.” 22 December: Pemerintah Darurat established on Sumatra.

1949 14 April: Republican leaders and Dutch begin talks. 7 May:

Roem–van Roijen agreement reached. 6 July: Republican government returns to Yogyakarta. 13 July: Emergency government returns its mandate.

7 August: Darul Islam movement declares an Islamic state. 23 August:

Round Table Conference begins in The Hague. 27 December: Transfer of Sovereignty except for West New Guinea (Papua).

Sukarno Era: 1950–1966

1950 23 January: Attempted coup by R. P. P. Westerling in Bandung. April: Benteng Program launched; Andi Aziz affair; Declaration of the Republik Maluku Selatan (Republic of the South Moluccas). 17 August: Reestablishment of unitary state (see FEDERALISM). 26–29 September: Indonesia joins United Nations.

1952 17 October: Army challenges Sukarno, demanding dissolution of parliament and holding of elections.

1953 Java Bank nationalized (see BANKING). September: Aceh revolt begins.

1955 18–24 April: Asia-Africa Conference held in Bandung. 29 Sep-

tember: General elections. 1956 8 May: Indonesia unilaterally abrogates Netherlands Indonesian

Union. 4 August: Indonesia repudiates international debt to the Netherlands.

lii • CHRONOLOGY

1 December: Hatta resigns as vice president. 20 December: Banteng coun- cil proclaimed in West Sumatra.

1957 9 April: Sukarno commissions first Business Cabinet (Kabinet Karya). May: Dewan Nasional founded. 29 November: United Nations refuses to act on the West Irian dispute. 30 November: Cikini assassination attempt against Sukarno. 3 December: PNI and PKI unions begin seizure of Dutch businesses in Indonesia (see NATIONALIZATION). 5 Decem-

ber: Justice Ministry orders expulsion of 46,000 Dutch citizens. 13 De-

cember: Nasution announces that army will manage seized enterprises; Mohammad Natsir and other Masjumi leaders flee to Sumatra.

1958 15 February: Pemerintah Revolusioner Republik Indonesia proclaimed in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra. 12 March: Nasution begins military operations against Sumatra rebels. 10 May: Government forces begin operations against rebels in Sulawesi. 18 May: Government forces shoot down American plane flying over Ambon in support of the rebels and cap- ture its pilot.

1959 14 May: Alien Chinese banned from trading in rural areas. 5 July:

Restoration of 1945 Constitution. 17 August: Sukarno outlines the Mani- festo Politik (see GUIDED DEMOCRACY).

1960 5 March: Sukarno dissolves parliament. 1961 First postindependence census. April–September: Surrender of

most of the PRRI/Permesta rebel leaders. 19 December: Sukarno announces military campaign against Dutch in Irian (see PAPUA).

1962 15 August: Dutch hand authority in Irian to United Nations.

1963 March: Sukarno’s Deklarasi Ekonomi (see GUIDED ECON- OMY). 1 May: United Nations hands Irian to Indonesia. 31 July–5 Au-

gust: Sukarno attends Manila summit on Malaysia (see MAPHILINDO).

23 September: Sukarno announces plans to crush Malaysia (see CON-

FRONTATION). October: Manifes Kebudayaan. 1964 17 August: Sukarno gives his “Year of Living Dangerously” speech.

1965 2 January: Indonesia withdraws from the United Nations. 30 Sep- tember–1 October: Gestapu coup attempt. 2 October: General Suharto

takes responsibility for restoring “security and order.” Late 1965–1966: Mass killings of PKI members and associates. 13 December: 1,000 rupiah (Rp) devalued to Rp 1 (see CURRENCY).

CHRONOLOGY • liii

1966 13 February: First post-Gestapu Mahmillub trial begins. 11

March: Sukarno issues Supersemar order, transferring full executive authority to Suharto. 12 March: PKI and associated organizations banned. 11

August: Relations with Malaysia normalized, end of Confrontation. Sep-

tember: Indonesia rejoins United Nations.

Suharto Era: 1967–1998

1967 12 March: Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat—Sementara

(MPR-S) strips Sukarno of presidency and appoints Suharto acting president. April: Indonesia rejoins World Bank. 8 August: Formation of As- sociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

1968 20 February: Partai Muslimin Indonesia (Parmusi, Indonesian Muslims’ Party) founded. 27 March: MPR appoints Suharto president. 6 June: Suharto forms first Development Cabinet.

1969 1 April: Launch of first Five-Year Development Plan. 15 July–

2 August: Kabupaten councils in Papua opt for integration with Indonesia in “Act of Free Choice.” 2 October: Attorney General Sugiharto announces plans to settle alleged communist detainees on Buru.

1971 17 March: Treaty of Friendship with Malaysia. 3 July: Second general elections. 23 August: Indonesia and Malaysia claim territorial rights over the Strait of Melaka.

1973 5 January: Partai Persatuan Pembangunan (PPP, Unity Devel- opment Party) formed. 10 January: Partai Demokrasi Indonesia (PDI, Indonesian Democratic Party) formed. 12 February: Indonesia signs border agreement with Papua New Guinea.

1974 15 January: Malari affair.

1975 11 March: Indonesia reaches border agreement with Philippines. 29

July: Indonesia recognizes Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Vietnam. 26 August: Portuguese colonial government abandons East

Timor. 28 November: Fretilin declares Democratic Republic of East

Timor. 7 December: Indonesian forces invade Dili, capital of East Timor. 1976 3 March: Ibnu Sutowo, director of state oil company Pertamina,

dismissed. 22 September: Government authorities claim to have uncov- ered coup plot by Sawito Kartowibowo.

liv • CHRONOLOGY 1977 2 May: Third general election. May: Paratroops dropped in the

central valley of Papua to crush rebellion by Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM, Free Papua Movement).

1978 16 January: Bandung students issue White Book criticizing New Order performance. 22 March: MPR reelects Suharto as president. 15 No- vember: Rupiah devalued (see CURRENCY).

1979 July–December: Ten thousand political prisoners released.

1980 February: ABRI Masuk Desa program introduced (see DWI-

FUNGSI). 5 May: Petition of Fifty signed. 1981 28 March: Radical Muslims hijack Garuda DC-9 en route from

Palembang to Medan. 25 February: Malaysia recognizes Indonesia’s Archipelagic Concept.

1982 4 May: Fourth general election. December: Law of the Sea Con- vention in Jamaica effectively recognizes Indonesia’s Archipelagic Con- cept.

1983 30 March: Rupiah devalued. April: “Mysterious killings” of crim- inals begins (see PETRUS). October: Sudharmono and Sarwono Kusumaatmaja take over leadership of Golkar; Golkar restructuring begins.

1984 20–22 August: First national congress of Pertai Persatuan Pemban- gunan (PPP) accepts Pancasila as its sole basic principle. 12 September: Tanjung Priok affair (see WHITE PAPER). Early December: Muham-

madiyah adopts Pancasila as its sole basic principle. Mid-December:

Nahdlatul Ulama adopts Pancasila as its sole basic principle, but withdraws from PPP.

1985 21 January: Bomb explosion on Borobudur. 5 July: Resumption of direct trade with China. 18 August: H. R. Dharsono placed on trial for subversion. August–November: 1,600 people dismissed, mainly from the oil industry, for alleged links with the PKI. August: First of a series of ex- ecutions of PKI members detained after the 1965 Gestapu. December 1985–August 1986: International oil price drops from US$25 to $12 per barrel.

1986 8 January: H. R. Dharsono sentenced to 10 years of jail for subversion. May: Legislation passed requiring mass organizations to adopt

CHRONOLOGY • lv the Pancasila as their sole basic principle. 12 September: Rupiah devalued

by 31 percent. October: Treaty of Mutual Respect, Friendship, and Coop- eration with Papua New Guinea. 9 October: Newspaper Sinar Harapan banned.

1987 4 February: Plans announced to privatize some of Indonesia’s state enterprises. 21 April: Fifth general election. 14 December: Suharto calls for nuclear weapons free zone in Southeast Asia. 24 December: Ma- jor reduction announced in government regulation of imports, exports, foreign investment, and tourism.

1988 5 January: 1988–1989 budget allocates 36 percent of prospective foreign income to service international debt. 10 March: Suharto reelected as president, Sudharmono elected vice president. 22 September: KOP- KAMTIB abolished. 27 October: Deregulation of the banking sector (see BANKING). November: Indonesia recognizes state of Palestine.

1989 6–8 February: Violent clashes in Lampung between troops and lo- cal people. 24 February: Indonesia and China agree to restore diplomatic relations. April: Student protests over dispossession of small farmers for development projects. 8 June: Suharto receives United Nations Population award for Indonesia’s family planning program. 11 December: Indonesia signs Timor Gap agreement with Australia.

1990 17 January: 150 students demonstrate before U.S. ambassador on

a visit to East Timor. 3 February: Lampung rebels sentenced. 15 Febru-

ary: Four political prisoners, jailed since 1965, executed. February:

Netherlands refuses to sign aid agreement because of execution of the four detainees. 16 April: Indonesian army kills five Acehnese. August: Gov- ernment lifts ban on strikes. 8 August: Diplomatic relations officially re- stored between China and Indonesia. 16 September: Dharsono released from jail. October-November: Public outcry over poll in newspaper Mon- itor that ranked Mohammad below political figures; its editor arrested. De- cember: Ikatan Cendekiawan Muslim Indonesia (ICMI) formed.

1991 1 January: Indonesia joins Human Rights Commission. 3 April:

Forum Demokrasi established under Abdurrachman Wahid, League for Restoration of Democracy formed under Ponke Princen. 8 April: Monitor editor sentenced to five years in jail. 4–5 July: Army kills seven suspected rebels in Aceh. November: Massacre at Santa Cruz cemetery in Dili, East Timor; Indonesian military arrest Jose Alexandre “Xanana” Gusmão.

lvi • CHRONOLOGY 1992 10 June: Sixth general election. September: Abillo Jose Osorlco

Soares becomes governor of East Timor. 1993 January–February: ABRI and PDI propose Try Sutrisno for vice

president. 27 February: Edi Sudrajat replaces Try as panglima. 17 March: Sixth Development Cabinet announced; Benny Murdani dismissed as minister of defense.

1994 February–March: Government publishes White Paper on events in 1965. 10 February: Mochtar Pakpaham and other labor leaders arrested. 14 April: Labor demonstrations in Medan and elsewhere. 29 April: Government arrests more labor leaders. June: Philippines president Fidel Ramos bans non-Filipinos from participating in Manila conference on East Timor. 17 June: U.S. Senate passes bill banning use of U.S. equipment in East Timor. 21 June: Government closes news magazines Tempo, Detik, and Editor. October: Labor activist Muchtar Pakpahan on trial. 6 Octo-

ber: Foreign Minister Alatas meets with East Timorese in New York. No-

vember: APEC summit held in Jakarta. 10 November: Indonesia’s first aircraft christened by Suharto. 14 November: UN recognizes Indonesia’s archipelagic status.

1995 January: Army kills three East Timor civilians. May: State Ad- ministrative Court says government acted unlawfully in closing Tempo. 19

July: Pramoedya Ananta Toer awarded Magsaysay prize. August:

Netherlands Queen Beatrice visits Indonesia. 17 August: Indonesia cele- brates 50 years of independence.

1996 Early January: Rebels in Papua seize British, Dutch, and Indone- sian prisoners. April: Death of Suharto’s wife (Siti Hartinah “Tien”).

April–May: Sri Bintang Pamungkas sentenced to 34 months in jail. 20

June: Megawati Sukarnoputri excluded from Partai Demokrasi Indone- sia (PDI) party congress held in Medan, and Suryadi endorsed as party head. 19–20 June: Over 100 injured in protest demonstrations. June: Ten churches burned or ransacked in Surabaya. 27 July: Government support- ers attack and occupy Megawati’s party headquarters. 30 July: Muchtar Pakpaham detained. 7 August: Suharto accuses Partai Rakyat Demokrasi (PRD) of being like PKI. 9 August: Megawati appears at police headquarters with other PDI members. 11–12 August: Budiman Sudjatmiko arrested. 13 August: Suharto accuses PRD of trying to topple the government. 11 October: Bishop Belo and Jose Ramos Horta awarded Nobel

CHRONOLOGY • lvii Peace Prize. October: Several churches burned near Situbondo, East Java.

21 December: Churches ransacked in Tasikmalaya. 1997 30 January: Anti-Christian/Chinese violence in Rengadengklok.

January–March: Dayak Madurese violence in West Kalimantan leaves hundreds dead. 29 May: In national elections, Golkar wins 74 percent of the vote, PDI 3 percent, and PPP 23 percent. June–October: Jakarta

stock exchange falls over 30 percent. 14 August: Rupiah floated. Sep-

tember: Race riots in Sulawesi. 11 September: Parliament approves a new labor law. September–October: Forest fires rage in Kalimantan and Sumatra. 19 October: Suharto announces he will run again as president.

20 October: Central bank cuts interest rates. 31 October: First Interna- tional Monetary Fund (IMF) package announced. November: Govern- ment closes 16 banks.

1998 6 January: 1998–1999 budget announced, ignoring IMF recommen- dations. 5–8 January: Rupiah plunges. January: IMF creates Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) to reform Indonesian banking system.

15 January: Suharto accepts IMF reform package. 22 January: Rupiah falls to record low of Rp 17,000 to US$1. February: Wiranto replaces Feisal Tanjung as army commander. 3 March: Student protest demonstrations begin in Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Padang, Ujung Pandang (Makassar), and other cities. 6 March: IMF delays further Indonesian financing. 10

March: Parliament selects Suharto for seventh term as president, with B. J.

Habibie as vice president. 14 March: Suharto announces new cabinet, which includes family members and cronies. 24 March: IMF and United States delay aid to Indonesia, but United States allows emergency food and fuel subsidies. March: Megawati questions U.S. military aid and training. 8 April: Third IMF agreement. 15 April: Student protest marches at dozens of campuses. 1 May: Suharto says reforms must wait until 2003. 6 May: Prices of fuel and electricity raised. 9 May: Suharto flies to Cairo for G-15 summit.

12 May: Army kills several student demonstrators at Tri Sakti University in Jakarta. 13 May: Students buried as martyrs; riots erupt in Jakarta. 14 May: Riots continue, particularly against Chinese businesses and Suharto cronies; over 500 killed. 15 May: Suharto returns early from Cairo. 16 May: Faction of Golkar removes support from Suharto. 18 May: Students drive to Parlia- ment; Harmoko calls on Suharto to resign. 19 May: Students occupy Parlia- ment building. 20 May: Suharto rejects calls to resign and proposes new elections; army clamps down in Jakarta; Amien Rais calls off mass protests.

21 May: Suharto resigns in favor of Vice President Habibie.

lviii • CHRONOLOGY

War and Revolution: 1942–1949