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Introduction
When World War II broke out in Europe and spread to
the Pacific, the Japanese occupied the Dutch East
Indies as of March 1942, after the surrender of the
Dutch colonial army following the fall of Hong Kong,
Manila and Singapore.
On April 1, 1945, American troops landed in Okinawa.
Soon after, on August 6 and 9, the United States dropped
Atom bombs on two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
A few days later, on August 14, 1945, the Japanese
surrendered to the Allied Forces.
That occasion opened the opportunity for the Indonesian
people to proclaim their independence. Three days
after the unconditional Japanese surrender, on August
17, 1945, the Indonesian national leaders Ir. Soekarno
and Drs. Mohammad Hatta proclaimed lndonesia's independence
on behalf of the people.
The proclamation was brief, concise and reads as follows:
PROCLAMATION
WE,
THE PEOPLE OF INDONESIA, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM
THE
INDEPENDENCE OF INDONESIA
ALL
MATTERS PERTAINING TO THE TRANSFER OF POWER, ETC.,
WILL
BE CARRIED OUT EXPEDIENTLY AND
IN
THE SHORTEST POSSIBLE TIME.
JAKARTA,
AUGUST 17, 1945
ON
BEHALF OF THE INDONESIAN PEOPLE
sgd.
SOEKARNO
- HATTA
The proclamation, which took place at 58, Jalan Pegangsaan
Timur, Jakarta, was heard by thousands of Indonesians
throughout the country because the text was secretly
broadcast by Indonesian radio personnel using the
transmitters of the Japanese-controlled radio station,
JAKARTA Hoso Kyoku. An English translation of the
proclamation was broadcast overseas.
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