Photo: Theo van Pinxteren/Atlas van Stolk
After the proclamation of Indonesian independence in 1945, Indonesia was still facing the Dutch military aggression which did not accept its colony got separated. The Dutch, who were forced to leave Indonesia by Japan, returned again with the Allies as the victors of World War II.
The Indonesian people who were already infatuated with the spirit of independence were not willing to just give up and put up a fierce fight. The new Indonesian government even was forced to move around.
The government which was originally based in Jakarta was moved to Yogyakarta because Jakarta was already controlled by the Allies. After that the Dutch invaded Yogyakarta and arrested the Indonesian leaders and then exiled them to the island of Bangka. With guerrilla spirit, the government moved to Bukittinggi under the leadership of Sjafruddin Prawiranegara.
The photo above was when President Soekarno met foreign journalists from the United States in Bangka Island. The condition of Indonesia, which faced Dutch military aggression at that time, received worldwide attention.
After Indonesia, this group of journalists then went to India to cover the atmosphere in this young country which had just been separated from British colonialism. However, the plane they were traveling in crashed and the entire group died.