BANDUNG SEA OF FIRE

DRAFT 1(EDITED)

BANDUNG SEA OF FIRE

The Bandung event The Sea of Fire was a major fire that occurred in the city of Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia on March 24, 1946. Within seven hours, around 200,000 Bandung residents burned their homes, leaving the city for the mountains in the southern part of Bandung. This was done to prevent the Allied troops and the NICA Dutch army from being able to use the city of Bandung as a strategic military headquarters in the Indonesian War of Independence.

Background

British troops part of the MacDonald Brigade arrived in Bandung on October 12, 1945. From the start,their relations with the Indonesian government were strained. They demanded that all firearms in the hands of residents, except TKR and police, be handed over to them. The Dutch who were newly released from the prison camp began to take actions that began to disturb security. As a result, armed clashes between Britain and TKR cannot be avoided. On the night of November 21, 1945, the TKR and the struggle agencies launched an attack on the British positions in the north, including Homann Hotels and Preanger Hotels which they used as headquarters. Three days later, MacDonald delivered an ultimatum to the Governor of West Java so that North Bandung would be vacated by Indonesian residents, including armed forces.

The Allied Ultimatum for the Army of the Republic of Indonesia (TRI, as the TNI at that time) left the city of Bandung to encourage TRI to carry out the "bumihangus" operation. The fighters of the Republic of Indonesia were not willing if the City of Bandung was used by the Allies and NICA. The decision to burn Bandung was taken through the deliberations of the Majlis Persatoean Perdjoangan Priangan (MP3) in the presence of all the forces of struggle of the Republic of Indonesia, on March 23, 1946. Colonel Abdoel Haris Nasoetion as Commander of the Third Division of TRI announced the results of the deliberations and ordered the evacuation of the city of Bandung. That same day, a large group of Bandung residents flowed long and left the city of Bandung and that night the city burning took place.

Bandung was deliberately burned by TRI and local people with the intention that the Allies could not use Bandung as a strategic military headquarters. Everywhere billowing black smoke soared high in the air and all electricity went off. The British army began to attack so fierce fighting ensued. The biggest battle took place in the village of Dayeuhkolot, south of Bandung, where there was a large warehouse of ammunition belonging to the Allied Forces. In this battle Muhammad Toha and Ramdan, two members of the BRI militia (Barisan Rakjat Indonesia) went on a mission to destroy the ammunition warehouse. Muhammad Toha managed to blow up the warehouse with dynamite. The large warehouse exploded and caught fire with the two militias inside. The Bandung city government staff will initially remain in the city, but for their safety, at 9:00 p.m. also take part in a group that evacuated from Bandung. Since then, approximately 24.00 South Bandung has been empty of residents and TRI. But the fire still soared into the city, so that Bandung became a sea of ​​fire.

The scorching of Bandung was considered to be the right strategy in the Indonesian War of Independence because the power of TRI and people's militias were not comparable to the strength of the large Allied and NICA parties. After the incident, TRI along with people's militias resisted guerrilla fighters from outside Bandung. This event inspired the song Halo, Hello Bandung, whose name is still a matter of debate.

A few years later, the song "Halo, Halo Bandung" was officially written, a reminder of the emotions that the Republic of Indonesia's independence fighters experienced at the time, waiting to return to their beloved city which had become a sea of ​​fire.


he people who's behind Bandung Lautan api:

1. Kolonel Abdul Haris Nasution  (Komandan Divisi III ).
2. Muhammad Toha dan Ramdan (anggota BRI).
3. Atje Bastaman( memberikan istilah Bandung lautan api).
4. Rukana (Komandan Polisi militer Bandung).
5. Sutan Syahrir (memutuskan strategi bersama Kolonel Abdul Haris Nasution).
6. Ismail Marzuki( pencipta lagu Halo-Halo Bandung).