A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY

The earliest inhabitants of the Indonesian archipelago date back to Pithecanthropus Erectus or Java Man, one of the earliest human ancestors that migrated via land bridges to Java at least half a million years ago. The people of Indonesia today are of Malay origin, closely related to the people of Malaysia and the Philippines, and are descendants of much later migrations from South-East Asia that began around 4000 BC.   Trade brought Hindhuism and Buddhism from India as early as the 4th century AD and by the end of the 7th cenury, small trading posts had grown to become powerful kingdoms in Java and Sumatra. The Buddhist Sriwijaya Empire rules Southern Sumatra and much of the Malay Peninsula for six centuries while the Hindu Mataram Kingdom presided over Central Java. The two developed side by side as both rivals and partners and Mataram went on to raise inspiring monuments like Borobodur.   Mataram mysteriously declined and power shifted to East Java, where the Majapahit Empire rose to become the last great Hindu kingdom. Founded in the 13th century, it reached its peak under Prime Minister Gajah Mada and ruled Java, Bali and the island of Madura, off Java's north coast, although it also claimed suzerainty over a vast area of the archipelago.   The spread of Islam into the archipelago spelt the end of the Majapahits- satellite kingdoms took on the new religion and declared themselves independant of the Majapahits. By the time Islam reached Java, it was less orthodox than in the Middle East and became infused with Javanese Mysticism. The Majapahits retreated to Bali in the 15th century to found a flourishing culture while Java split into separate sultanates.   By the 15th century, a strong Muslim empire had developed with its center at Melaka (Malacca) on the Malay Peninsula, but in 1511 it fell to the Portuguese and the period of European influence in the archipelago began. The Portuguese were soon displaced by the Dutch, who began to take over Indonesia in the early 1600s. A British attempt to oust the Dutch in 1619 failed- Melaka fell to the Dutch in 1641 and by 1700 they dominated most of Indonesia by virtue of their supremacy at sea and their control of the trade routes and some important ports. By the middle of the 18th century, all of Java was under their control.   The Napoleonic Wars led to a temporary British take over between 1811 and 1816 in response to the French occupation of Holland and Java came under command of Sir Stamford Raffles. Indonesia was eventually handed back to the Dutch after the cessation of the wars, and an agreement made whereby the English evacuated their settlements in Indonesia in return for the Dutch leaving India and the Malay Peninsula.   While the Europeans may have settled their differences, the Indonesians were of a different mind- for five years from 1825 onwards the Dutch had to put down a revolt let by the Javanese Prince Diponegoro. It was not until the early 20th century that the Dutch brought the whole of the archipelago- including Aceh and Bali- under their control.   Although Dutch ruled softened, dissatisfaction still stimmered and a strong nationalist movement- whose foremost leader was Soekarno- developed despite Dutch attempts to suppress it. The Japanese occupied the archipelago during WWII. After their defeat, Soekarno declared independance on 17 August 1945, but the Dutch returned and tried to take back control of their old territories. For four bitter years up to 1949, the Indonesians fought an intermittent war with the Dutch, who in the end were forced to recognise Indonesia's independence.   Weakened by the prolonged struggle, the transition to independence did not come easily. The first 10 years of independence saw Indonesia politicians preoccupied with their own political games until, in 1957, President Soekarno put an end to the impasse by declaring Guided Democracy with army backing and investing more power in himself. Soekarno proved to be less adept as a nation builder than as a revolutionary leader. Grandiose building projects, the planned 'Socialisation' of the economy and the senseless confrontation with Malaysia led to internal dissension and a steady deterioration of the national economy.   As events came to a head, there was an attempt coup in 1965 led by an officer of Soekarno's palace guards, and six of Indonesia's top army generals were killed. The coup was suppressed by the Indonesian army under the leadership of General Soeharto. The reasons for the coup are unclear but it was pased off as an attempt by the Communists to seize power and hundreds of thousands of Communists, suspected Communists and Sympathisers were killed or imprisoned. Soeharto eventually pushed Soekarno out of power and took over the presidency.