Politics > Indonesian Independence
Indonesian Independence
The end of the Second World War did not resolve the fraught politics of East and Southeast Asia. Immediately to Australia’s North, nationalists declared Indonesian Independence on August 17th, 1945 – but the armed forces of British India teamed up with the surrendered Japanese to maintain order until the Dutch could return and restore the Netherlands East Indies.
Sydney was a flashpoint in this struggle, as Dutch ships loaded cargoes – including war materiel – to supply the returning colonial powers. First,
A complete Indian boycott of Dutch ships in Sydney was established on Friday, when 40 Indian seamen walked off the Dutch ship Pahud in support of Indonesian independence. Australian waterside workers, lorry drivers and clerks also stopped work on the Pahud when the Indians left. (Tribune, 30 October 1945)
Waterside workers boycotted Dutch ships until the federal government stepped in and the boycott crumbled. Meanwhile Indian seamen in India House in Pyrmont and other (segregated) accommodation devised a bold plan. They boarded the ships, helped load them, then – once the ship was under way – went on strike. Small boats took them off the ship, leaving it stranded in the harbour.
This campaign could not succeed for long, but it did give the Indonesian Republic time to organise before the colonial powers could rally. In 1949 Indonesia achieved complete independence.
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