Bandung Lautan Api: When Fighters Burn The Whole City

JAKARTA - Indonesia's independence on August 17, 1945 did not just eliminate the threat of the enemy. In Bandung, fighters set fire to the whole city. Not an old cinema, nor a metal plate construction where people waited for city buses. That day, Bandung residents burned their own houses.

The incident known as Bandung Lautan Api began when allied troops entered Bandung in October 1945. At that time the fighters were disarming and seizing power from Japanese hands. Similar actions have occurred in almost all parts of Indonesia. All the people are one. They know who to fight.

However, the weapons that Indonesian fighters had collected from the Japanese troops were requested by the allied forces. They forced the fighters to hand over the confiscated weapons. The ally threat is no joke.

Quoting the page of the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture, on November 29, 1945, the allies even gave an ultimatum for the northern part of Bandung to be vacated for security reasons. However, the youth ignored the ultimatum, so that the city of Bandung had to be divided into two, namely North Bandung and South Bandung.

The crushing continued. March 23, 1946, the allies issued a new ultimatum containing the order that the Indonesian Army (TRI) vacate the entire city of Bandung. The ultimatum divided the Indonesian side's stance on two sides.

The Government of the Republic of Indonesia in Jakarta gave instructions for TRI to follow orders from allies. Meanwhile, the TRI Headquarters gave instructions so that the City of Bandung was not vacated.

The contradiction in attitudes was then rectified in the Priangan Persatoean Perdjoangan Madjelis deliberation, the results of which were announced by Colonel AH Nasution (Commander of Division III). The community and TRI were asked to leave the city of Bandung.

Hearing these instructions, the fighters, especially those in Bandung City were not willing. In addition to fighting against the allies who continued to push into the South Bandung area, the fighters finally took steps to burn Bandung City before leaving it.

They did this the night before the City was emptied. And it only took seven hours to burn the southern city of Bandung. The efforts to burn Bandung City were not without obstacles.

One of the most difficult events was when TRI was about to destroy gunpowder factories and warehouses belonging to the allies in Dayeuhkolot Village, south of Bandung. In carrying out the mission, Muhammad Toha and Ramdan were sent to burn the factory. Both of them also died in the mission.

Quoting historical information on Bandung on the website of the Bandung National Institute of Technology, it was explained that the City of Flowers was deliberately burned by the TRI and the local people with the intention that the Allies could not use Bandung as a military strategic headquarters. When the incident took place, black smoke was seen rising above the city ceiling while all the electricity went out.

The burning of Bandung was considered the right strategy in the war for Indonesian independence, considering that the strength of the TRI and the people's militias was not comparable to the strength of the Allies and NICA which were large in number.