SOME IMPRESSIONS OF INDONESIA— Continued from page 23. In 1942 the Dutch were defeated by the Japanese. The Japanese made greater use of Indonesians in government administration than the Dutch had done, and as the tides of war turned against them they were forced to accede more and more to the demands of the Indonesian nationalists. With the defeat of the Japanese, President Sukarno and other leaders pressed for full independence. Not all the indigenous folk were in favour of independence, in fact some fought on behalf of the Dutch. The Dutch, assisted by the British, attempted to regain control of Indonesia. The nationalists resisted, and bitter fighting followed. Eventually the nationalists triumphed, and on 17 August 1945, President Sukarno proclaimed the establishment of the Republic of Indonesia. The Revolution was against the Dutch colonialists in the first place, but it was also against the old traditional and feudalistic way of life represented by the princes and chiefs. Since 1945 the energies of the Indonesian people have been directed toward overthrowing the old feudalistic way of life, resisting colonialism in every form, and building a new nation. The tasks confronting them, then and now, are tremendous. Technicians, administrators, teachers and doctors had to be trained, for under colonialism few Indonesians had had the opportunity to acquire training. Furthermore the numerous ‘suku’ (ethnic groups) had to be welded into a single nation, and this is a tremendous task in itself.

Many Different Languages and Customs Indonesia consists of many islands, and each island group has its own language, traditions and customs. For instance, in Sumatra there is a group of people known as the Batak peoples. Within this group there are five subgroups, each with its own language and customs. Besides the Bataks there are in Sumatra other ethnic groups, such as the Minangkabau and the Atjeh. These also have their own language and customs. West Java (including Bandung) is the territory of the 15,000,000 Sundanese people. Sundanese language and customs and traditions

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