JAKARTA Colonial-Era The victory consolidated Dutch power and in 1619 they renamed the city Batavia. Commercial opportunities in the capital of the Dutch colony attracted Indonesian and especially Chinese immigrants. This sudden population increase created burdens on the city. Tensions grew as the colonial government tried to restrict Chinese migration through deportations. Following a revolt, 5,000 Chinese were massacred by the Dutch and natives on 9 October 1740 and the following year, Chinese inhabitants were moved to Glodok outside the city walls. The city began to move further south as epidemics in 1835 and 1870 encouraged more people to move far south of the port. The Koningsplein, now Merdeka Square was completed in 1818, the housing park of Menteng was started in 1913, and Kebayoran Baru was the last Dutch-built residential area. By 1930 Batavia had more than 500,000 inhabitants, including 37,067 Europeans. After World War II, the city of Batavia was renamed Jakarta (short form of Jayakarta) by the Indonesian nationalists after achieving independence from the Dutch in 1946.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 09:22:10 +0000
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