State of East Indonesia

The State of East Indonesia (Indonesian: Negara Indonesia Timur, old spelling: Negara Indonesia Timoer, Dutch: Oost-Indonesië) was a post–World War II state formed in the eastern half of Dutch East Indies. Established in December 1946 by the Dutch, it was a puppet state formed during the Indonesian National Revolution that eventually became a part of the United States of Indonesia (USI) in 1949 at the end of the conflict and was dissolved in 1950 with the end of the USI. It comprised every island to the east of Borneo (Celebes and the Moluccas, with their offshore islands) and of Java (Bali and the Lesser Sunda Islands).

History

Establishment

The Dutch authorities, after various changes to the administration of the eastern islands of the East Indies, established the Great East region in 1938. Four years later, the Japanese invaded, and this area was placed under the control of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Following the Japanese surrender and the Indonesian declaration of independence in August 1945, Indonesian republicans began fighting to secure Indonesian independence from Dutch colonial control. However, Dutch administrators backed by Australian troops arrived in the area previously controlled by the Japanese Navy, and prevented republicans from establishing an administration.

From 16 to 25 July 1946, the Dutch organized a conference in the town of Malino on Celebes (Sulawesi) as part of their attempt to arrange a federal solution for Indonesia. The Malino Conference resulted in plans for a state in Borneo and another in eastern Indonesia, areas where the Dutch held both de facto and de jure control. Later that year, the Republic of Indonesia agreed to the principle of a federal Indonesia in the Linggadjati Agreement of 15 November. The Denpasar Conference of 18–24 December was held to work out the details of a state which to be called the State of the Great East (Indonesian: Negara Timoer Besar).