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Concept
Bersiap
Summary
Bersiap is the name given by the Dutch to a violent and chaotic phase of the Indonesian National Revolution following the end of World War II. The Indonesian word bersiap means 'get ready' or 'be prepared'. The Bersiap period lasted from August 1945 to November 1947. In Indonesia, other terms aside from bersiap are commonly used, such as gedoran in Depok, ngeli in Banten and surrounding West Java, and gegeran and dombreng in Central Java.
The period started with revolutionary violence occurring during the increasing power vacuum left by the retreating Japanese occupational forces and the gradual buildup of a British military presence but before the official handover to a Dutch military presence. The term refers to that period when Sukarno declared Indonesian independence on 17 August 1945.
Thousands of Eurasian people were killed by Indonesian natives. Many people were also killed among non-European groups such as Chinese, Japanese POWs, Koreans and native Indonesians like Moluccans, Javanese, and other people of higher economic standings. The violence led to forced repatriation and worldwide diaspora of the Indo people.
The period ended with the departure of the British military in 1946, by which time the Dutch had rebuilt their military capacity. Meanwhile, the Indonesian revolutionary fighters were well into the process of forming a formal military. The last Japanese troops had been evacuated by July 1946.
This particular phase of the Indonesian revolution is termed Bersiap by Dutch Indo (Eurasian) survivors of the period and is used in academic works in Dutch and English. The term is derived from the Indonesian battle cry and perpetual call to arms: "Siap!" – "Get Ready!" heard when potential enemies of the revolution were entering pro-republican areas.
Today the term Bersiap killings is also used to avoid confusion.
On 15 August 1945, the Japanese surrendered to the Allies.
Official source
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