Surabaya is the second largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta.
The town is located in the eastern part of the island
of Java is the capital city of East Java province. Surabaya is the prime trading center,
industry and education for eastern Indonesia. Its
area is 333,063 km2 with a population of about 3 million people.
Its coastal location is
importatnt for communication with indonesia’s many islands components, and the
port lies along major sea-lane from South East Asia to Australia. The city has
extensive harbor facilities, including indonesia’s largest naval base.
Surabaya name is an amalgamation of the words sura (shark)
and baya (crocodile). The word sura and baya also be
interpreted as mean-life of courage and danger.
The literal meaning is courage in the face
of danger.
Symbolization
is actually drawn from the events of the battle between the forces of Raden Wijaya - on the pioneering ancient
Javanese kingdom of
Majapahit influential in the
archipelago - an attack against the Mongols, led by Kublai Khan in 1293. Thus the
historical events in time then the date of the battle of May 31 serve as the
anniversary of the city of Surabaya.
Formerly, Surabaya which is located
at the mouth of the river Kalimas is the port city
and the main gate of the Majapahit kingdom. In further
developments Surabaya become
an important port and trade center of the empire
in the 14th century.
Surabaya is the location geographically
convenient to the colonial Dutch in the
19th century used it as a major port collection center plantation products from rural areas in the east
end of the island of Java to be sent to their
home country in Europe.
Historically,
the heroic events to maintain homeland was recorded occurred in Surabaya. In
1945, when the allied forces (British) landed at the port of Surabaya which the
goal is to disarm the defeated Japanese soldiers. But it turned out NICA (Dutch administrative government) joined with
allies that intends to re-occupy Indonesia (the Dutch recognized the
independence of Indonesia in 1949).
Armed clashes between the people and the British army often occur. Clashes peak when Brigadier General A.W.S Mallaby (British military commander for Eastern Java) shot dead. Major General E.C Robert Mansergh as successor on 10 November 1945 issued ultimatum to Indonesian parties to surrender weapons and stop fighting against the allies.
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| Heroes Monument |
The ultimatum
was waging war more devastating, because the Indonesian refused. British troops
launched a large-scale attack from land, sea and air. By calculation Surabaya
can be conquered in three days, turned out to be a long battle for twenty-one
days with the victims of more than 20,000 fighters and civilians were killed.
While victims of the English (and Indian)
are also thousands, and the British lost their generals . This is the bloodiest battles for the
British army in the decade 1940.
The big mess in
Surabaya which took the lives of thousands of people drives resistance
throughout Indonesia to repel the invaders and defend freedom.
