HISTORY

Not many people knew Irian Jaya, formely called West Irian, until the Portuguese arrived in sixteenth centuries. Many outsiders consider that the native of Irian is similar and related to Aboriginal Australian.

In 1511 a Portuguese seaman Fransisco Serrano entered Irian Jaya in seeking spices, and in 1521 came Magellan in his world adventures. Another European is James cook from England who arrived in Irian Jaya in 1770 and occupied the island until 1795. Finally the Dutch with its Netherlands Indies occupied the land and stated Manokwari as the capital. During the first years of its colony the Dutch government spread their troops on the western coast of Fakfak and southern coast of Merauke. They discovered Hollandia, now Jayapura, 22 Kilometrs from the Papua New Guinea border in 1910.



The Dutch governed Irian Jaya until 1942 when the Japanese forces arrived in Humboldt Bay and occupied all parts of Irian Jaya. Allied forces, led by General Douglas McArthur from the United States, attacked the Japanese troops and forced them away from Irian Jaya in July 1994. The battle is considered the biggest military operation ever happened in the Pacific region.

After the World War II ended, the Dutch came back to Indonesia and in July 1947 fighting broke out between the Republic of Indonesia and the Netherlands. The Dutch wanted to regain control after the war but the Indonesians demanded independence. In December 1961 outbreaks of fighting occurred between Dutch and Indonesian forces and Acting Secretary General of United Nations U Tant brought the two sides together for talks. In August 1962, the Netherlands and Indonesia agreed to let the United Nations governed the area until May 1963 when Indonesia takes control. Even as a result of the 1969 vote the people of Irian Jaya chose to be part of Indonesia. Sharing is sexy