Timeline: General Outline of Indonesian History
Table I: Timeline - General Outline of Indonesian History till Feb 2002 (Church 1995; BBC 2004):
6-8th centuries: Borobudur and Prambanan temples build
13th century: Islam spreads throughout islands
16th century: Portuguese first to establish trading posts
1602: Netherlands East India Company (VOC) formed, attacks Jakarta in 1619
1796: VOC bankrupt, control assumed by Dutch government
1942-45: Japanese occupation
1945: Independence unilaterally declared on 17 August
1946-49: Dutch try to resume control and guerrilla war starts
1950: President Sukarno elected
1959-65: Period of Guided Democracy
1965: Unsuccessful coup attempt by some army officers, period of crisis
1965: New Order government under President Suharto
Late 1980s: Non-oil exports exceed oil exports, Indonesian economy undergoes steady liberalisation and internationalization.
1997-1998: ‘Asian’ economic crisis undermines Indonesian economy,
1997-1998: Australia supports softened IMF package for Indonesia
1998: President Suharto resigns in the face of economic crisis, political opposition and demands for reform.
1998: Caretaker Habibie government contains crisis and prepares for elections
Early 1999: Reversal of Australian policy on East Timor
September 1999: INTERFET military mission to East Timor to be led by Australia
1999, 20 October: Democratic elections result in moderate Wahid government
1999: Mirage of ‘Howard Doctrine’ (Australia as regional sheriff) undermines relations with Indonesia
1999-2000: Human Right abuses in Indonesian control of East Timor revealed
December 2000: Ministerial Meeting to improve Australia-Indonesia relations
2000-2001: Ongoing tensions with Australia, tuning of Indonesia towards East Asia
July 2001: Parliament dismisses President Wahid over allegations of corruption and incompetence. Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri is sworn in as President.
Feb 2002: East Timor, Indonesia sign agreements aimed at easing relations before East Timor becomes fully independent in May.
August 2002: Top legislators pass constitutional changes seen as a key step towards democracy. For the first time, Indonesian voters able to elect their president and vice president.
