The 3 July Affair in 1946 was a political upheaval in the then newly formed Republic of Indonesia. The Prime Minister, Sutan Sjahrir, was kidnapped by factions within the military opposing the Republic’s negotiations with the Dutch during the Indonesian National Revolution. It ended with the release of Sjahrir and a re-structure of both the Republican government and the army.

Events

Following Allied occupation of Jakarta, Indonesian Republicans moved their capital to the city of

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, ...

exposing armed units in the city to civilian political intrigue. President Sukarno’s decision to commence negotiations with the Dutch was opposed by various Indonesian factions, which formed into the ‘’ Persatoean Perdjoangan’’ (“Union of Struggle”) group led by communist,

Tan Malaka Tan Malaka (2 June 1897 – 21 February 1949) was an Indonesian teacher, Marxist, philosopher, founder of Struggle Union (Persatuan Perjuangan) and Murba Party, independent guerrilla, Indonesian fighter, and national hero. ''Tempo'' credited hi ...

. Persatoean Perdjoangan’s opposition to negotiation with the Dutch received sympathy from many sections of the armed forces, including its commander

Sudirman General of the Army Raden Sudirman ( Old Spelling: Soedirman; 24 January 1916 – 29 January 1950) was a high-ranking Indonesian military officer during the Indonesian National Revolution. The first commander of the Indonesian National Ar ...

and Major-General Sudarsono. On 27 June, Indonesian Army units under Sudarsono released Malaka and followers from prison in Surakarta. The Prime Minister, Sutan Sjahrir who was leading the negotiations with the Dutch, was arrested the same night in Surakarta and taken to the Sultan's Palace with other figures. Meanwhile, Sudarsono's troops occupied the city of Yogyakarta. Indonesian president, Sukarno declared martial law and demanded Sjahrir's release. Troops loyal to Sukarno advanced on Surakarta from Surabaya; and the loyal Siliwangi division sent troops to Yogyakarta.

Adam Malik Adam Malik Batubara (22 July 1917 – 5 September 1984), or more commonly referred to simply as Adam Malik, was an Indonesian politician, diplomat, and journalist, who served as the 3rd Vice President of Indonesia from 1978 until 1983, under ...

and other young radicals were arrested. On 2 July, Sudarsono and

Muhammad Yamin Mohammad Yamin (24 August 1903 – 17 October 1962) was an Indonesian poet, politician and national hero who played a key role in the writing of the draft preamble to the 1945 constitution. Early life and education Yamin was born on 28 Augus ...

visited Sukarno and demanded that Sjahrir be replaced by communist leader Malaka. Sjahrir, supposedly still a captive, surprised everyone by walking into the room, and Sukarno ordered the arrest of Sudarsono and Yamin. On 3 July army units released Malik from jail and demanded that

be put in charge of security. The government was re-organised by Sjahrir to include Muhammad Natsir,

Amir Sjarifuddin Amir Sjarifuddin Harahap (Van Ophuijsen Spelling System, EVO: Amir Sjarifoeddin Harahap; 27 April 1907 – 19 December 1948) was an Indonesian politician and journalist who served as the second prime minister of Indonesia from 1947 until 19 ...

, the Sultan of Yogya, Agus Salim, and Djuanda, and the army’s Division III was restructured.

References

gimonca.com
* Elson, R.E. (2001). Suharto: A Political Biography. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. pp. 14–15. {{ISBN, 0-521-77326-1 Indonesian National Revolution 1946 in Indonesia