Oey Tiang Tjoei (

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

: 黄长水; 1893 – 1977) was an Indonesian journalist, known for being a member of the

Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence The Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence ( id, Badan Penyelidik Usaha-usaha Persiapan Kemerdekaan, BPUPK; ja, 独立準備調査会, Hepburn: , Nihon-shiki / Kunrei-shiki: ), sometimes referred to as the Investigating Co ...

. Prior to the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

, he was a prominent supporter of Japanese

Pan-Asianism Satellite photograph of Asia in orthographic projection. Pan-Asianism (''also known as Asianism or Greater Asianism'') is an ideology aimed at creating a political and economic unity among Asian peoples. Various theories and movements of Pan-Asi ...

Biography

Oey was born in

Batavia Batavia may refer to: Historical places * Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands * Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...

on 1893, and he received a Dutch education. He later became influenced by Japanese

, and joined the Hoo Hap secret society where he was its leader in the 1930s. In 1939, he joined the newly formed ''Hong Po'' newspaper as a director. With the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

then ongoing, most Chinese Indonesian newspapers at that time actively raised funds for war victims and adopted an anti-Japanese stance. ''Hong Po'', however, was strongly pro-Japan. Due to this, a competing Chinese Indonesian newspaper, '' Keng Po'', nicknamed it ''Bohong Po'' ("News of Lies"). Oei took the nickname as an insult, and he physically assaulted ''Keng Po''s editor in response. Following the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii ...

in December 1941, Oey was arrested for his pro-Japanese sentiment by the Dutch authorities. During his incarceration, Oey published his memoirs. He was freed from prison following the Japanese takeover. Due to his prewar stance, the Japanese authorities appointed him into several positions, including heading the ''Kakyo Sokai'' (Chinese association) and directing the Malay language version of the newspaper ''Kung Yung Pao''. He was additionally appointed into the

Central Advisory Council The , lead=yes was the name given to bodies established by the Japanese military administration in Java and Sumatra in 1943 during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies to notionally provide Indonesians with popular representation. Bac ...

, and later in 1945 as a member of the

to represent the Chinese community in

West Java West Java ( id, Jawa Barat, su, ᮏᮝ ᮊᮥᮜᮧᮔ᮪, romanized ''Jawa Kulon'') is a province of Indonesia on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten ...

. Despite being ''Kakyo Sokai''s leader, however, he was not appointed into the smaller

Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence The Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence ( id, Panitia Persiapan Kemerdekaan Indonesia), PPKI, ja, 独立準備委員会, Dokuritsu Junbi Iinkai, lead=yes) was a body established on 7 August 1945 to prepare for the transfer of auth ...

, the more junior

Yap Tjwan Bing Yap Tjwan Bing (1910-1988) was an Indonesian politician active in the Indonesian independence movement. Life and career Bing was born in Kediri, son of a Chinese Indonesian merchant. He trained in pharmacy in Amsterdam (1932-1939) and subsequen ...

being appointed as the group's sole Chinese Indonesian member instead. After the

surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...

, Oey was detained by arriving British soldiers and faded into obscurity. He died in Jakarta in 1977, and his body was cremated.

References

{{Members of the Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence 1893 births 1977 deaths Indonesian collaborators with Imperial Japan Indonesian journalists Indonesian people of Chinese descent Members of the Central Advisory Council People from Jakarta