E50: Where Do We Draw The Line?

How were borders of Indonesia decided and drawn in 1945?

Between May - July 1945, members of the Investigative Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence (BPUPKI) deliberated on which territories should be included in a future Republic of Indonesia, if Japan granted independence. Should the new state stretch from Southern Thailand all the way to Papua New Guinea? Should it extend only to the borders of the former Dutch colony? Or, should it mirror the territory of the former Majapahit Kingdom dating all the way back to the 14th and 15th Century?

In this audio documentary, we revisit the intellectual history of “Tanah Air” with historian Dr. Yosef Djakababa.

NKRI Harga Mati: the Founding Fathers' Territorial Aspirations

Majapahit: Indonesian Claims of Past Greatness

How Indonesia Decided its Borders