Cell No. 5 of Banceuy Prison has a history<\/p>\n
By Y.R. Prahista<\/p>\n
BANDUNG (JP): Banceuy is familiar as a street name to Bandung
\nresidents -- and also for the old prison of the same name. The
\nprison, or rather what remains of it, holds particular historical
\nvalue in Indonesia's struggle to gain independence.<\/p>\n
Sukarno, later to become Indonesia's first president, was once
\ndetained in Banceuy Prison. He was arrested in Yogyakarta with
\nfellow freedom fighters on Dec. 29, 1929, charged with
\nundermining the Dutch East Indies colonial government. He was
\nheld in Mergangsan Prison in Yogyakarta before being transported
\nby train to Bandung.<\/p>\n
Bung Karno, as Sukarno was affectionately known, was put in
\ncell No. 5. Here he wrote his famous and courageous defense
\nIndonesie klaagt aan (Indonesia Accuses) for presentation in
\ncourt. He was only 29 years old.<\/p>\n
His defense was sensational and monumental. During the court
\nsession on Dec. 22, 1930, Sukarno, as chairman of the board of
\nthe Indonesian National Party and chairman of its Bandung
\nchapter, was sentenced to four years in prison. Also jailed were
\nGatot Mangkoepradja, second secretary of the board, who received
\ntwo years, Maskoen, secretary of the Bandung chapter, eight
\nmonths, and Soepriadinata, propagandist of the Bandung chapter,
\nwho was jailed for three months.<\/p>\n
Bung Karno was later transferred to Sukamiskin Prison, seven
\nkilometers away in Oejoengberoeng district in the eastern part of
\nBandung.<\/p>\n
Banceuy Prison's location in the center of Bandung conforms to
\nthe Dutch concept of planning cities in Indonesia, with the town
\nsquare ringed by important buildings, including a prison.<\/p>\n
The regent's office with its hall for holding audiences is
\nlocated south of the square. The Grand Mosque (Masjid Agung) is
\nto the west. The prison is located to the north, now dissected by
\nJl. Asia-Afrika with its row of offices and banks.<\/p>\n
The town square has not aged well. Today it is home to a
\nrather neglected park; when night falls, it is hard to tell
\nbetween visitors, prostitutes and others up to no good.<\/p>\n
The area around the square has changed into the busiest
\nshopping center in town. Rapid changes also have taken place
\naround Jl. Banceuy. Half of the street has long been used as a
\ncenter for the sale of auto spare parts. Streets around Jl.
\nBanceuy -- Jl. Suniaraja, Jl. Alkateri and Jl. ABC -- have become
\na trading zone.<\/p>\n
Rapid development of the city center meant Banceuy Prison was
\nno longer suitable because the regional government designated the
\narea for shopping and trade. The prison was demolished and
\nrelocated to the city's periphery. On the site, a three-level
\nshopping center with a multilevel parking lot was constructed.<\/p>\n
However, the regional government did not demolish cell No. 5
\nand the guard tower, which were preserved as a monument to
\nIndonesia's struggle for independence.<\/p>\n
The cell occupies an isolated location in the three-level
\nshopping center. The walls are still solid. The door leading to
\nthe room measures 0.6 meters x 1.5 meters. A hole above the door
\nallowed the inmate to communicate with the prison guard and also
\nfunctioned as ventilation.<\/p>\n
The 2 meters x 3 meters building is located in the corner of a
\nyard measuring 10 meters by 10 meters and surrounded by an iron
\nfence. A corner of the yard has a plaque and a monument. At a
\nglance, its construction does not look like a building marking
\nthe struggle for independence. Visitors not knowing Banceuy
\nPrison of old do not easily find the place. The cell's location
\nis only about 30 meters from Jl. Banceuy.<\/p>\n
A five-meter-wide corridor leads to the cell. Because levels
\ntwo and three built on the left and right of the corridor
\nprotrude, the upper part of the corridor is nearly closed.<\/p>\n
\"The corridor and the yard leading to the cell are now used as
\na parking area for traders' carts,\" said Karna, a shop assistant
\nat Banceuy Permai shopping center.<\/p>\n
Cart owners often join in cleaning up the yard around the
\ncell, he said.<\/p>\n
The iron fence on the east side is used to hang laundry,
\ncreating the impression of a slum area. \"If required the clothes
\nwill be removed,\" said a cigarette vendor who hung washing out to
\ndry there.<\/p>\n
Karna said that while students and foreign tourists sometimes
\nvisited the cell, \"Bandung citizens are seldom seen here\".<\/p>\n
The cell would no doubt hold more prestige as a tourist
\nattraction if its upkeep and design were better suited to
\nvisitors. Still, with the right initiative, it could conform to
\nBandung's motto -- \"clean, beautiful and in bloom\" -- and become
\na monument to be proud of.<\/p>",
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