Typical 'arek Suroboyo' and Mallaby's death<\/p>\n
From Batavia (now Jakarta) on Sept. 22, 1945, Rear Admiral Sir
\nW. Patterson, who was commanding the Fifth Cruiser Squadron for
\nthe Supreme Allied Commander, wrote a letter which began with:<\/p>\n
\"This is to certify that I have ordered Captain P.J.G. Huyer
\nto proceed to Soerabaja in order to prepare for the reoccupation
\nof Soerabaja.\"<\/p>\n
Based on the order of his Britain counterpart, Huyer, a
\ncaptain of the Royal Netherlands Navy, managed to peacefully take
\ncontrol of the city, now known as Surabaya, from Japanese Vice
\nAdmiral Yaichiro Shibata.<\/p>\n
But blood still continued wetting the ground of the city as
\nmany of the arek Suroboyo (local expression for the people of
\nSurabaya) insisted on rejecting any form of colonization. Heated
\nclashes with the British forces started. And on the evening of
\nOct. 30, 1945, Brigadier A.W.S. Mallaby from the British Forces,
\nwas killed in a armed clash near the Gedung Internatio building,
\nclose to the Kali Mas river.<\/p>\n
Despite the controversy surrounding Mallaby's real killer, the
\nincident sparked anger on the part of the British troops and
\nother allied forces, which then issued an ultimatum \"To All
\nIndonesians of Surabaya\" ordering Indonesian leaders and locals
\nto surrender and hand over their arms.<\/p>\n
Receiving no response, the British on Nov. 10, 1945, heavily
\nbombarded Surabaya from land, sea and air, killing thousands of
\nSurabayans.<\/p>\n
The Nov. 10 inferno and all the heroic stories of the Surabaya
\nwarriors are still remembered by Surabayans today. The Black
\nSaturday is remembered today as National Heroes Day, and the city
\nhas been dubbed the City of Heroes.<\/p>\n
Since those dark days, the hard-working Surabayans have set
\nabout promoting their city as the second most important in the
\ncountry after the capital Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Home to over three million inhabitants, 85 percent of its 290
\nsquare kilometers is devoted to commercial and residential
\npurposes.<\/p>\n
Lavish housing complexes, apartments, skyscrapers, hotels that
\nare members of international chains, shopping arcades and
\nspecially-designed industrial zones have mushroomed in certain
\nparts of the town.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of domestic and foreign vessels load and unload their
\ncargoes at Tanjung Perak seaport everyday. Container trucks roar
\nback and forth between the Rungkut industrial zone and the nearby
\nGresik industrial zone.<\/p>\n
The day-to-day hustle and bustle of Surabaya's streets and the
\nhigh level of passenger numbers at Juanda airport reflects the
\neconomic progress achieved by the city.<\/p>\n
Until today, the industrial sector plays a major role in the
\ncity, but many estimate that trade will soon surpass it in
\nimportance as geographically speaking Surabaya is an entrepot for
\nthe major markets of Bali, Sulawesi, Kalimantan and Papua.<\/p>\n
As of last year, the industrial sector contributed 35 percent
\nto the city's revenues, while trading was three percent lower.<\/p>\n
Once home to the world's largest brothel complex in Doli,
\nSurabaya -- like many other big cities -- suffers from a lack of
\nnatural tourist attractions. But a number of aging colonial
\nbuildings erected during the Dutch and Japanese occupations
\nremain popular attractions for foreign tourists.<\/p>\n
Still regarded as Indonesia's second most polluted metropolis
\nafter Jakarta, the city is endeavoring to develop more green
\nareas within its boundaries.<\/p>\n
Compared to its rival Jakarta, Surabaya is a relatively safer
\ncity.<\/p>\n
\"It's much better here,\" said Haryadi, the general manager of
\nthe Hotel Santika Surabaya.<\/p>\n
But just like other densely-populated cities, Surabaya also
\nfaces the usual problems like traffic jams, garbage disposal and
\nflooding.<\/p>\n
\"The traffic jams, for instance, are still tolerable. But work
\nneeds to be done now in anticipation of the situation worsening.<\/p>\n
Don't make the same mistakes that Jakarta has made,\" Haryadi
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Herman Rivai from the Surabaya Council sees the presence of
\nstreet traders as another problem.<\/p>\n
\"Instead of harshly forcing the street traders off the
\nstreets, the (local) authorities should find some other solution,
\nsuch as providing designated areas where they can run their
\nbusinesses,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Rahmat, a Nasi Pecel (traditional rice and vegetable dish)
\ntrader, who was asked about the rapid development in the city,
\nsimply replied: \"Surabaya's getting difficult!\"<\/p>\n
He could be referring to many things, including the lack of
\njobs. But, his response was typical for a Surabayan: open and
\ndirect.<\/p>",
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