VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

RRI VOI with Today in History. A regular segment which brings back people and events from this date in the Past as recorded in history.

I’ll begin with October 30, 1910 Henry Dunant, founder of the Red Cross from Switzerland, dies.

Jean Henri Dunant, better known as Henry Dunant, is a Swiss businessman and social activist. While traveling on business in 1859, he witnessed the consequences of the Battle of Solferino, a location which today is part of Italy. He wrote his memories and experiences in a book entitled “A Memory of Solferino”, which inspired the formation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in 1863. In 1901, Dunant received the first Nobel Peace Prize ever awarded, over his role in establishing the International Red Cross Movement and initiating the process of forming the Geneva Convention. A Norwegian military doctor, Hans Daae, who once received a copy of the book, advocated the Dunant case to the Nobel Committee. The Nobel prize was awarded to Dunant and Frédéric Passy, ​​a French peace activist who founded the Peace League and who was active with Dunant in the Alliance for Order and Civilization. On October 30, 1910 Henri Dunant died.

Turning to October 30, 1945 Brigadier General Mallaby of the Allied Forces leadership was killed in Surabaya and triggered the November 10^th battle. Aubertin Walter Sothern (A.W.S.) Mallaby or also known as Brigadier General Mallaby from England was killed during the shootout on October 30 in Surabaya. The incident triggered a British ultimatum and the Battle of November 10^th erupted. Brigadier General Mallby was the commander of the 49th Brigade Indian Division with a force of around 6,000 troops which was part of the Allied Forces Netherlands East Indies (AFNEI), Allied forces were sent to Indonesia after the completion of World War II. They were tasked with disarming the Japanese army, freeing Japanese prisoners of war and returning Indonesia to the Dutch East Indies under the administration of the Netherlands Indies Civil Administration. Mallaby's death caused Major General E.C. Mansergh, who replaced Mallaby issued an ultimatum to Indonesian forces in Surabaya on November 9, 1945 to surrender weapons without conditions. Finally the Battle of November 10^th broke out because the Indonesian side ignored this ultimatum.

I’ll conclude with October 30, 1946, the Republic of Indonesia currency begins to circulate.

Oeang Republic of Indonesia or ORI is the first currency owned by the Republic of Indonesia after independence. The government considers it necessary to issue its own money which does not only function as a legitimate payment instrument but also as the main symbol of an independent state. ORI appeared in the form of one-cent banknotes with the drawings of an unsheathed kris on one side and the text of the 1945 Constitution on the other side. ORI was signed by the Minister of Finance at the time A.A. Maramis. On that day it was also stated that Japanese money and Javasche Bank money were no longer valid. Although the ORI distribution period is quite short, the ORI has been accepted throughout the Republic of Indonesia and has helped fuel the spirit of resistance against the invaders.

That was Today in history of RRI's World Voice Service of Indonesia in Jakarta.