Djakarta, on the island of Java, lies 6° below the equator on
the trade route between China, the West and the spice islands of
the Indonesian archipelago. In the 16th century it was known as
Sunda Kelapa, a port of the Sundanese Hindu kingdom of
Padjadjaran. It was conquered by the Moslem Sultan of Bantam on
June 22, 1527 who memorialized his feat by renaming it Djaya
Karta (Accomplished Victory). The city celebrates this date as
its founding. Later razed and rebuilt by the Dutch, it was named
Batavia, or in the local dialect, Betawi. After 350 years of
Dutch rule and three and one half years of Japanese occupation
during World War II, the country and city declared themselves
independent on August 17, 1945. Four and a half years later, on
December 27, 1949, international recognition was given to this
old-new country of Indonesia, to Djakarta (later to be spelled
Jakarta) as its capital and to Sukarno as its President. ALI
SADIKIN, destined to help Djakarta find itself in the post-
independence era, was born on