HISTORY OF BUKITTINGGI

Bukittinggi has origins in five villages which served as the basis for a marketplace.

The city was known as Fort de Kock during colonial times in reference to the Dutch outpost established here in 1825 during the Padri War. The fort was founded by Captain Bauer at the top of Jirek hill and later named after the then Lieutenant Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, Hendrik Merkus de Kock. The first road connecting the region with the west coast was built between 1833 and 1841 via the Anai Gorge, easing troop movements, cutting the costs of transportation and providing an economic stimulus for the agricultural economy. In 1856 a teacher-training college (Kweekschool) was founded in the city, the first in Sumatra, as part of a policy to provide educational opportunities to the indigenous population. A rail line connecting the city with Payakumbuh and Padang was constructed between 1891 and 1894.

During the Japanese occupation of Indonesia in World War II, the city was the headquarters for the Japanese 25th Army, the force which occupied Sumatra. The headquarters was moved to the city in April 1943 from Singapore, and remained until the Japanese surrender in August 1945.
Mosque in central Bukittinggi

During the Indonesian National Revolution, the city was the headquarters for the Emergency Government of the Republic of Indonesia (PDRI) from December 19, 1948 to July 13, 1949. During the second 'Police Action' Dutch forces invaded and occupied the city on December 22, 1948, having earlier bombed it in preparation. The city was surrendered to Republican officials in December 1949 after the Dutch government recognized Indonesian sovereignty.

The city was officially renamed Bukittinggi in 1949, replacing its colonial name. From 1950 until 1957, Bukittinggi was the capital city of a province called Central Sumatra, which encompassed West Sumatra, Riau and Jambi. In February 1958, during a revolt in Sumatra against the Indonesian government, rebels proclaimed the Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia (PRRI) in Bukittinggi. The Indonesian government had recaptured the town by May the same year.

A group of Muslim men had planned to bomb a cafe in the city frequented by foreign tourists in October 2007, but the plot was aborted due to the risk of killing Muslim individuals in the vicinity. Since 2008 the city administration has banned Valentine's Day and New Year's celebrations as they consider them not in line with Minangkabau traditions or Islam, and can lead to "immoral acts" such as young couples hugging and kissing.

FOR COMPLETE 12 TASKS OF YOUR BLOG (assignment from Mr.Dadang's wordpress)

PARAGRAPH I

1.C.although carbon tetrachloride can legally be used in industry, it is not allowed in home products
2. B.extensively
3. A.forbidden
4. C.often used as a component of cleaning products
5. A.harmful
6. B. Breathed in
7. D. Took away
8.B. prohibit any use of carbon tetrachloride

PARAGRAPH II

9. B. a different American artist
10.B. One artist’s life and works are described
11.A. He was born in America
12.D. high percentage
13.C. Working class
14.A. protests
15.D. an art form involving engraving
16.B.uneven

PARAGRAPH III

17.D. The Evermoving Stras
18.C. unassisted
19.A. barely perceptible
20.A. Noticeble
21.C. erroneous belief
22.D. a distance seemingly equal to the diameter of the Moon
23.D. travel through the sky considerably more rapidly than the stars