On 19 December 1948, the Dutch made a final effort to gain control of the areas of their former colony of Indonesia, which had declared independence in 1945, that were still under the control of republican forces, by launching a "police action" known as Operation Kraai. Despite the military success of this operation, in which Dutch forces overcame Indonesian fighters and recaptured the whole of Java, including the Indonesian republican capital, Yogyakarta, there was worldwide condemnation, including from the United Nations (UN).