APRA coup d ' état The APRA Coup d ' état was a coup d ' état by Raymond Westerling ' s Legion of Ratu Adil ( APRA ) to capture Bandung and Jakarta , and to overthrow Sukarno ’ s unitary Republic of Indonesia . Westerling was a demobilized Dutch Captain of the KNIL ( Royal Netherlands East Indies Army ) , who sought to preserve the federal Republic of the United States of Indonesia , which retained the support of the Netherlands and various minority elements . Westerling ' s forces succeeded in capturing Bandung in the early hours of January 23 , 1950 . Simultaneously , the APRA infiltrated Jakarta as part of a coup d ’ état to overthrow the RUSI Cabinet . Their plan was to arrest and assassinate several prominent Republican figures including the Defense Minister Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX and Secretary - General Ali Budiardjo . However , Westerling ’ s forces in Jakarta were killed or captured by the Indonesian army and police forces . The APRA was forced out of Bandung , while Westerling escaped to Singapore . After a mopping up campaign the Legion of Ratu Adil had ceased to function in February 1950 . The coup d ' état led to the downfall of Sultan Hamid II and accelerated the integration of the RUSI into the Republic by August 17 , 1950 . Rise of the APRA . Prior to the transfer of sovereignty on December 27 , 1949 , a RUSI Cabinet consisting of both Republican and Federalist members was formed on December 17 , 1949 . This Cabinet was headed by Prime Minister Mohammad Hatta and included 11 Republicans and five Federalists including the pro - Dutch Sultan Hamid II . Ultimately , this federal government was short - lived due to conflicting differences between the Republicans and the Federalists as well as growing popular support for a unitary state . Growing tensions between the Republicans and Federalists prompted Hamid II to conspire with the former commander of the DST ( Depot Special Forces ) commando unit Raymond Westerling to organize an anti - Republican coup d ’ état which would ensure a federal Republic of the United States of Indonesia . By January 1950 , Westerling had built up a militia force known as Angkatan Perang Ratu Adil ( APRA , Legion of Ratu Adil ) . Raymond Westerling stated that the APRA counted 22 , 000 men . However , American historian George Kahin refutes his claim and estimates it was about 2 , 000 men strong . The APRA comprised various Republican elements including defectors from the Indonesian army , Islamic and communist battle groups . The Legion was further augmented by elements of the KNIL , Royal Netherlands Army , Westerling ' s old commando unit and several sympathetic Dutch nationals including two police inspectors . The Republican government attempted to negotiate with Westerling by offering to pay him US $ 100 , 000 in exchange for renouncing his revolutionary activities , but Westerling rejected the offer . On 5 January 1950 , Westerling sent an ultimatum to the government of Jakarta . His demands were the recognization of the APRA as the official army of the state of Pasundan and unconditional respect for the autonomy of the federal states . Westerling added that if the answer was not positive , he could not be held responsible for the outbreak of large - scale fighting by the APRA . With no reply to his ultimatum , Westerling started the coup in the night of 22 – 23 January , a month after international recognition of the Republic of Indonesia . Attacks against Bandung and Jakarta . Westerling ’ s coup d ’ état involved three phases : the simultaneous capture of Bandung and Jakarta . The third phase involved the capture of Buitenzorg ( modern - day Bogor ) where some minor government departments were based . On January 22 , Westerling ’ s troops would infiltrate the city onboard trucks and disguised as members of the Tentara Nasional Indonesia ( TNI ) . At 10 pm , they would seize ammunition stocks from the old KNIL arms depot in Bandung and then dispatch them to a rendezvous point 15 miles away for delivery to Djakarta by 11 pm . At 5 am on January 23 , APRA forces based in nearby Tjimahi would capture strategic locations like military bases , police stations , and government buildings and communications facilities throughout Bandung and Jakarta . At dawn , about 520 APRA soldiers entered Bandung . However , the Siliwangi Division , which was encamped in the city had been forewarned of Westerling ’ s plans . A motorized unit was sent to intercept the Legion , but was quickly defeated . Marching through Bandung , the APRA captured key locations including the TNI ’ s headquarters and the Siliwangi barracks . Within an hour , they had secured the city center and eliminated all resistance . TNI Lieutenant Cololonel Adolph Lembong and 93 other Indonesian soldiers and officers were killed . The majority of the TNI forces were taken by surprise and there were reports of soldiers discarding their uniforms and fleeing . TNI Colonel Erie Sudeweo sought refuge in the Dutch barracks . However , the second phase of the coup d ' état collapsed since the majority of the KNIL ' s commanders cooperated with the Indonesian government and refused to support Westerling ’ s actions . A Dutch officer discovered the unloading of ammunition from the Bandung arms depot into trucks of the APRA . Due to this development , the ammunitions convoy did not arrive in the Republican capital Jakarta at 11pm as planned . Westerling ' s Legion was unable to launch its scheduled attack at 5 am on January 23 . There had been plans to seize the presidential palace , army barracks and to arrest Republican politicians including Sukarno , Hatta , Hamengkubuwono IX and Ali Budiardjo . Unable to find any ammunition , Westerling was forced to abort his attack by 6 am . With the coup attempt in tatters , the APRA retreated Bandung after negotiations with KNIL Major General Edu Engles . By 5 pm Republican forces under Sadikin had re - established control over Bandung . Aftermath of the coup . In the following weeks several small APRA units were defeated in a mopping up campaign by the Indonesian army and police . The Legion of Ratu Adil had ceased to function in February 1950 . The attempted coup d ' état increased public agitation for the dissolution of the federal system . Westerling escaped with the help of the Dutch government to Singapore . Despite attempts by the Indonesian government to extradite him , he lived in exile in the Netherlands until his death in 1987 . By April 5 , several key conspirators including Sultan Hamid II had been arrested by the Republican authorities . On April 19 , Hamid II confessed to his involvement in the botched Jakarta coup and to planning an abortive second attack on Parliament scheduled for February 15 . Due to the presence of RUSI troops , the attack was aborted . The role of the Pasundan government in the coup led to its dissolution by February 10 , further undermining the federal structure . By late March 1950 , Hamid ’ s West Kalimantan was one of the four remaining federal states in the United States of Indonesia . Hamid ’ s role in the coup led to increased agitation in West Kalimantan for its integration into the Republic of Indonesia . Following a fact - finding mission by the Government Commission , the RUSI House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly by a margin of 50 to one votes to merge West Kalimantan into the Republic of Indonesia . Following clashes with demobilized KNIL troops under Abdul Assiz in Makassar and the attempted secession of an Ambonese Republic of South Moluccas , the federal United States of Indonesia was dissolved on 17 August 1950 , turning Indonesia into a unitary state dominated by the central government in Jakarta .