The British took over the authority and prepared for the re-establishment of the Dutch
government. A temporary agreement made afterwards resulted in the division of
Bandung into two areas, the north and the south. These segments were separated by the
railroad.
The Dutch took over the power for three years again.
Continued by the independence war during the period of 1945 – 1950, the city was finally
seriously deteriorated. Many clashes against the return of colonialism took place in
several regions including Bandung. In 1946, a new agreement was reached, which
mentioned that armed people were prohibited to enter the boundaries set up 11 km from
the city centre. Consequently, the Indonesian troops repositioned to the rural hinterland
followed by a rush of the natives. Although in this city the clashes lasted less than half a
year, it brought serious damages to the city. Bandung was even called “Lautan Api” (the
sea of fire) because of the terrible devastation caused by the guerrilla strategy of
sabotages and scorched earth by Indonesian battlers.