The history of West Kalimantan can be traced back to 17th century . Dayaks were the main inhabitants of the province before the 17th century . The Malays migrated to West Kalimantan and established their own sultanates . The high Chinese population in this province was due to a republic founded by Chinese miners called Lanfang Republic ( 蘭芳共和國 : Republik Lanfang ) after they defeated the local Malay sultans . The government of Lanfang Republic was ended in West Kalimantan after the Dutch occupation in 1884 . West Kalimantan was under Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945 , when Indonesia declared its Independence . During the Japanese occupation , more than 21,000 people in Pontianak ( including sultans , men , women and children ) were kidnapped , tortured and massacred by Japanese troops during the Pontianak incidents . All the Malay Sultans on Kalimantan were executed and the Malay elite was devastated by the Japanese
Pontianak incidents
Pontianak incidents
West Kalimantan