East Indies Philippine independence. The East Indies may also include the former French-occupied Indochina, former British territories Brunei and Singapore and former Portuguese East Timor. It does not, however, include the former Dutch New Guinea western New Guinea (West Papua), which is geographically considered to be part of Melanesia. The inhabitants of the East Indies are almost never called East Indians, distinguishing them both from inhabitants of the Caribbean (which is also called the West Indies) and from the indigenous peoples of the Americas who are often called "American Indians." In colonial times they were just "natives". However, the peoples of the
Railway companies in the Dutch East Indies Railway companies in the Dutch East Indies This is a list of railway companies in the Dutch East Indies . Some companies initially operated with a model called the narrow gauge railway and tram company. In 1945, after the Proclamation of Independence, the Department of Railways of the Republic of Indonesia (DKA) was founded, resulting in the transfer of ownership of the railway lines. After recognition of the independence of Indonesia by the Dutch in December 1949, the company became a national company with headquarters in Bandung. Lines were constructed only on the islands of Sumatra, Java, Madura and Sulawesi.