Got this from Chinese Indonesian Heritage Center fanpage (https://www.facebook.com/ChineseIndonesianHeritageCenter/timeline/story?ut=43&wstart=0&wend=1441090799&hash=5113736367278608804&pagefilter=3) and I'm going to repost it here, but you can only see the pictures by clicking the link :)

‘THE DISCOVERY OF THE MISTERY BEHIND THE NATIONAL ANTHEM OF INDONESIA RAYA’ by Udaya Halim.

It was about three years ago I visited Mr. Haryanto Sanusi, a good friend of mine whose hobby is collecting all kinds of books and his collection of Old books comprising thousands of them and many are rare historical books. He presented me with an old, dirty and dusty Record of Indonesia Raya.
After I restored and cleaned the record it turned out to be the official version of Indonesian national Anthem, I believed recorded after 1950s.

To fulfill my curiosity, I then tried to dig up further the history behind the records. I tried my searching from any sources including youtube, ebay etc.

From youtube I found two videos of Indonesia Raya song.
The first is the 3 stanzas version (which was claimed by the ex-minister of Youth and Sports of R.I. Mr. Roy Suryo four years ago to be the original of the National anthem). When my friend, Mona Lohanda came with a visiting Professor from Tokyo University I discussed about the song and she confirmed that the 3 stanzas version was prepared during the Japanese occupation.

Then I found another version from youtube and it was the Keroncong version recorded by Yo Kim Tjan (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTLRdC4L__8). The video also showed the news in Kompas daily paper.
I tried to find links from the article. The title was “Indonesia raya raib dari Pasar baru” and it was published on SENIN 29 JANUARI 2001.

I met the former CEO of Kompas paper in a meeting with the Governor of Banten in Serang so I asked him to help me send the soft copy of the article.
A few days after I received the text of the article so I could read clearly the story and got a clear clue that the key person to get the information was Ms. Kartika, the daughter of Mr. Yo Kim Tjan. So I began my hunting to find whereabout Ibu Kartika. It was not easy to do so as no historians I know knew her.

It was not till early October when I attended a get together of Global Compact Network as I am one of the members. The meeting was at an old historical school named “Hati Sutji”, a Social foundation established 100 years ago by a famous Chinese lady Ouw Tjoe Lan, the wife of Capitan Lie Tjian Tjoen in Batavia during 1920s. The building has been used to accommodate unwanted children and orphans and provide them with shelter and education.

After the meeting I chit chat with Mr Yoseph Kho, the son of the famous Dr. Kho Tjok Ing, whose wife is the caretaker of the foundation and God mother of all the children in the premises. Knowing that his foundation has been celebrating 100 years, I was sure that he must know lots of people from the past.
When I mentioned the name of Yo Kim Tjan, he convinced me that he knew him well, in fact he is still related to YKT and gave me a number to contact tante KWATTA, the nick name of tante GWAT or Ibu KARTIKA (YO HWIE GWAT).

On the way home, in the car I called the number and from the other end I heard a loud voice, which was still very clear saying that she was Ibu KARTIKA.
So I made an appointment to visit her the next day at 14.00. It was 15 October 2014 I came to her house, which was located behind Harapan Kita Hospital, at Tomang Area. The next day, I came with three different Record players; a very old one, made in 1926, a modern one and another one that can copy directly to USB. I began my interview with two cameras recording the conversation. Tante Kartika began to tell the whole story and I was amazed to find how her memory was still so sharp and her voice was so loud though full of hidden emotion.
During my interview, her nephew, Mr Citra came, apparently he was the one who kept the record of Indonesia Raya. He looked so unfriendly and was very suspicious with my team so without my knowledge, my assistant whom I instructed to video my interview with tante Kartika was rather scared with Citra so he turned off and on the recording. As Mr Citra was very suspicious with our mission I told him that I would leave my record player with the recorded thumb drive and told him to investigate my credibility and invited him to come to my Museum to see the truth of my reason of doing so.

The Result of the interview:

In 1927, WR Soepratman tried to contact a few recording companies in Batavia to record his Music of Indonesia Raya, first he contacted Odeon and rejected.
Then he approached Thio Tek Hong NV, again Mr. Thio refused as he did not want to take the risk of being arrested by Belanda.
Soepratman then asked Mr Yo Kim Tjan to help him record the song, Mr. Yo agreed but suggested that they recorded two versions as the original version of Soepratman singing the song whilst playing a Violin and the Keroncong version. Soepratman, who, at that time also worked as a part time Violinist for MrYo Kim Tjan’s Orkes Populair. YKT was also the owner of Roxi Cinema House as well as Lido in Tanjung Periok. YKT also made a lot of films and produced records.

Mr YKT proposed to record the Keroncong version and sold it in public, so that all Indonesian would have known the tune when one day it became the national anthem, whilst secretly keeping the original version.

With the help of a German technician, Mr YKT secretly did the recording at his house at Jalan Gunung Sahari 37, Batavia.
YKT then sent the master of the Keroncong version to UK to be multiplied and imported back to Batavia to sell at his shops in Batavia and other cities as well.
The one that Wr Soepratman sang was kept in a pressed master on a white plate and kept in a secret place.

Apparently after WR Soepratman sang the Indonesia Raya on the Youth Congress on 28th October 1928, the Dutch Colonial Government smelt the movement for independence among the Nationalist elites and confiscated all the records of Keroncong version, including those on the way to Batavia. The master of the Keroncong version was also unknown where about, perhaps destroyed as well.

During the Japanese occupation, Mrs Kartika who was 16 years of age at that time, remembering the message from Soepratman to secure the master till the
Independent day, Kartika took it with her and kept it carefully during evacuations to Kerawang, Tasik and Garut etc.

In 1947 when Yo Kim Tjan and his family were travelling to Holland and was having dinner in a Chinese Indonesian restaurant in Amsterdam, knowing that the guests were Indonesians, the owner of the Restaurant played Keroncong Music to entertain and YKT had a pleasant surprised the moment he heard his Indonesia Raya in Keroncong was played. He convinced the owner of the restaurant that it was his recording music and showed his passport to check if the name of the recording company is the same with his! At the end he plead to buy the record. So he paid 15 guilders for his lost music!
He was so thrilled to get back his lost treasure so now he could match the two records again.

After the independence, in 1953, Mr YKT wanted to reproduced the record so he approached the person in authority, at that time was Maladi but his application to be allowed to produce the copies of the records were rejected so he was not allowed to do so (see the attached letter from Maladi to YKT in 1953).

In 1957 Mr Kusbini, a song writer, approached him and told YKT that he could help him obtain the copy right license to reproduce the records so YKT handed the record to Kusbini but what happened that Kusbini gave it to the authority and in 1958 YKT got a letter as if he surrendered the Master of the record Voluntarily. He was not happy because he did not give in the Master but lent it as the request to complete his application.
That was the story of the lost of historical and precious property belonged to YKT. It was not surrendered, but it was confiscated!

Now back to my interview:

A few days after he did come and returned my recorded thumb drive but I presented the Turntable for the family so that they can play the records.
After a few hours chit chatting, we found out that he was related to the famous poet and book writer from Tangerang, Mr Oey Kim Tiang, well known as OKT the writer of many Classical Silat (Self Defence) Stories such as Sin thiaw Hiap Liu, Siaw Tiaw Eng Hoing etc. and because he is related to Mr OKT. He is also related to me because my uncle, the younger brother of my father married Mr OKT’s daughter! This was indeed to proof the theory of “ Six Degree Separation”.

After realizing that we are connected one another Mr Citra changed 180 degrees to be very friendly and cooperative so we planned another interview.
In the beginning I wanted tante Kartika to be the guest in the Kick Andy of Metro TV show and I talked to the host of the possibility and could be scheduled for Hari Soempah Pemoeda on 28 October but apparently I need more materials for the program so Mr Andy Noya, the host, advise me to log in for
“Melawan Lupa” program from the same TV channel instead.

I went back to Australia where my family live in Perth, Western Australia.
Early November I came back and on 4th November I called Citra to arrange for an appointment for another interview with Tante Kartika, we agreed. The interview would be for the next day, Thursday, 6 November 2014.
It was at about 10.am when I called and at 12.30 Citra called me and said that tante Kartika got a respiratory problem and I told him to rush to the hospital. But at 15.00 Citra called me again and told me that tante Kartika had passed away!

So the next day, after attending the Nabil Award ceremony at Mulia Hotel, (In the beginning I planned to interview her first then to attend the Award ceremony) I came to St. Carolus Hospital where her body was laid and put the photo of her, holding the Record of Indonesia Raya. In fact I prepared the photo as my respect and gratitude to her story so that she could hang on the wall of her house but instead, I PUT IT IN FRONT OF HER COFFIN, bowing my body in full respect in our Chinese Culture with tears in my eyes and a deep regret that my recording was not complete.
Now I hardened my heart that the mystery of INDONESIA RAYA must be revealed at whatever cost!

I PRESENT THIS STORY FOR THE 70TH BIRTHDAY OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA.

UDAYA HALIM
(owner and founder of Museum Benteng Heritage in Tangerang)