After independence, Indonesia experienced chaos, especially in Surabaya, due to the return of the colonizers and conflicts between 1946 and 1949. The people of Surabaya struggled to recover from their devastation, but economic conditions remained difficult, with shortages of basic foodstuffs. The Surabaya branch of the KNI and the Chinese community, through the Siang Hwee organization, tried to help, but there was not enough food.