1797. The British were eventually expelled although the town was reduced to rubble. A new British attack was likewise defeated in 1811. After the British occupation of Java, Kupang finally surrendered in January 1812. The British returned the town to the Dutch in 1816. The political strongman in the early 19th century was Jacobus Arnoldus Hazaart who governed Dutch Timor as Resident in 1810-12, 1814�18 and 1819�32 and handled matters without much interference from the colonial government in Batavia. During his time the Christian mission made a deeper impact through the efforts of the missionary Reint LeBruyn (1799-1829). The town was opened to foreign trade in 1825 and fees were abolished three years later. Kupang was often visited by whalers from Britain and North America. However, the relocation of whale hunting areas made Kupang a less lively place in the late 19th century, although it was a free port after 1866. The five small kingdoms that surrounded the town area (the Helong kingdom of Kupang, Sonbai Kecil, Amabi, Taebenu and Funai) were merged into the zelfbesturend landschap (self-ruling territory) Kupang in 1917, but in spite of the name it did not include the town itself. From 1918 to 1955 it was governed by the Nisnoni family, a branch of the Sonbai Dynasty.
In the early twentieth century, the city was used for landing and refueling by long distance airplane flights between Europe and Australia. It was occupied by the Japanese in 1942-1945, and much of the old town was destroyed by allied bombing. During the time of the Indonesian revolution 1945-1949 there was nationalist agitation in Kupang, but no actual fighting. Kupang was part of the colonial pseudo-state East Indonesia that was set up by the Dutch, and the town area was included in the zelfbesturend landschap Kupang. The latter was phased out after the achievement of independence. Kupang was an important location during the conflict in East Timor, for the Indonesian military, as well as the
