See Aceh History, Kerkhof Peutjoet and Dutch Pain
"My Lord, Governor-General. My lord, on the pretext that is sought for at least by fictitious reasons of provocation, is now declaring war on the Sultan of Aceh with the intention of seizing the sovereignty of his land. My lord, this deed is not only ungrateful, not noble or dishonest, but also unwise. "
This is the contents of a letter written by a Multatuli poet. He is the pen name of the famous Dutchman, Dowes Dakker. The letter was written when Multatuli heard a whisper that the Kingdom of the Netherlands will soon attack the Sultanate of Aceh. The open letter entitled Brief aan den koning (Letter to the King) was sent in October 1872, a few months before the Dutch East Indies declared war on Aceh on March 26, 1873, 142 years ago.
The Acehnese historian, Rusdi Sufi, mentioned that the Letter to the King was written Multatuli to remind the Dutch king not to attack Aceh. Because, Multatuli worry that the Netherlands will qualify if still attacked the sultanate located at the entrance of the Straits of Melaka. "Attacking Aceh aka tone malapetakanya," said Rusdi Sufi.
Multatuli warning letter is not unreasonable. According to Rusdi, a professor of history at Syiah Kuala University, the Sultanate of Aceh was the first to express support for Dutch sovereignty, when the Windmill state still fought against Spain for 80 years in its independence.
In the midst of the war of independence, the Sultan of Aceh Darussalam Alaidin Riayatsyah, in 1602 AD, sent two envoys with a letter of support to the King of the Netherlands. The two diplomatic envoys of the Sultan of Aceh were Abdul Hamid and Amir Hasan.
"They both died in the Netherlands. Abdul Hamid was old and could not stand the winter, "explained Rusdi Sufi again. Both are buried there.
Despite strong criticism, the King of the Netherlands remains dark eyes. At 26 Muharram 1290 H or coinciding on March 26, 1873, on the deck of the Citadel van Antwerpen, the Dutch East Indies Vice President F. Nieuwenhuijzen declared war on Aceh. At that time, the ship Citadel van Antwerpen was sailing between the land of Aceh and Sabang Island.
"There are several reasons why the Dutch want to fight against Aceh," said Rusdi, "among them for fear that later this region will be taken by another colonial and also because it is the most staregis place because of the entrance of the sea lane."
Fighting Aceh, the Dutch deployed six warships. In addition to Citadel van Antwerpen, there are also Coehoorm ships, Soerabaya, Sumatera, Marnix, and Djambi. The Dutch also deployed the Navy ships of Siak and Bronbeek. On Monday, April 16, 1873, a month later, Major General J.H.R Kohler landed with his troops at Pante Ceureumen, Ulee Lheue, Banda Aceh.
Intelligence whispers that the heart of Aceh's blight is at the Baiturrahman Great Mosque. Be, Kohler directs his war army to Baiturrahman. Naas, while in front of the wooden mosque, under a geulumpang tree, Kohler shrieked loudly.
"Oh, my God ... I'm hit," he winced as he held his chest. He fell down instantly.
The Dutch soldiers rushed to see General Kohler dead in blood. They retreated and the Indies reaped its first defeat.
"Aceh is not subdued, not on that day nor after. This is a long war story that the Dutch called Aceh Oorlog or Aceh War, "the story of Rusdi Sufi.
WARNING against Aceh, the Netherlands reap the pain and loss of the incomparable. At Tanah Seulanga, they lost four generals and over 2,200 troops. The soldiers were buried in a public graveyard in the Blang Padang area, south of the Baiturrahman Great Mosque. This grave is called Kerkhof Peutjoet. This is the final resting place of Dutch troops who are dying in the hands of the Acehnese warriors.
Kerkhof Peutjoet also bears witness that the Dutch must pay a pricey war against Aceh.
Kerkhof, often also called the Dutch Tomb, is located on Jalan Sultan Iskandar Muda, hidden behind the grandeur of the Tsunami Museum building. From Teuku Umar Street, Dutch Tombs can be seen from a distance. Kerkhof is visited by local, national, and foreign tourists. Usually, after looking at the Tsunami Museum, the tourists took a chance to visit Kerkhof.
Entering Kerkhof, we will be greeted by a curved high wall. The gate was built in 1893, which is made of brick. On it was written "For our fallen companions on the battlefield. Written in four languages: Dutch, Arabic, Malay, and Javanese.
The gate was built as a form of homage to the first lieutenant J.J.P Weijerman who was killed in a combat near the Siem Mosque, Kroeng Kale on October 20, 1883.
The book of De hel den serie vol. 8 pages 25 published by the 1940 Atjehsch Leger Museum (museum of Dutch soldiers in Aceh) states, "Luitent Weijerman was de eerste officer die op peutjoet na de oprachting van de monumentele poor ter aarde werd besdteld (Lieutenant Weijerman was the first officer to be buried in Peutjeoet after Peutjoet was equipped with a gate of honor). "
To the left of the gate is engraved "In memory of Generaal - Majoor JHR Kohler, Gesneuveld, April 14, 1873". Meanwhile on the right side is written the sentence "In Memoriam Luitenant - Colonel W.B. J.A Scheepens Overleden 17 October 1913 ". Under the sentence is also written J.H.J Brendgen VRIEND VAN Aceh.
According to Amri, Kerkhof's caretaker, the names printed on the walls of the gates are the soldiers killed in various locations of the battles. Their names are sorted by that exact name. There are Teunom, Lambesoi, Koewala, Sigli, Olee Karang, Samalanga, Stables and others that occurred from 1873 to 1910.
The names are not only those who are Dutch nationals. We will also easily find the names of Ambon, Manado, Java, and other nations. Because, the Dutch soldiers - in addition to using the Dutch army - also came from the natives.
"Not all of them are from the Netherlands but there are other Marsose troops coming from Java, Ambon and Manado brought here," Amri pointed to the reliefs.
"Well if the Dutch soldier in his last name is a sign of EF / F Art. If Ambon with AMB sign, Manado is written MND while if from Java identity with If or Inlander Fuselier, "said Amri.
KERKHOF comes from the Dutch word meaning grave or church yard. Peutjoet is a nickname of Sultan Iskandar Muda's favorite crown prince whose grave has long been in the compound.
Indeed, there was buried the crown prince Sultan Iskandar Muda Meurah Pupok or Poe Cut. Meurah Pupok beheaded because it violated Islamic law in the kingdom of Aceh Darussalam. Tomb of Meurah Pupok is in a small fence on the left side under a big tree. The grave is different from the others. In that place has a motif of Aceh Stone on its tombstone. The grave is also sheltered by a bushy old tree whose roots have also protruded from the ground.
"Poe Cut is a favorite call in Aceh. He is the son of the Sultan who was executed by his own father for alleged wrongdoing, "said Rusdi Sufi. "At that time no one dared to punish because he is the son of the Sultan. Then Iskandar Muda punished himself. "
At that time many of which forbade the Sultan because Meurah Pupok is the only son and is the crown prince's son. So the Sultan said "Matee aneuk meupat jirat, matee adat pat tamita." The word wise is remembered until now.
Kerkhof land was previously belonged to the Kingdom of Aceh Darussalam, long before the Dutch came and attacked Aceh. "So the tomb of the Sultan's son has been there for a long time and the Dutch very appreciate it so it is not destroyed," the story of this Leiden University dropout, Netherlands. "But no one knows the other two tombs belong to whom the archaeologists themselves have not done the eschatological controls to research."
Before becoming a cemetery complex, this land was a garden belonging to a rich Jew named Bolchover, who by the Acehnese because of the difficulty of pronunciation gradually became a Blower. He is also buried in the area. "Many of the Jewish descendants who owned land in Aceh first, such as the Social House land, also have Jews," he said Rusdi.
Kerkhof complex has been around since 1880. But after that this place is less well maintained. In 1979, one of the former KNEIL soldiers named J.H.J Brendgen saw this and was concerned because without the fence and fear of being damaged. They also founded Stichting Peutjut Fonds since January 29, 1976. Lieutenant General F. Van der Veen who was a former officer from Korp Marchausse who had served in Aceh became the first chairman of the foundation.
"This is a reminder that there has been a major war and evidence of the strength of the Acehnese. There are four Dutch generals who died here. As for the Diponogoro war alone, the Dutch only sent captain-level soldiers, "said Rusdi Sufi who is also a representative of Peutjut Fond Foundation in Aceh. "This asset becomes important, historic. If lost, just be a story, so folklore like a fairy tale, "he said.
The four Dutch generals killed in Aceh were Major General J.H.R Kohler, Major General J.L.J.H. Pel, Demmeni and General J.J.K. De Moulin. Minus Kohler, the three Generals were buried in the Kerut Peutjoet Complex. This became a "pride" for the Dutch who had served in Aceh, who declared if he died to be buried in Peutjoet, in the midst of all his comrades in arms.
General Van Heutsz during the Aceh War also gave a similar message. He wanted to be buried in Kerkhof if he died while on duty in Aceh. But his wish was not achieved. Although his body was full of war wounds, he did not die here. The officers who died young even wrote the message "Zegaan mujn moeder dat lk mijin best hrb gedaan (Tell my mother that I have done the job as well as good).
Kohler himself, though killed in front of Masjid Raya Baiturrahman but he was buried deep in Batavia there. In 1978 at the request of the Dutch family and government, when Tanah Abang, Jakarta, would be evicted for a shopping center, the bones of the general were moved.
In addition to Peutjuet, there used to be the Dutch Soldier Tugu, a mass grave in Lampade and Oedjong Peunajong Banda Aceh. But now the trail is no longer readable.
Yayasan Peutjut continues to provide funds for maintenance and refurbishment as well as other costs with also assisted by the Department of Tourism. "They are still emotionally attached to this place, but the funds continue to decrease every year," please Rusdi Sufi.
LOSS The largest Dutch Cemetery Complex outside the Netherlands is still crowded with visitors. Not many indeed, but among them there are cameramen who came to make a documentary. There was also a Dutch tourist named Mar Sarens. Reddish-brown hair was shoulder-length, sunglasses pinned to his forehead. He came from Medan, North Sumatra.
"First time I see this feeling pain (when I see it first hurts it)," Mar Sarens said after walking around. "Then I was surprised at the extent, touched because this place is still there and very interesting because we remember with this way (because we can remember this way)."
The woman told me that it was a little difficult to get information about this complex location but her father used to tell her about the Aceh war, so felt compelled to visit her. When I know there are many other places related to his country "Why I do not know ya?" He said.
Before rushing home Mar Sarens meets the demand of other visitors who ask for a photo together. "Oh I love Aceh people," he said as he stood up and made various styles and even asked to be photographed with his camera.
Shortly thereafter came Jasmine van Der land, he walked with his friend from the Tsunami Museum because people said he had to come here. Wearing a batik bracket with blue braided hair, she was surprised to see this complex.
"There are so many," he said.
When he learned that there was an institution set up in the Netherlands to fund this place, he was confused and lost a smile.
"For what?" He asked. "Oh, that's their right," he adds when he gets an explanation that it's being financed by some of the army families buried there.
"Colonialism is not something to be proud of at least for me," Jasmine said before leaving. []
Source: acehkita.com
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