The “Atjeh-party” (Atjeh-party) was the designation used for a group of Dutch and Allied prisoners of war who were initially held by the Japanese in Atjeh during the Second World War and subsequently dispatched as forced labour to work on the Pakan Baroe railway (P. Baroe spoorbaan) in central Sumatra. The term “party” in this context was a translation of the Japanese/Malay usage for a labour detachment or group.
Service on the Pakan Baroe railway
The Atjeh-party was one of several groups of POWs used by the Japanese for the construction of the Pakan Baroe railway, which was intended to connect the east and west coasts of Sumatra for military supply purposes. The working conditions were brutal, and mortality among the forced labourers was very high. Despite the lack of medicines and instruments, medical officers such as F. F. L. Lingen — who belonged to the Atjeh-party — provided extensive medical care that saved many lives during the internment period.
Post-war
After the Japanese capitulation, surviving members of the Atjeh-party were repatriated. Lingen continued to serve as a territorial physician on the East Coast of Sumatra before his own repatriation on 21 June 1950.
Source
Oostkust van Sumatra-Instituut Mededeling No. 37: Deli-Figuren uit de jaren 1950 t/m 1952, compiled by Ir. F. J. J. Dootjes (Amsterdam, 1953).