Bijlage II — Notulen der conferentie van 18 Juni 1896 — Notulen der conferentie van den gouverneur-generaal met den generaal-majoor J. J. K. de Moulin op 18 Juni 1896, omtrent de op Atjeh te volgen politiek — is the minutes of the conference held between Governor-General Jhr. C. H. A. van der Wijck and Generaal-Majoor J. J. K. de Moulin at Buitenzorg on 18 June 1896, at which de te volgen gedragsregels (the rules of conduct to be followed) in Atjeh were laid down. The minutes — signed by De Moulin and Van der Wijck — are preserved as the second annex (Bijlage II) of Kruisheer’s ATJEH ‘96 — Tweede Deel on pp. 166–167, and are the principal policy document of the second semester of 1896.
The Policy Framework
The conference of 18 June 1896 — held two weeks before De Moulin’s appointment as Civiel en Militair Gouverneur was announced — laid down the policy framework within which the second semester of 1896 would be conducted. The Governor-General opened by stating that om aan het in Groot-Atjeh behaald succes blijvende waarde te geven, dient er naar gestreefd te worden, Tockoe Oemar in handen te krijgen of hem, althans de materieele middelen afhandig te maken, waarover hij nog beschikt (to give lasting value to the success achieved in Great Aceh, an effort must be made to capture Toekoe Oemar or at least to deprive him of the material means at his disposal). The geconcentreerde linie (concentrated line) was to remain the kern (core) of the Dutch occupation of Groot-Atjeh; binnen de linie absolute order and peace were to prevail; buiten de linie, after the recent successful operations in the VI Moekims, IV Moekims, the Lam-Krakstreek, Montassik and the XXVI Moekims, sufficient ontzag (awe) for Dutch power had been inspired — but it was now above all important den hoofden en bevolking aldaar te doen begrijpen, dat zij ongestraft geene vijandelijkheden meer tegen ons kunnen plegen en hen langzamerhand tot gehoorzaamheid te dwingen (to make the chiefs and population there understand that they can no longer commit hostilities against us with impunity, and to force them gradually into obedience).
The Restriction on Postenstelsel
The Governor-General further laid down that tot een postenstelsel, behalve dat van onze geconcentreerde stelling, niet mag worden overgegaan — no system of posts, other than that of the concentrated line, was to be undertaken. The holding of any individual point could only be van voorloopigen aard (provisional), and any permanent occupation beyond the geconcentreerde linie (concentrated line) would require the decision of the Opperbestuur (Supreme Government). This restriction — the geen postenstelsel policy — was the principal constraint within which the second semester of 1896 would be conducted, and its modification by the telegram of 18 July 1896 — which authorised the bezetting of points beyond the geconcentreerde linie (concentrated line) on condition of continuous replenishment — would be the principal policy shift of the second semester.
The Contra-Guerilla Discussion
When the Governor-General enquired whether a contra-guerilla could not be organised against the hostile bands, Generaal De Moulin replied that dit punt door hem zal worden overwogen (this point would be considered by him), but that, in his view, voor eene afdoende bestrijding der benden noodig is medewerking der bevolking zelve en vooral een goede spionnendienst (for an effective struggle against the bands, the cooperation of the population itself and above all a good spy service were necessary). Generaal de Moulin verklaart volkomen met de door den Gouverneur-Generaal ontwikkelde inzichten te kunnen instemmen — General De Moulin declared that he could fully agree with the views developed by the Governor-General. This conference, held two weeks before De Moulin ever set foot in Atjeh as governor, thus became the policy framework within which Stemfoort and Van Vliet would govern for the next six months.
Significance
Bijlage II is significant in the documentary record of ATJEH ‘96 — Tweede Deel as the principal policy document of the second semester of 1896. The conference of 18 June 1896 — held between the Governor-General and the officer appointed to succeed Vetter as governor — laid down the policy framework within which the second semester would be conducted, and the geen postenstelsel restriction which it imposed would be the principal constraint on the Dutch forward movement of the second semester. The conference’s pacificatie (pacification) framework would be supplemented, but not replaced, by the 18 July 1896 telegram of Van der Wijck — the beheersching (domination programme) programme which authorised the bezetting of points beyond the geconcenteerd linie. The conference was, however, ingetrokken (withdrawn) by the Instruction for Civiel en Militair Gouverneur Van Vliet (Bijlage III) of November 1896, which consolidated all prior policy documents into a single instruction.
See Also
- ATJEH ‘96 — Tweede Deel (book by A. Kruisheer)
- Jhr. C. H. A. van der Wijck
- J. J. K. de Moulin
- J. W. Stemfoort
- C. P. J. van Vliet
- Bijlage I — Instruction of the Regeeringscommissaris (28 June 1896)
- Instruction for Civiel en Militair Gouverneur Van Vliet
- Geconcenteerde Linie
- Postenstelsel
- Beheersching
- Pasenstelsel (September–October 1896)
- Stemfoort’s Second Tenure as Civiel en Militair Gouverneur (11 July – 17 November 1896)
- Aceh War
- 1896
- 18 June
- 1913
Source
ATJEH ‘96. Tweede Deel (2c Deel), door A. Kruisheer, Kapitein der Infanterie O.I.L., met 3 kaarten en 6 portretten (Weltevreden: N.V. Boekhandel Visser & Co, 1913). Instituut Kern, Leiden. OCR-filename: 20260715_163243_DLP-90-Atjeh_96_DLP-89-Atjeh_96_Met_3_kaarten_en_6_DOORA_KRUISHEER_Kapiteinder_Infanterie_nemoretriever-ocr-v1_OCR.txt., pp. 162–167 (Bijlage II — Notulen der conferentie van 18 Juni 1896), 171–172 (withdrawal clause of Bijlage III).