Proclamation of 22 March 1873 was the official manifesto issued by Commander-in-Chief General J. H. R. Köhler on 22 March 1873, formally stating the war aims of the Dutch East Indies Government and precipitating the invasion of the Aceh Sultanate by the First Aceh Expedition.
Text and War Aims
Issued on board the flagship before landing at Meuraxa, the Proclamation of 22 March 1873 declared that the purpose of the military expedition was “to compel the rulers of the State of Aceh by force of arms to satisfy the demands set by the Government.”
In his 1875 historical assessment, General G. G. Booms emphasized that the objectives defined in the Proclamation of 22 March 1873 were broad and political, rather than restricted to the mere tactical capture of Kraton of Aceh.
Debate Over Strategic Objectives
General G. G. Booms cited the Proclamation of 22 March 1873 to refute critics like General F. V. A. de Stuers who claimed that the capture of the kraton was the sole required success of the First Aceh Expedition. Because the proclamation demanded the complete submission of the Acehnese leadership, Booms argued that the Dutch East Indies Government should have planned for a long-term occupation and adequately provisioned the army before launching the 1873 campaign.
See Also
Source
Over de eerste expeditie tegen Atjeh: Een antwoord aan Generaal de Stuers, G. G. Booms, ‘s-Gravenhage: A. van Hoogstraten & Zoon, 1875, pp. 8-10.