Van Swieten’s Proclamation of 28 January 1874 was the first public proclamation issued by Lieutenant-General Van Swieten after the capture of the Kraton, addressed to all the chiefs and subordinate territories of the realm of Atjeh. It announced that the Netherlands-Indian Government did not hold the Acehnese resentment for having fought to defend their land and assist their sovereign; that they should now lay down their arms, demolish their fortifications, and return to their homes; and that those who complied would suffer no harm and would even be permitted to harvest their rice from the fields — but those who refused would be held responsible for the consequences.
Full Text
“The Lieutenant-General J. VAN SWIETEN, adjudant of the King in extraordinary service, Commander of the land and naval forces against Atjeh, of the Netherlands-Indian Government.
Makes known to all the chiefs and subordinate territories in the realm of Atjeh:
That the Netherlands-Indian Government does not hold it against the Acehnese that they have fought us to defend their ground and assist their sovereign;
That they however now, being conquered, should honour the conqueror and follow our orders;
That we desire that they lay down their arms, demolish the fortifications around the kampongs, and each return with wife and children to his dwelling place in order to devote himself again to the care for daily sustenance;
That to those who comply with this our express will, no harm shall be done, and it is even permitted to them to harvest their rice from the fields; but that those who do not comply with our desire shall be held responsible for the consequences.
Thus it is.
Given at Penajoeng, the 28th of January 1874 (10 Dzoelhadjie 1290).
(sd.) J. VAN SWIETEN.”
Significance
The proclamation of 28 January was remarkable for its conciliatory tone. Rather than threatening the Acehnese with punishment for their resistance, Van Swieten explicitly acknowledged their right to have defended their land. This was consistent with his broader philosophy — expressed in his dagorder, his letters to the Sultan, and his farewell address — that the Aceh War could only be won through the eventual reconciliation of the Acehnese people to Dutch rule, not through their destruction.
The promise that those who submitted would be permitted to harvest their rice was a practical measure designed to encourage the population to return to their kampongs and resume normal life. The warning that those who refused would be “held responsible for the consequences” was a veiled threat that non-compliance might result in the destruction of kampongs — but the emphasis was on persuasion rather than coercion.
See Also
- Van Swieten’s Proclamation of 31 January 1874
- Jan van Swieten
- Capture of the Kraton (24 January 1874)
- Van Swieten’s Dagorder (20 November 1873)
- Aceh War
Source
De waarheid over onze vestiging in Atjeh, door den Luitenant-Generaal J. van Swieten, Zalt-Bommel, Joh. Noman en Zoon, [1879], Bijlage M, pp. 479.