Generaal Vetter served as government commissioner (regeringscommissaris) to Atjeh in the immediate aftermath of the 1896 defection of T. Oema. His temporary appointment—with three battalions of infantry as reinforcement—represented the first direct military response to the collapse of the alliance policy, and his actions laid the groundwork for the permanent strategic shift implemented by Van Heutsz in 1898.
The 1896 commission
Following the defection of Toekoe Djohan (the defector T. Oema) and the failure of Deykerhoff’s alliance strategy, the supreme authority sent Generaal Vetter to Atjeh as government commissioner. He arrived with three battalions of infantry as temporary reinforcement—a clear signal that direct military action was now preferred over proxy alliances.
Vetter’s immediate task was to defeat Toekoe Djohan and drive him and his bands out of Groot-Atjeh. This he accomplished. Through continued military action, the fallen-away XXVI Moekims were again cleansed of enemies, and part of the XXII Moekims was also treated—though these could not be entirely subdued.
The significance of the young Polim’s guardianship
During Vetter’s administration, the young Panglima Polim remained under guardianship, yet affairs in the XXII Moekims continued on the old footing—precisely demonstrating the special significance of the Polim family. Unlike other chiefs—such as Habib Abdoer Rahman, Teungkoe di Tiro, or Toekoe Oemar himself—who disappeared when their persons left the stage, the family of the Polims persisted. “Polim est mort, vive Polim!” made Panglima Polim effectively immortal, and only the submission of the head of the family could end the struggle.
Once Vetter had taught the defector a sufficient lesson to discourage him from venturing into Groot-Atjeh for the foreseeable future, he handed over his task to the newly appointed civil and military governor, Generaal De Moulin (June 1895). The brief but decisive intervention of Vetter confirmed that military action—rather than negotiated alliance—was the only viable path to pacification.
See Also
- Joannes Benedictus van Heutsz
- Generaal De Moulin
- T. Oema
- Panglima Polim
- Aceh War
- XXII Moekims
- XXVI Moekims
Source
Het einde van den Atjeh Oorlog (Overprintken uit de Evening Post van 25, 26 en 27 Augustus 1903, pp. 11-13); Somer, Dr. J. M. Het Atjeh-probleem van 1890-1900 (Overprint uit Journal / Organ van de Netherlands-Indies Officers Association, [1935], pp. 6-7).