Pang Tjoet Bén is a subject named in *General Swart, Pacifier of Atjeh (1943) by [[Maurice Henri du Croo|M. H. du Croo, in connection with the history of Atjeh and the governorship of H. N. A. Swart.
Account in du Croo’s Generaal Swart (1943)
From T. Dagang
T. Dagang recurs repeatedly in Swart’s private letters to Schmidt. In the letter of 26 December 1909 Swart wrote: “During your stay at Tangsé you will of course do everything to put an end to the existence of T. Dagang and his war-leader Pang Tjoet Bén. Once T. Dagang has fallen, Keutjhi’ Bén Man will come back of his own accord, while Keutjhi’ Maha and Pang Brahim must then simply be cleared up by the garrison of Tangsé. So once more: take T. Dagang and Pang Tjoet Bén specially upon your own account.”
From Tangsé
In 1910 Schmidt at Tangsé and Boreel at Lam Meulò became the pace-setters in Pidië. Swart’s letter of 26 December 1909 instructed him: “During your stay at Tangsé you will of course do everything to put an end to the existence of T. Dagang and his panglima Pang Tjoet Bén. Once T. Dagang has fallen, Keutjhi’ Bén Man will come back of his own accord, while Keutjhi’ Maha and Pang Brahim must then simply be cleared up by the garrison of Tangsé.” T. Dagang eluded Schmidt for years and finally submitted in 1913, when Schmidt was on leave in Holland: “Tangsé was clean.”
From Swart’s letters to Schmidt (1909-1913)
They are, du Croo wrote, “characteristic both of the manner in which Swart corresponded privately with his most trusted collaborators and of certain frictions with the army command, which in fact ended only when Swart became lieutenant-general.” The letter of 26 December 1909 promises T. Radja Moeda Seudagan six breech-loaders when his koeta is ready and an advance of two or three hundred guilders, and instructs Schmidt to end the existence of T. Dagang and his panglima Pang Tjoet Bén at Tangsé, then to go to Geumpang against Keudjroeën Leupoe and his sons. That of 26 September 1911 reports the interview with the new Governor-General Idenburg at Sabang on 14 December, the farewell to van Heutsz on 22 December, the death of Tgk. Ma’at and the instruction to Scheurleer concerning Pang Bintang, and offers Schmidt Tgk. di Barat as his next object. That of 9 December 1911 concerns his own promotion. Du Croo defended the practice by citing Idenburg’s letter to van Heutsz of 15 September 1908: “the advantage of private correspondence is that it is personal and that one can say exactly what one thinks about a matter.”
See Also
- T. Dagang
- Tangsé
- Swart’s letters to Schmidt (1909-1913)
- H. N. A. Swart
- General Swart, Pacifier of Atjeh (1943)
- Atjeh
Source
Generaal Swart, Pacificator van Atjeh (“General Swart, Pacifier of Atjeh”), by M. H. du Croo, Colonel K.N.I.L. (retired), with the collaboration of H. J. Schmidt, Titular Colonel K.N.I.L. (retired), with a foreword by His Excellency Lieutenant-General K.N.I.L. (retired) G. K. Dijkstra (Maastricht: N.V. Leiter-Nypels, 1943), passim.