Lam Meuló is the subdistrict headquarters-town and subdistrict of the former division of Pidië in the Noordkust of Atjèh, “with over 26,000 inhabitants” one of the smaller subdistricts of the residency, “comprising the southern part of the Pidië plain, in which the subdistrict headquarters Lam Meuló is located, as well as the adjacent hill and mountain country with the garrison posts of Tangsé and Geumpang as centers.” Piekaar’s Atjèh and the War with Japan treats Lam Meuló as the subdistrict where the successor of Teukoe Oemar of Keumangan — Teuku Ibrahim, son of the pretender-sultan — “established himself as a farmer … where he seemed to keep far away from all politics,” and as the subdistrict that anchored the secondary defense centre of Tangsé-Geumpang.
The subdistrict and its oelèëbalangs
Lam Meuló “bordered on the subdistrict Sigli,” and “also belonged to the former division of Pidië.” It “comprised the southern part of the Pidië plain, in which the subdistrict headquarters Lam Meuló is located, as well as the adjacent hill and mountain country with the garrison posts of Tangsé and Geumpang as centers. All three of these places are located on the transversal road.” The political fragmentation was “possibly even greater than in the Sigli subdistrict. Of the 9 landschap, the landschap Tjoembó’, in which the subdistrict headquarters is located, with 8,500 inhabitants, was by far the most important. As many as 5 smaller landschap counted fewer than 2,000 souls.” Among the oelèëbalangs, “the youthful Teukoe Moehamad Daoed, or in full Teukoe Sri Moeda Pahlawan Béntara Tjoembó’ Moehamad Daoed of the V Moekims Tjoembó’, was the dominant figure,” and “Teukoe Béntara Hasan of Keumala, belonging to the older generation, deserves mention here. In this landschap, the ‘court’ had found a temporary safe haven in 1874 after the Kraton was conquered by the 2nd Aceh expedition.”
The federation of the Kawaj XII
The federation of the Kawaj XII — also called “under ‘Lam Meuló’” — was the political and adat-law umbrella that united a number of mountain landschappen of Lam Meuló with landschappen of the Meulabóh subdistrict. “Of the three mountainous territories — Pameuë, Toengkób and Beutóng — the two first-mentioned at that time formed part of the federation of the Kawaj XII, called under ‘Lam Meuló’.” In the heyday of the gold washings in this region, “these oelèëbalang communities united in the so-called ‘Kawa XII’ formed a prosperous and powerful bloc.” The political alliances — federations XII and VI — “which existed in former times in Pidië … also extended to the oelèëbalangs in this region.”
The successor of Teukoe Oemar of Keumangan
After the 1938 removal of Teukoe Oemar of Keumangan from his dignity, “his successor appeared little in the foreground. Only recently returned from the exile which he had shared with his father, he established himself as a farmer in the subdistrict of Lam Meuló, where he seemed to keep far away from all politics.” This successor was Teuku Ibrahim, son of the pretender-sultan Toeankoe Moehamad Daoed: “the son of the pretendant-sultan, Toeankoe Ibrahim, who was married to a daughter of Teukoe Oemar, the self-governing authority of Keumangan … appeared little in the foreground. Only recently returned from the exile which he had shared with his father, he established himself as a farmer in the subdistrict of Lam Meuló, where he seemed to keep far away from all politics.” The withdrawal of the house from political life left the field open to the religious movement and to the other political figures of the subdistrict.
The defense of Tangsé-Geumpang and the Japanese occupation
Lam Meuló was the gateway to the secondary defense centre of Tangsé-Geumpang. “A secondary defense center would be the mountain villages Tangsé and Geumpang in the subdistrict Lam Meuló. Here too, access was possible along only one motor road, namely along the already earlier … mentioned ‘transversaalweg’, which via Lam Meuló leads to Tangsé and Geumpang and was intended in the future to connect the subdistrict headquarters Sigli and Meulaba, across the central mountain range.” A rural guard “composed entirely of Acehnese” was established in Lam Meuló “on the initiative of the energetic self-government official of Tjoembó’, Teukoe Moehamad Daoed.” On 13 March 1942 the retreating Dutch troops evacuated Lam Meuló; on 16 March “the Japanese vanguard occupied Lam Meuló”; on 18 March “the capitulation of the troop force that had withdrawn to Tangsé and Geumpang took place, after which Tangsé was occupied by the Japanese that same day and Geumpang on 19 March.” “Both in Lam Meuló and in Tangsé, administration was initially placed in the hands of administrative committees consisting of Pusa members and F-men. After some time, however, these made way for an Indonesian ‘gun-chó,’ as such Teukoe Moehamad Daoed of Tjoembó’ was appointed for the entire subdistrict, who held this function until the end of Japanese rule.”
Account from Verkenningen in Atjeh (1923)
Lam Meulo — pronounced Lamló — is the chief place (hoofdplaats) of the onderafdeeling of the same name in the afdeeling Pidië, situated in the great valley of Pidië in surroundings of very beautiful blangs. The place lies still in the valley of Pidië; a road runs along the Kroeeng Baró in southern direction and will in time reach Tangsé, which, surrounded by sawah-plains, will one day play a great part in the connections with Sigli. From Beureunoen on the Atjeh-tram there is a short side-line to Lam Meulo.
Account in du Croo’s Generaal Swart (1943)
H. N. A. Swart put Lam Meulò under Boreel, “one of the bravest officers of the corps”; in 1910 Boreel at Lam Meulò and H. J. Schmidt at Tangsé were the pace-setters in Pidië. In 1911 Van Gheel Gildemeester’s 4th Division killed the notorious Tgk. Moehamat Haroen of Lam Meulò with his principal subordinates and six followers. In January 1913 marechaussée from Lam Meulò found the hiding-place of Tgk. Ma’ Aréh di Lam Goet, and “Central Pidië had been cleared”. In May 1914 an Acehnese attacked the sentry at Lam Meulò out of maloe. In 1936 Lam Meulò was one of the last four sub-divisions still governed by officers.
Maréchaussée station (1910)
the 1930 jubilee number of Het Nieuws van den Dag voor Nederlandsch-Indië records the stations assigned to the Korps Maréchaussée in 1910: 1st Division at Blang Kedjeren; 2nd Division at Meulaboh; 3rd Division at Takèngan; 4th Division at Lam Meulo; and 5th Division at Lho Soekon, “zooals zij ook thans nog gelegerd is” — where it was still quartered at the time of the 1930 jubilee. Lam Meulo was the station of the 4th Division.
Earlier, in 1898, the corps had been localised with its Staff at Koeta Radja and its divisions at Selimoen, Indrapoeri, Tjot Mantjang and Glé Broet, Tjot Goet, and Lam Baroe and Lho’-Nga.
See Also
- 16 March
- 1938
- 1942
- Geumpang
- Keumangan
- Pidië
- Poesa
- Sigli
- Tangsé
- Teukoe Oemar of Keumangan
- Teungkoe Moehamad Daoed Beureu-éh
- Verkenningen in Atjeh (1923)
- H. N. A. Swart
- General Swart, Pacifier of Atjeh (1943)
- Pacificatie van Atjeh
- Atjeh
- Het Korps Maréchaussée in Atjeh (Jubileum-nummer 1930)
- Korps Maréchaussée te voet in Atjeh en Onderhoorigheden
- Divisie (Maréchaussée)
Account from Land en Volk van Atjeh Vroeger en Nu
Place on the transversaal road from Sigli area toward Tangsé.
Source: J. Jongejans, Land en Volk van Atjeh Vroeger en Nu (Baarn: Hollandia Drukkerij N.V., c. 1938), pp. 60.
Source
Atjèh and the War with Japan, by Dr. A. J. Piekaar, translated from the Dutch original Atjèh en de oorlog met Japan (1949) (‘s-Gravenhage/Bandung: N.V. Uitgeverij W. van Hoeve; English edition), Chapter I §§ 2–3, Chapter II, Chapter IV, Chapter V § 2.
Verkenningen in Atjeh, by Dr. R. Broersma (De Locomotief, October 1923), passim.
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), Chapter XI, XII, XV, XVII.
Het Korps Maréchaussée in Atjeh: De Atjehsche Garde, 1890 - 2 April 1930 (“The Corps of Maréchaussée in Atjeh: The Atjehnese Guard”), Extra Jubileum-nummer of Het Nieuws van den Dag voor Nederlandsch-Indië issued for the fortieth anniversary of the corps (1930), pp. 1-16. Offprint DLP-143, Bibliotheek KITLV, accession 621 116 794.
Land en Volk van Atjeh Vroeger en Nu, by J. Jongejans, Oud-Resident van het Gewest Atjeh en Onderhoorigheden, with a foreword by Dr. H. Colijn (Baarn: Hollandia Drukkerij N.V., c. 1938), pp. 60.