Khe Pandjang, also known as Khe Sepanjang, Que Pandjang, Si Pandjang, or Sie Pan Djiang was an 18th-century Indonesian military leader. Pandjang fought against Dutch forces during the
Java War (1741–1743)
The Java War of 1741 to 1743 was an armed struggle by a joint Chinese and Javanese army against the Dutch East India Company and pro-Dutch Javanese that took place in central and eastern Java. Ending in victory for the Dutch, the war led ...
.
Biography
Origin
Pandjang was originally from
Batavia, a Dutch colony in
Java
Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
. Batavia had been under Dutch control since 1619, when the
Dutch East India Company
The United East India Company ( ; VOC ), commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered company, chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States Ge ...
had established a city of the same name. To develop the colony, the Dutch had allowed for thousands of Chinese immigrants to settle in Batavia. Over the next century, these immigrants developed a wealthy community within the Dutch colony. This wealth bred some resentment between the Chinese and the local population.
In the 1730s, a devastating
malaria
Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...
outbreak exacerbated issues between the Dutch, Sumatran, and Chinese communities. By 1740, this unrest had grown significantly, resulting in the Dutch colonial authorities cracking down on the rights of Batavia’s Chinese population. When the Chinese community (which numbered around 10,000 people)
resisted these efforts, the Dutch governor-general of Batavia (
Adriaan Valckenier
Adriaan Valckenier (6 June 1695 – 20 June 1751) served as Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies from 1737 to 1741. He is primarily known for his role in the 1740 Batavia massacre. Valckenier was arrested for his involvement in 1742 and su ...
) ordered the deportation or killing of the Chinese. This order resulted in the
1740 Batavia massacre
The 1740 Batavia massacre (; ) was a massacre and pogrom of ethnic Chinese residents of the port city of Batavia, Dutch East Indies, (present-day Jakarta) in the Dutch East Indies. It was carried out by European soldiers of the Dutch East Ind ...
, during which thousands of Chinese were killed by the Dutch and Sumatrans.
In the midst of the massacre, Khe Pandjang is recorded as having led a group of fleeing Chinese to
Kampung Gading Melati. They were soon besieged by 800 Dutch soldiers and several thousand Sumatrans. However, the Chinese were able to break the siege and escape. Having fled Batavia, Pandjang and some of his followers escaped across the
Sunda Strait
The Sunda Strait () is the strait between the Indonesian islands of Java island, Java and Sumatra. It connects the Java Sea with the Indian Ocean.
Etymology
The strait takes its name from the Sunda Kingdom, which ruled the western portion of Ja ...
to the island of
Java
Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
.
[Setiono, Benny G. (2008). ''Tionghoa dalam Pusaran Politik'' 'Indonesia's Chinese Community under Political Turmoil''(in Indonesian). Jakarta: TransMedia Pustaka. . pp. 111, 114–116, 119, 147–152, 157]
Rebellion in Java
Upon arriving in Western Java, Pandjang attempted to lead his group to
Banten
Banten (, , Pegon alphabet, Pegon: بنتن) is the westernmost Provinces of Indonesia, province on the island of Java, Indonesia. Its capital city is Serang and its largest city is Tangerang. The province borders West Java and the Special Capi ...
. However, the local ruler of Banten blocked the roads and barred the Chinese from entering the city.
Having been repulsed, Pandjang instead headed for
Semarang
Semarang (Javanese script, Javanese: , ''Kutha Semarang'') is the capital and largest city of Central Java province in Indonesia. It was a major port during the Netherlands, Dutch Dutch East Indies, colonial era, and is still an important regio ...
, stopping in villages and towns to gather Chinese support for his army. Unlike the Sumatrans, many Javanese did not have an aversion to the Chinese, and a number of local leaders allowed the Chinese insurgents to operate inside their domains. As news of the Dutch actions in Batavia spread, many Chinese rose up in revolt in an attempt to seize control of Java and form a new nation. Pandjang allied himself with these Chinese rebels during what would become known as the Java War, and would become a noted military commander during the conflict.
In 1741, Pandjang and his insurgents captured the city of
Bekasi
Bekasi (, ) is the
List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city with the largest population in the province of West Java, Indonesia, located on the eastern border of Jakarta. It serves as a commuter town, commuter city within the Jakarta m ...
in West Java.
They held the city until being forced out by a local ruler, after which loss they joined a pro-Chinese Javanese army to capture
Tegal
Tegal is a city in the northwest part of Central Java of Indonesia. It is situated on the north coast (or ''pesisir'') of the province of Central Java, about from Semarang, the capital of the province. It had a population of 239,599 at the 2010 ...
.
In June 1742, Pandjang and a Javanese commander consolidated their forces and successfully took control of
Kartosuro
Kartasura (, also spelled Kartosuro) is a district ''(kecamatan)'' in Sukoharjo Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. Kartasura is considered Surakarta's satellite city and a junction of highways to Yogyakarta and Semarang. It can be reached within ...
.
However, the war in other parts of the island went poorly for the rebels, and by July 1742 the Dutch had reestablished control over much of the island. Pandjang and his forces held Kartosuro until December, but were then forced to retreat to
Prambanan
Prambanan (, , Javanese script, Hanacaraka: ꦫꦫꦗꦺꦴꦁꦒꦿꦁ) is a 9th-century Hindu temple, Hindu Candi of Indonesia, temple compound in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, in southern Java, Indonesia, dedicated to the Trimurti, Trimūr ...
, pursued by a Dutch army.
The rebels surrendered in early 1743, but Pandjang escaped capture and fled.
[ Raffles, Thomas Stamford (1830) ]817
__NOTOC__
Year 817 ( DCCCXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place Europe
* Summer – Emperor Louis I issues an ''Ordinatio Imperii'', an imperial decree that lays out plans for an orderl ...
''The History of Java
''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
''. 2. London: Black. OCLC
OCLC, Inc. See also: is an American nonprofit cooperative organization "that provides shared technology services, original research, and community programs for its membership and the library community at large". It was founded in 1967 as the ...
312809187. pp. 244 He was last sighted in Bali in 1758.
See also
*
List of people who disappeared
{{Short description, Lists of people of unknown locations and statusLists of people who disappeared include those whose current whereabouts are unknown, or whose deaths are unsubstantiated:
Many people who disappear are eventually declared dead ' ...
References
{{reflist
1750s missing person cases
18th-century soldiers
Chinese soldiers
18th-century Chinese military personnel
Indonesian military personnel
Indonesian people of Chinese descent
Missing person cases in Indonesia