Sunken 'Onrust' to be raised

Antara, Muara Teweh, Central Kalimantan

As part of its efforts to enhance tourism in North Barito regency, the regental administration is planning to raise the Onrust, a Dutch patrol boat that sank 146 years ago in the Barito River, some three kilometers south of Muara Teweh, the capital of North Barito regency, Central Kalimantan province.

The Dutch vessel ran aground and sank in Dec. 26, 1859, during a battle with natives.

Besides attracting tourists, raising the wreckage of the boat will shed light on the history of North Barito regency, said North Barito regent Achmad Yuliansyah.

"The vessel will be raised after historians finish a book on North Barito regency. The regental administration is also building a museum so that it can house the wreckage of the boat after it has been raised," said Achmad on Thursday.

He said that the regency administration had not decided when the salvage work would begin, but hinted that it would take place during the dry season some time in the future.

The battle between the Dutch troops and the natives which led the sinking of the Onrust made international headlines, and the Dutch nation officially mourned the sinking on Jan. 1, 1860, a few days after news of the incident reached the Netherlands.

However, for the natives of Central Kalimantan, the sinking of the Onrust was their day of glory.

Meanwhile, Mulkeri Inas, the chairman of a team writing the history of North Barito regency, explained that the Onrust was completed in September 1854 in Feyenoord in the Netherlands.

The steam-powered boat was 24 meters long and four meters wide, and was named after an island near Jakarta where convicts were jailed at that time. The vessel could carry 40 passengers and crew.

On the day on which the boat sank, the Dutch had arranged a meeting with a local noble and fighter named Tumenggung Surapati, who was also a friend of national hero Pangeran Antasari. Tumenggung Surapati accepted the Dutch invitation and met the Dutch officers at the ship.

The meeting ended in a fight, and the natives killed the captain of the vessel, Van der Velve, 50 Dutch troops and 43 of the boat's crew. The bodies of the Dutchmen sank along with the boat.