The land, the Dutch, Raffles

JAKARTA (JP): In the 17th century, this region was one of the many targets of the V.O.C, the Dutch trading company, in its bid to take over and monopolize trading, especially that of spices, in Lampung.

Sultan Agung Tirtayasa claimed Lampung as his territory when he ruled Banten until 1683.

According to the Lampung Dalam Angka (Lampung in Figures) report, issued by the Lampung administration in 1998, Banten, at the time, was a busy trading center.

The Dutch were worried that their businesses in Java, Sumatra and Maluku would be affected due to the active trading in Banten.

Sultan Agung's efforts to expand Banten's territory was met with strong opposition from the V.O.C., which was based in Batavia.

To take control of Banten and Sultan Agung, the Dutch conspired to pit the sultan's son, Sultan Haji, against his father.

In his dispute with his father, the young sultan asked the V.O.C for help and pledged that if he won, the Dutch may have full authority over Lampung.

Finally on April 7, 1682, Sultan Haji ousted his father and assumed the throne.

Four months later, the new sultan and his Dutch patrons reached an agreement whereby the V.O.C was given full authority to control the trade of spices and other goods in Lampung.

The first V.O.C fleet, under the command of Van de Schuur, anchored in the Tanjung Tiram waters, off Lampung. The commander had with him a letter of authorization from Sultan Haji.

The mission, however, failed. The local authorities and people apparently refused to bow to Sultan Haji whom they considered to be working with the V.O.C..

The Dutch later realized that the Banten sultanate did not have full authority over Lampung. Banten's representatives, called Jenang (sometimes referred to as governors), only managed the trading of pepper in Lampung. The real rulers of Lampung were the Adipati (regents), who were found in almost every village and town.

When Thomas Stamford Raffles, a British colonial administrator, established a settlement in Lampung in the early 19th century, he too refused to hand the area over to the Dutch, saying the land was never under the Dutch colony.

It was only in 1829 when Raffles left Lampung that the area had its first Dutch ruler.

At the time, the people of Lampung was led by Radin Inten, who since 1817 received strong support from the locals.

In 1825, the Dutch ordered for Radin's capture, but they failed as the latter preemptively attacked and killed a Dutch commander and his personnel.

After Radin Inten's death, his son, Radin Imba Kusuma, took over. In 1834, the Dutch captured and sent Imba Kusuma into exile in Timor.

However, the Dutch still felt insecure because the locals continued their efforts to drive them out of their land. The Dutch then formed mercenary troops by recruiting locals to protect their interests in Telukbetung and surrounding areas.

A son of Imba Kusuma, Radin Inten II, who led attacks against the colonial masters, was captured and killed by the Dutch troops from Batavia.

Since then, the Dutch ruled freely in Lampung. Tobacco, coffee, rubber and oil palm plantations were then rapidly developed. (bsr)