The Kuta Reh massacre ( nl, Bloedbad van Koetoh Reh, id, Tragedi Benteng Kuta Reh) was committed by the

Royal Netherlands East Indies Army The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army ( nl, Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger; KNIL, ) was the military force maintained by the Kingdom of the Netherlands in its colony of the Dutch East Indies, in areas that are now part of Indonesia. Th ...

(KNIL) on 14 June 1904 in present-day Kuta Rih, Aceh during the

Aceh War The Aceh War ( id, Perang Aceh), also known as the Dutch War or the Infidel War (1873–1913), was an armed military conflict between the Sultanate of Aceh and the Kingdom of the Netherlands which was triggered by discussions between represen ...

. Troops of the '' Korps Marechaussee te voet'' under general G.C.E. van Daalen defeated the defenders of the fortified village and massacred most of its inhabitants.

Attack and massacre

The Alas villagers of the

kampung A kampong (''kampung'' in Malay and Indonesian) is the term for a village in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and a "port" in Cambodia. The term applies to traditional villages, especially of the indigenous people, and has also been used ...

Kuta Reh had decided not to

surrender Surrender may refer to: * Surrender (law), the early relinquishment of a tenancy * Surrender (military), the relinquishment of territory, combatants, facilities, or armaments to another power Film and television * ''Surrender'' (1927 film), an ...

after the Dutch annexation of the Aceh Sultanate in 1903. They only had an earthen wall and 75 old-fashioned muzzleloaders for defense. Van Daalen, who was accustomed to using a 'complete surrender or complete death' tactic, ordered the village to be attacked. In the ensuing massacre, 313 men, 189 women and 59 children were shot dead. Two of the Dutch attackers were also killed. About the attack, adjutant J.C.J. Kempees wrote later that year: The entire attack lasted no more than an hour and a half. Van Daalen had himself photographed to celebrate the victory.

Aftermath

Outrage over the Kuta Reh massacre and a visit of mayor

Ed van Thijn Eduard van Thijn (; 16 August 1934 – 19 December 2021) was a Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) and historian. He was a member of the Municipal Council of Amsterdam (1962–1971), member of the House of Representatives (1967–1981; ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

under Suharto contributed to the September 1984 bombing of the Van Heutsz Monument in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

References

{{Reflist 1904 murders in Asia Aceh War Dutch conquest of Indonesia 1900s in the Dutch East Indies Dutch war crimes History of Aceh June 1904 events Massacres in 1904 1904 in the Dutch East Indies

Attack and massacre

Aftermath

See also

References