Pao An Tui () sometimes incorrectly spelled Po An Tui or Poh An Tui, was a self-defense force of the

Chinese-Indonesian Chinese Indonesians ( id, Orang Tionghoa Indonesia) and colloquially Chindo or just Tionghoa are Indonesians whose ancestors arrived from China at some stage in the last eight centuries. Chinese people and their Indonesian descendants have l ...

community during the Indonesian Revolution (1945–1949). The group has often been accused of pro-Dutch sympathies in the struggle for Indonesian independence from Dutch colonial rule.

History

Following the end of the Second World War in Asia in 1945, separate units of Pao An Tui were formed by groups of Chinese-Indonesians, whom many Indonesian revolutionaries accused of siding with the Dutch. Units were created in

Medan Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four mai ...

North Sumatra North Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Utara) is a province of Indonesia located on the northern part of the island of Sumatra. Its capital and largest city is Medan. North Sumatra is Indonesia's fourth most populous province after West Java, East Java and ...

in 1946, then in

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

in 1947. In order to address the disorder and violence against and by Chinese-Indonesians, the important community organization "Chung Hua Tsung Hui" hosted a conference in Batavia, the capital of colonial Indonesia, from August 24 until August 26, 1947. The conference resulted, on August 29, in the official formation of Pao An Tui, headquartered in Batavia. The Central Committee consisted of

Loa Sek Hie Loa Sek Hie Sia (born in Batavia in 1898 - died in The Hague in 1965) was a colonial Indonesian politician, parliamentarian and the founding ''Voorzitter'' or chairman of the controversial, ethnic-Chinese self-defense force Pao An Tui (1946 - 19 ...

(Chairman), Oey Kim Sen (Deputy Chairman), Khouw Joe Tjan (Secretary) and Cong Fai-kim (Treasurer), and claimed jurisdiction over all Pao An Tui units. The force claimed neutrality during the revolution, receiving support for its establishment from both

Sutan Sjahrir Sutan Sjahrir (5 March 1909 – 9 April 1966) was an Indonesian politician, and revolutionary independence leader, who served as the first Prime Minister of Indonesia, from 1945 until 1947. Previously, he was a key Indonesian nationalist organiz ...

, first

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

of revolutionary Indonesia, and arms from the pro-Dutch Allied forces. Pao An Tui was disbanded in 1949 with the cessation of violence and the conclusion of the revolution in Indonesian Independence.

Controversy and criticism

The neutrality of Pao An Tui in the struggle for Indonesia's independence has been challenged on a number of occasions. The Indonesian revolutionary government, suspecting the force of pro-Dutch sympathies, refused to extend its formal recognition until 1948. A minority of left-wing Chinese-Indonesians at the time also strongly resisted the force due to its close ties to the right-wing Chinese-Indonesian colonial elite and the

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Ta ...

in China. In early 2016, a media furore was caused by the supposed unveiling of a monument to Pao An Tui at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah by the interior minister Tjahjo Kumolo. Rizieq Shihab, the Islamist leader of the

Islamic Defenders Front ) , formation = , dissolved = , () () , successor = Islamic Brotherhood Front (Unrecognized) , status = Banned , founder = Muhammad Rizieq Shihab , founding_location = Ciputat, So ...

, was one of the fiercest critics of the Indonesian government's apparent support for Pao An Tui. In fact, the monument in question was dedicated to an earlier Chinese militia, formed in the aftermath of the Chinese Massacre of 1740 in Batavia, that fought with the Javanese against the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...

. Various conspiracy theories continue to be associated with the putative specter of the Pao An Tui. For instance, in an opinion piece of May 2017, the writer and political commentator Batara Hutagalung accuses descendants of the Pao An Tui of conspiring with the Dutch government, supporters of Indonesian federalism and the defunct

Indonesian Communist Party The Communist Party of Indonesia (Indonesian: ''Partai Komunis Indonesia'', PKI) was a communist party in Indonesia during the mid-20th century. It was the largest non-ruling communist party in the world before its violent disbandment in 1965 ...

of destabilizing Indonesia by attempting to establish control over its resources, consumer market, as well as its geo-political and geo-strategic position as a form of 'historic revenge'.

References

{{Authority control Indonesian National Revolution Chinese diaspora in Indonesia Anti-Chinese sentiment in Indonesia Military units and formations established in 1945 Military units and formations disestablished in 1949 Dutch East Indies Aftermath of World War II in Indonesia 1945 establishments in Indonesia 1949 disestablishments in Indonesia