South Sulawesi Campaign
Encyclopedia
The South Sulawesi Campaign (December 15, 1946 – March 15, 1947) was a campaign of the Indonesian National Revolution
. It pitted local Indonesian Republicans on the island of Sulawesi
against the returning Dutch who sought to re-assert their authority. The Dutch counter-insurgency offensive was masterminded by the controversial Raymond Westerling
, a Captain in the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army
. Westerling directed eleven operations throughout the campaign which succeeded in undermining local support for the Republicans through terror tactics.
consolidated their control over the Bugis
states of South Sulawesi. By 1911, the Dutch had integrated the entire region into the Dutch East Indies
. Dutch rule was interrupted by the Japanese
invasion of the East Indies during World War Two. During the Japanese occupation of Indonesia
, Sulawesi along with much of eastern Indonesia was administrated by the Imperial Japanese Navy
which sought to suppress local Republican and nationalist movements in contrast to the Army-dominated occupations of Java
and Sumatra
. Following the Japanese surrender in August 1945, the nationalist movement in Sulawesi established contact with Sukarno
's Republican administration in Java.
However, due to the weak state of the nationalist forces in Sulawesi, they were unable to resist Australia
n and Dutch occupation forces which quickly occupied much of East Indonesia with little resistance. By April 5, 1946, most of the local Republican administration including Governor Sam Ratulangi
were imprisoned by the returning Dutch authorities. The Dutch also interned the pro-Republican aristocracy and their supporters. Despite this, resistance continued in the form of pro-Republican intellectuals and guerrillas, surviving nobility and Java-based militants. The Dutch downplayed the local resistance as manifestations of international Communism
and Javanese domination, portraying the native populations as contented and resistant to revolutionary change.
Despite the Malino Conference
in July 1946 which established local federal states in Dutch-controlled parts of Indonesia, the Sulawesi government's effectiveness was weakened by the poor economic situation, agricultural famines and a non-existent civil administration. The Indonesian Republic in Java provided training for Sulawesi guerrillas and even dispatched Javanese forces, using the ports of Polembankong and Baroe for landing troops and supplies. By December 1946, Dutch authority in the island was limited to the confines of Makassar
with frequent hit-and-run attacks aimed at undermining Dutch control.
who initiated a three-month pacification campaign from December 1946 to February 1947. Earlier Dutch tactics had focused on temporarily detaining and releasing suspected guerrillas. In November 1946, British-trained commando Westerling had developed a contingent of commandos within the KNIL known as the Special Forces Depot (DST) which specialized in counter-insurgency warfare and interrogation. His methods involved rounding up villagers and summarily executing male members until the villagers gave up information on the whereabouts of Republican guerrillas within the area.
Westerling also ordered the registration of all Javanese arriving in Makassar due to the large numbers of Javanese participating in the Sulawesi resistance. As part of his counter-insurgency, Westerling used scouts to infiltrate local villages and to identify members of the resistance. His forces would then round up villages and identify suspects for interrogation, punishment or execution. Having eliminated guerrillas from a local village, Westerling forced local communities to refrain from supporting guerillas by swearing on the Quran and established local self-defence units with some members recruited from former guerrillas deemed as "redeemable".
Recently, Indonesian academics including Petrik Matanasi have estimated the death toll to have been a few thousand as opposed to the tens of thousands. These differences led to tensions in Indonesian-Dutch relations, galvanizing Republican opposition to the Dutch federal states. Westerling's techniques were also copied by other anti-Republicans.
After the 1949 Indonesian independence, Westerling commanded a force, the Angkatan Perang Ratu Adil (APRA, Legion of Ratu Adil
) consisting of anti-Republicans and KNIL soldiers. He collaborated with the Federalist Sultan Hamid II
in staging a coup d'état
in January 1950 to overthrow Sukarno
's government. Poorly planned, the coup failed and Westerling had to flee to Singapore
. Although the Indonesian government wanted to try Westerling on war crimes, Westerling never had to stand trial for these allegations due to an agreement between the Dutch and Indonesians not to seek prosecution of alleged war criminals. He moved to the Netherlands, where he died in Purmerend
in 1987.
Indonesian National Revolution
The Indonesian National Revolution or Indonesian War of Independence was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between Indonesia and the Dutch Empire, and an internal social revolution...
. It pitted local Indonesian Republicans on the island of Sulawesi
Sulawesi
Sulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger Indonesian populations.- Etymology :The Portuguese were the first to...
against the returning Dutch who sought to re-assert their authority. The Dutch counter-insurgency offensive was masterminded by the controversial Raymond Westerling
Raymond Westerling
Raymond Pierre Paul Westerling , nicknamed the Turk, was a Dutch military officer. He waged a bloody occupation campaign in Sulawesi during the Indonesian National Revolution after the Second World War, and staged a coup d'état in Bandung and Jakarta in January 1950.-South Sulawesi:Westerling...
, a Captain in the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army
Royal Netherlands East Indies Army
The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army was the military force maintained by the Netherlands in its colony of the Netherlands East Indies . The KNIL's air arm was the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force...
. Westerling directed eleven operations throughout the campaign which succeeded in undermining local support for the Republicans through terror tactics.
Background
Between 1816 to 1905, the DutchDutch Empire
The Dutch Empire consisted of the overseas territories controlled by the Dutch Republic and later, the modern Netherlands from the 17th to the 20th century. The Dutch followed Portugal and Spain in establishing an overseas colonial empire, but based on military conquest of already-existing...
consolidated their control over the Bugis
Bugis
The Bugis are the most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi, the southwestern province of Sulawesi, Indonesia's third largest island. Although many Bugis live in the large port cities of Makassar and Parepare, the majority are farmers who grow wet rice on the...
states of South Sulawesi. By 1911, the Dutch had integrated the entire region into the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
. Dutch rule was interrupted by the Japanese
Japanese Occupation of Indonesia
The Japanese Empire occupied Indonesia, known then as the Dutch East Indies, during World War II from March 1942 until after the end of War in 1945...
invasion of the East Indies during World War Two. During the Japanese occupation of Indonesia
Japanese Occupation of Indonesia
The Japanese Empire occupied Indonesia, known then as the Dutch East Indies, during World War II from March 1942 until after the end of War in 1945...
, Sulawesi along with much of eastern Indonesia was administrated by the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
which sought to suppress local Republican and nationalist movements in contrast to the Army-dominated occupations of Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
and Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
. Following the Japanese surrender in August 1945, the nationalist movement in Sulawesi established contact with Sukarno
Sukarno
Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo was the first President of Indonesia.Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first President from 1945 to 1967...
's Republican administration in Java.
However, due to the weak state of the nationalist forces in Sulawesi, they were unable to resist Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n and Dutch occupation forces which quickly occupied much of East Indonesia with little resistance. By April 5, 1946, most of the local Republican administration including Governor Sam Ratulangi
Sam Ratulangi
Dr. Gerungan Saul Samuel Jozias Ratulangi or Ratu Langie , usually known as Sam Ratulangi, was a Minahasa politician, journalist and teacher from North Sulawesi, Indonesia...
were imprisoned by the returning Dutch authorities. The Dutch also interned the pro-Republican aristocracy and their supporters. Despite this, resistance continued in the form of pro-Republican intellectuals and guerrillas, surviving nobility and Java-based militants. The Dutch downplayed the local resistance as manifestations of international Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
and Javanese domination, portraying the native populations as contented and resistant to revolutionary change.
Despite the Malino Conference
Malino Conference
The Dutch organised a conference in the Sulawesi town of Malino in July 1946 as part of their attempt to arrange a federal solution for Indonesia...
in July 1946 which established local federal states in Dutch-controlled parts of Indonesia, the Sulawesi government's effectiveness was weakened by the poor economic situation, agricultural famines and a non-existent civil administration. The Indonesian Republic in Java provided training for Sulawesi guerrillas and even dispatched Javanese forces, using the ports of Polembankong and Baroe for landing troops and supplies. By December 1946, Dutch authority in the island was limited to the confines of Makassar
Makassar
Makassar, is the provincial capital of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, and the largest city on Sulawesi Island. From 1971 to 1999, the city was named Ujung Pandang, after a precolonial fort in the city, and the two names are often used interchangeably...
with frequent hit-and-run attacks aimed at undermining Dutch control.
Pacification
The failure of conventional tactics prompted the East Indies government to dispatch the maverick counter-insurgency expert Raymond WesterlingRaymond Westerling
Raymond Pierre Paul Westerling , nicknamed the Turk, was a Dutch military officer. He waged a bloody occupation campaign in Sulawesi during the Indonesian National Revolution after the Second World War, and staged a coup d'état in Bandung and Jakarta in January 1950.-South Sulawesi:Westerling...
who initiated a three-month pacification campaign from December 1946 to February 1947. Earlier Dutch tactics had focused on temporarily detaining and releasing suspected guerrillas. In November 1946, British-trained commando Westerling had developed a contingent of commandos within the KNIL known as the Special Forces Depot (DST) which specialized in counter-insurgency warfare and interrogation. His methods involved rounding up villagers and summarily executing male members until the villagers gave up information on the whereabouts of Republican guerrillas within the area.
Westerling also ordered the registration of all Javanese arriving in Makassar due to the large numbers of Javanese participating in the Sulawesi resistance. As part of his counter-insurgency, Westerling used scouts to infiltrate local villages and to identify members of the resistance. His forces would then round up villages and identify suspects for interrogation, punishment or execution. Having eliminated guerrillas from a local village, Westerling forced local communities to refrain from supporting guerillas by swearing on the Quran and established local self-defence units with some members recruited from former guerrillas deemed as "redeemable".
Aftermath
Despite eradicating corruption in the local government and weakening the Republican presence in Sulawesi, Westerling attracted criticism for his controversial methods including the summary executions of Republican sympathizers and guerrillas. As many as 3,000 Republican militia and their supporters were killed in a few weeks. While Westerling argued in his autobiography that only 600 died as a result of his methods, other sources place the figure much higher from 500 to 1,000. While Dutch sources estimated that between 3,000 to 5,000 perished during the entire campaign, the Republicans placed the death toll much higher at around 30,000.Recently, Indonesian academics including Petrik Matanasi have estimated the death toll to have been a few thousand as opposed to the tens of thousands. These differences led to tensions in Indonesian-Dutch relations, galvanizing Republican opposition to the Dutch federal states. Westerling's techniques were also copied by other anti-Republicans.
After the 1949 Indonesian independence, Westerling commanded a force, the Angkatan Perang Ratu Adil (APRA, Legion of Ratu Adil
Legion of Ratu Adil
The Legion of Ratu Adil, also known as Angkatan Perang Ratu Adil or the Prince Justice Legion was a pro-Dutch militia and private army established during the Indonesian National Revolution. It was founded by the former KNIL captain Raymond Westerling following his demobilization on January 15 1949...
) consisting of anti-Republicans and KNIL soldiers. He collaborated with the Federalist Sultan Hamid II
Sultan Hamid II
Sultan Hamid II, born Syarif Abdul Hamid Alkadrie was the last Sultan of Pontianak and the only President of the State of West Kalimantan from 1946 to its disestablishment in 1950. He was the eldest son of Sultan Syarif Muhammad Alkadrie...
in staging a coup d'état
APRA Coup d'état
The APRA Coup d'état was a coup d'état by Raymond Westerling's Legion of Ratu Adil to capture Bandung and Jakarta, and to overthrow Sukarno’s unitary Republic of Indonesia. Westerling sought to preserve the federal Republic of the United States of Indonesia, which retained the support of the...
in January 1950 to overthrow Sukarno
Sukarno
Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo was the first President of Indonesia.Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first President from 1945 to 1967...
's government. Poorly planned, the coup failed and Westerling had to flee to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. Although the Indonesian government wanted to try Westerling on war crimes, Westerling never had to stand trial for these allegations due to an agreement between the Dutch and Indonesians not to seek prosecution of alleged war criminals. He moved to the Netherlands, where he died in Purmerend
Purmerend
Purmerend is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.The city is surrounded by polders, such as the Purmer, Beemster and the Wormer. The city became the trade center of the region but the population grew relatively slow. Only after 1960 did the population...
in 1987.