HISTORY OF KERKOFF PEUCUT TRAGEDY IN ATJEH

Kerkoff Peucut is the grave of Dutch soldiers killed in the Aceh War. This grave complex is widely spread in the territory of Indonesia. One of them is located in the city of Banda Aceh, and now a tourist attraction, especially for foreign tourists (especially tourists from the Netherlands). As it is known that the Kingdom of Aceh and its people are very persistent against the Dutch who fought Aceh. The Acehnese defend their country with wealth and life. Resistance long enough to cause many victims in both sides. Kerkoff Peucut is located behind the Tsunami Museum, Banda Aceh. Entering the complex area, visitors are accosted with a writing written in Dutch, Javanese and Malay Arabic. It reads "For our fallen companions on the battlefield". Thousands of Dutch soldiers of various ranks were buried there. The name Kerkoff literally means a church or graveyard. While Peutjut is a nickname of the crown prince Sultan Iskandar Muda who died after being punished by his father stoned for violating the laws of the kingdom at that time. His name is Meurah Pupok. He was buried there about 300 years before the Dutch made graves for their soldiers.  In the Kerkoff complex, not only the Dutch soldiers were buried there. But there are also a number of indigenous people believed to be recruited as Marsose troops and KNIL troops to be sent against Aceh. They are from Ambon, Manado and Java. It is clearly visible from a number of names listed on the walls of the Kerkoff complex. When visitors arrive at the cemetery, will be greeted by the gate as high as 4 meter Dutch style. At the magnificent gate, painted yellow and dark brown is fully written the names buried in Kerkhof Peucut sorted by the year of death and sorted alphabetically. At the gate, there is also a kind of inscription written in Dutch, Arabic and Javanese that read "Former Comrades and Friends who Fall in Battlefield". The Peucut Kerkhof cemetery according to various sources becomes the widest tomb for the Dutch outside their own country. Entering into the tomb, will appear a row of the majority of white cemetery arranged neatly. Before we enter the courtyard of the Peucut Kerkhof grave, there is a phrase that says "2200 Warriors are buried here. The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) paid a high price for its presence in Aceh. " Meanwhile Peucut Kerkhof's treatment is financed by Stichting Peucut Fonds or Dana Peucut Foundation. The foundation is basically aiming to save the Dutch military cemetery in order to be witnessed by future generations. The foundation's founding board in particular raised funds for the repair and maintenance of all these activities in accordance with the MOU between the Government of Aceh and the Netherlands.

Dana Peucut Foundation itself was established since January 29, 1976, the chairman of the first foundation named Lt. Gen. F. van der Veen an officer in Korp Marchaussee who had served in Aceh, because the corps was established in Aceh. "Actually there are four Dutch generals who died in Aceh, Köhler, Van Swieten, Pel and one I forgot. Like Köhler for example, he died April 14, 1873, died in front of the Great Mosque, then by his troops rushed to sea and taken. So the first Dutch expedition failed. Return to Jakarta and be buried in Tanah Abang, in Jakarta. Returned to Aceh is actually no initial plan. Only at the initiative of the Governor of Aceh at that time Muzakir Walad, because this Köhler died in Aceh, especially because of the eviction in Jakarta, because of the expansion of the City Hall office, so the bones are buried in Aceh. _Adli Abdullah observers of social culture of Aceh. For the people of Aceh the enemy was not brought to death. The enemy was there when he was alive, when he died it was considered to be the Children of Adam. So the Dutch parties at that time, in 1984, agreed, when Pak Muzakir asked that Köhler's ashes be brought back to Aceh. It was a spectacular act. Even after that, the grave of the Aceh Ambassador in Belandapun was renovated. So that the Governor of Aceh Muzakir Walad came to the Netherlands in Middelburg.Dubes, Tengku Syeh Abdul Hamid who was sent by Sultan Syaidil Kamil in 1601 as Ambassador of Aceh in the Netherlands and died in the Netherlands. So Köhler was brought back to Aceh and the grave of Tengku Syeh Abdul Hamid was renovated. So part of the historical evidence. Hence history is important, that's part of the identity of a nation. " _Adli Abdullah observers of social culture of Aceh. The Aceh War lasted from 1873-1904, a war where in Dutch history, this was the bitterest war over the bitter experience of the Napoleonic Wars. The Kerkhoff Grave is the second largest cemetery of Dutch troops after the first largest in the Netherlands. Kerkhoff's grave became an interesting tourist attraction, especially for foreign tourists from the Netherlands. Until now the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands very emotion and respect the citizens of Banda Aceh who care for the tomb neatly. The Dutch attacked the Aceh Sultanate on 8 April 1873 by sea while firing a cannon from the warship Citadel Van Antwerpen. At that time the Dutch army numbered 3198 people, including soldiers from ethnic Javanese, Ambon, Batak, and other ethnic Indonesian soldiers who are members of the Dutch East Indies Armed Forces. During the occupation of the Dutch East Indies, the Great Mosque of Baiturrahman was occupied by Dutch troops. However, in the first period of the war (1873-1874), the people of Aceh managed to resist the Dutch attack. Johan Harmen Rodolf Kohler, the Dutch general who led the Aceh War, was later killed and buried in Kerkhoff, Banda Aceh. The most tiring part of the war was the struggle to reclaim the Great Mosque of Baiturrahman. The war continued to rage for four periods from 1873 to 1910. With the guerrilla warfare method the Acehnese fighters finally made the Dutch surrender and left Rencong Land. Cut Nyak Dhien who led the attack continued to fight against colonialism until finally arrested, exiled and died in Sumedang, West Java. In this area, there is also the tomb of the son of Sultan Iskandar Muda, the Amat Popok who adultery and sentenced to stoning.