Learning more about Aceh
From: spidersurfer@.pc.jaring.my
To: susan@erehwon.com
Subject: Aceh – a brief history
Date: Tuesday, Jan 18, 2005, 11:55am
THERE has been so much news about tsunami-hit Aceh recently. Apart from what we see in the media, how much do we really know about Aceh and its people?
To find out more, I checked out a well-written Acehnese newspaper, which just happens to be online.
The Acheh Times (www.achehtimes.com/history) says that Aceh used to be called Achin. And it was an extremely powerful nation in the early half of the 17th century.
Aceh is located at the northern tip of Sumatra, an island where earthquakes and storms are frequent. It has a rugged landscape that includes a huge range of volcanic mountains called the Barisan range.
The soil, due to its volcanic origins, is extremely fertile, which is why people keep on living there despite the ongoing threat of a natural disaster.
There are also huge deposits of petroleum and bauxite, which supplements the province's main agriculture-based economy.
There are several different races living in Aceh and I was surprised to read that there is a large number of Indians and Chinese.
Apart from that, there is a decent number of Arabs and Europeans living in the coastal regions. Marco Polo visited the land in 1292. More Europeans, albeit with less noble intentions, were to follow.
The Portuguese traders set up stations in Sumatra, around the time of their reign in Malacca. The Dutch and British were next in line to exert their supremacy in the region.
In 1819, the British got the upper hand as they managed to acquire exclusive trading rights with the Sultan of Aceh.
This did not go down too well with the Dutch and after numerous conflicts, the two European powers came to an agreement in 1824 that saw the British take control of Malacca while the Dutch took Sumatra.
The Acehnese are proud people and do not like being controlled; so they mounted a long and difficult resistance against the Dutch that lasted from 1873 to World War II. Independence was declared shortly after the war.
Throughout history, the Acehnese have proved themselves to be a truly indomitable people and I have no doubt they will rise above this latest tragedy.
LYNETTE MOEY
WEBSITE PREVIEWED:
Acheh Times
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