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| Me and anothers participant from Semarang, in front of Klenteng Gie Yong Bio, a confucians shrines often mentioned as the "Heroes Shrines", built on 1780 as the rememmberance to the victims of 1740-1743 resistance against VOC. (photos by: Pak Agus Budi S) |
Hello World!
Now I gotta shared something that I got yesterday while I
was following a trip invited by Mr. Tjahjono Rahardjo, one’s of the Perkumpulan Sobokartti Committee towards
Lasem! Lasem, yap the city that become the living proof of Budaya Peranakan, an acculturation between Chinese and Javanese
culture, those were implemented on the style of the building, on the pattern on
Batik cloth, on the wayang (Javanese puppet show) story ,
and so on. Together with people’s that coming from different background likes
musician, writer, journalist, lecturer, and so on who were have a big attention
towards the cultural and heritage preservation, together we went to Lasem, with
the main objectives to preserved the burial site’s of Tan Sin Ko, or better
known among Lasem people’s as Singseh.
Who is Tan Sin Ko actually? Even me don’t know exactly who
is he, and why we must preserved his burial sites, and even when I arrived on
the sites, I wondering, why must He’s buried alone, far from the city ? Then
when I heard the explanation from Mr. Daradjadi, the author of Geger Pecinan books I got the
explanation.
On the October, 1740 there’s a chinese riots over Batavia
(Jakarta) which resulted the chinese massacre by VOC which become the Dutch
authority in Indonesia. Tan sin Ko, participated the insurgent under the
command of Khe Panjang, continued the resistance against VOC. Lack of the
armament and strategy, this was finaly succeed to be expelled from Batavia, and
the Khe Panjang troops were pursued into the east. On the middle of 1741, the
Khe Panjang troops entered the
Kartasura, the capital city of Mataram Sultanate. Here He got the honors as Kapitan Sepanjang due to His courage to
led a resistance against VOC.Here his
troops was given a name as Laskar Kuning
(eng: Yellow Troops) related to the skin of the Chinese people who were “yellow”.
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The map of Samarang, dated 1741, with the position of
VOC army and the enemy fugitives. In the top left corner
written, Chief commander and commanded by Gerrit Mom
(source: Het Genootschap voor het Nationaal Archief) |
The Mataram Sultanate under Pakubuwono II had an ambition to
released from the VOC authority. He wanted to counter the VOC power and gained
the power over the land which granted to VOC by his predecessor, Amangkurat II
as the grant for assist Him to suppress the Trunojoyo’s insurgencies. But the
Pakubuwono II saw no chance, despite the military power of Mataram army were
not too strong yet, the Mataram sultanate were bounded by the treaty of Jepara
in 1677. The story goes with Pakubuwono II decision to declared war against VOC
, with the Khe Panjang troops as the ally. Here Tan Sin Ko, were appointed as
the commander of Laskar Kuning. On August 1
st 1742 the VOC base on
Kartasura were attacked, resulted the died of Capt. Van Plasen. Soon the
conflict spread over the Mataram rules, even its reached Lasem and Gresik. The VOC sent the reinforcement from Batavia,
and slowly its succeed surpressed the resistance. The main loose of the Mataram
and Khe Panjang Troops were happened on a battle at Kaligawe, Semarang.
The VOC forced Pakubuwono II to choose for apologizing to
the VOC thus the Mataram throne will be continued in his hand, or getting
executed. The Pakubuwono II choose to back as VOC ally and betrayed the Khe
Panjang troops. This decision opposed by his regent, Notokusumo who still
fighting side by side with Khe Panjang. Later he took as prisoner and exiled
into die into Ceylon (Sri Lanka). The Pakubuwono II with VOC actually doesn’t have
much support from Mataram peoples. The regent over the Mataram rules continued the
insurgencies. Then in the middle of 1742’s a meeting between Tan Sin Ko,
Martapura Regent, Mangunoneng Regent and Khe Panjang was held. They declared the
oath of loyalty and appointed RM Garendi
as the Sultan of Mataram with the honors as Amangkurat V who also known as
Sunan Kuning. Soon the resistance started, the Kartasura falls inti the
insurgent, and Pakubuwono II escaped to Ponorogo. After takin Kartasura, Tan Sin Ko paired with RM Said, who known as Pangeran Sambernyawa later he become
founder of Mangkunegara Duchy. The conflict were spread greater than before.
The Tan Sin Ko with his Laskar Kuning together with RM Said decided to take the
VOC base on Jepara under Capt. Geritt Mom, but unfortunately they defeated by
VOC troops. Tan Sin Ko were retreated to Lasem while RM Said back to Kartasura.
The bad luck comes into Tan Sin Ko in Lasem.
The VOC captured and beheaded
him. His body were buried in the forestall area, far from the Lasem city.
Like’s Tan Sin Ko, anothers insurgents were succeed to
surpressed one by one. The Khe Panjang were disappeared while he retreated, no
one knows exactly where he is. The Amangkurat V captured and exiled into
Ceylon. RM Said continued the resistance until the reign of Pakubuwono III, until
the treaty of Salatiga on 1757, where he gained privileged to rules a duchy who
now known as Mangkunegara.
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Tan Sin Ko graves at Desa Narukan, Lasem, while the
Chinese people held Ceng Beng ceremony. The Tombstone
were stolen during reformation riots, on 1998.
(photos by: Pak Tjahjono R) |
That was the biggest resistance ever happened against the
rules of VOC who ended its reign on 1799. For me its also the proof of the Chinese-Javanese
cooperation, who were never as so big as this, because after this VOC applied
the
wijkenstelsel policy, which
separated the residences in the city based on the races. Nowadays condition
where between Indo-Chinese people or so-called Tionghoa and the natives were
easy to provokes, getting hatred, getting suspicious, this story was must to be
delivered, and realized that we are as one entity, as the people of Indonesia. Thus,
Its felt so sentimental for me while that day, in front of Tan Sin Ko graves,
peoples, from the different races and backgrounds, singing Indonesia Raya, our
national anthem together.
Source:
Perang Sepanjang 1740 – 1743, Tionghoa- Jawa lawan VOC | author : Daradjadi
