Khe Pandjang

Khe Pandjang, also known as Khe Sepanjang, Que Pandjang, Si Pandjang, or Sie Pan Djiang was an 18th-century Indonesian military leader. Pandjang fought against Dutch forces during the Java War (1741–1743).

Biography

Origin Pandjang was originally from Batavia, a Dutch colony in Java. Batavia had been under Dutch control since 1619, when the Dutch East India Company had established a city of the same name. To develop the colony, the Dutch had allowed for thousands of Chinese immigrants to settle in Batavia. Over the next century, these immigrants developed a wealthy community within the Dutch colony. This wealth bred some resentment between the Chinese and the local population.

In the midst of the massacre, Khe Pandjang is recorded as having led a group of fleeing Chinese to Kampung Gading Melati. They were soon besieged by 800 Dutch soldiers and several thousand Sumatrans. However, the Chinese were able to break the siege and escape. Having fled Batavia, Pandjang and some of his followers escaped across the Sunda Strait to the island of Java.

Rebellion in Java Upon arriving in Western Java, Pandjang attempted to lead his group to Banten. However, the local ruler of Banten blocked the roads and barred the Chinese from entering the city. He was last sighted in Bali in 1758.