Atjeh Road Camp 9 in Blangkedjeren

Internees: prisoners of war
Number of internees: 500 (all 12 camps)
Number of deceased: 5 (all 12 camps)
Information: In March 1944, 306 Dutch and 194 British and Australian prisoners of war were taken by bus from Camp Gloegoer near Medan to Koetatjane. After that they were marched on foot the approximately 120 kilometres to Blangkedjeren, where several thousand romushas - primarily people from Atjeh and Batak - had begun on January 1st with the laying of a road approximately 58 kilometres long, between Blangkedjeren and Takengon (Takingeun).The prisoners of war/forced labourers were housed in 11 barracks camps along the way, numbered after the number of kilometres separating a camp from Blangkedjeren. The work conditions were heavy, not least because of the cold in several of the camps at higher elevations. The seriously ill were taken back to the camp hospital at Gloegoer. After the work was completed, the 'Atjeh Party' returned on foot to Koetatjane. After some weeks of rest in the cleared Soengeisengkol civilian men’s camp they were taken by train to Medan via Pematangsiantar, and from there by road to Moeara (Pakanbaroe Railroad).
Commendant: lt. Miura Tohji
Guards: Koreans
Camp leaders: kpt. J.J.A. van de Lande; capt. O.R.T. Henman
Literature: Heekeren, C. van, e.a., Het pannetje van Oliemans. Vijfhonderd krijgsgevangenen onder de Japanners, Zuid-Atjeh, 1944 (Franeker 1975-2)
Heekeren, C. van, e.a., De 'Atjeh-Party' (8 maart tot 3 november 1944). Een relaas (['s-Gravenhage] [1964])