PERSEBARAN OPIUM DI INDONESIA BAGIAN TIMUR ABAD XIX

Abstract

In the second half of the nineteenth century, the colonial authority turned 4 ports namely
Makassar, Ambon, Banda and Menado to become “free ports” while another, Timor-Kupang, an
“international port.” In the same period, opium imported from Bengal, Manila, and areas in India,
became one of the most sought after commodities in Southeast Asia and especially in the Ducth
Indies. This paper discusses the opium trade in the five ports in the eastern part of what is now
Indonesia, between 1850-1870. The export and import data show that opium was highly sought
after like a primary commodities (such as rice and textile). The farming system for opium trade
regulated by the colonial government was dominated by Chinese traders.