Teleokbetoang (105.266E 5.444S), today known as Tanjungkarang-Telukbetung but as Oostaven to the Dutch, was a small port on the southeastern tip of Sumatra. The surrounding region was sparsely inhabited, and the Dutch colonial administration had encouraged native Indonesians from the crowded islands of Java and Bali to emigrate to here. The town was connected to Palembang by a railroad built in 1913. The area had been devastated by the Krakatau eruption of 1883, a good illustration of the hazards of life on an island arc.

At the time war broke out, the port was defended by a battalion of militia.

Rail connections


Valid HTML 4.01 Transitional