Valck attributed the Gayos attack to plantation labor conditions, not the raiders themselves.

Evidence

Nederveen Pieterse’s appearance in Valck’s narrative underscored his principal point that “cruelty breeds cruelty.” It also relocated the story’s context once again. While the military reports emphasized the Gayos’ role in the attack, Valck placed the cause squarely on the plantations, as a response to resented work conditions of a longer durée. — Ann Laura Stoler, Along the Archival Grain_ Epistemic…, 1143

Categorization

• XREF: Relates to wider literature on colonial violence attribution - administrators blaming native agents vs. officials locating causes in colonial structures themselves.