Dutch War Crimes
Sep 9th, 2008, in History, Opinion, by LairedionLairedion on the Dutch state being sued over war crimes at Rawagede, West Java.
Dutch State sued by Indonesians
On Monday 8 September 2008 10 Indonesian survivors of Dutch post WWII violence have sued the Dutch State for the assassination of their family members during the First Police Action (Agresi Militer Belanda I) after WW II. They want financial compensation, explanations and recognition for their suffering, as announced by their lawyer Mr. Gerrit Jan Pulles.
According to Pulles it is for the first time Indonesian victims of the fighting of 1945-1949 hold the Dutch State responsible. Mr. Pulles acts on behalf of ten villagers from Rawagede, West Java. They survived the bloody attack of the Dutch Army on 9 December 1947. According to the Dutch Honorary Debts Foundation, 431 (almost all the male) villagers were slaughtered. According to the Dutch Indulgence Note from 1969 150 people were killed. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced they will study the matter.
Well into 2008, 63 years after Indonesian independence, the Dutch, due to their stubbornness, ignorance and patronizing behaviour, are being haunted again by their crimes in the aftermath of Soekarno’s declaration of 17-8-45 and they rightfully should. Only just being liberated themselves from the Germans the Dutch wanted to continue the situation as it was before WWII and re-occupy their former territories now being declared independent and bearing the name Republik Indonesia.
Rawagede is one of the most notorious events in the history of Indonesian struggle for independence against the Dutch. On 9 December 1947 Dutch forces raided the West Javanese village to look for weapons and Indonesian freedom fighter Lukas Kustario who often spent time in Rawagede. They didn’t find any weapons neither did they find Lukas.
Survivors of Rawagede remember (full version of documentary linked in footnotes).
Apparently dissatisfied by their lack of success the Dutch commander directed all males to be separated from the rest in order to execute all of them, despite the fact there were some young males of 11-12 years old among them. Indonesian leaders reported the mass killing to local UN officials. The UN made an inquiry and concluded the killings were “deliberate” and “ruthless” but failed to prosecute and to have the Dutch punished and sentenced for these obvious crimes against humanity and this is still the situation today!
Last month Pulles (of mixed Indo-Dutch blood like yours truly) visited Rawagede together with people from the “Yayasan Komite Utang Kehormatan Belanda (KUKB)”, including its chairman Jeffry Pondaag, to collect witness accounts and endorsements from survivors in order to hold the Dutch State responsible.
A protest outside Dutch embassy in Jakarta.
While financial compensation is sought after it must be noted that most survivors only want the Dutch State to take moral responsibility and offer official apologies to the Indonesian people. Furthermore they do not seek punishments for the people directly involved in the killings. One survivor just wants the Dutch not to forget what has happened.
At the same time more and more Dutch veterans, haunted by the crimes and horror they experienced, are supportive of the Rawagede survivors’ claim. It is very disappointing to see that of all the Dutch political parties only the left-wing Socialist Party support the claim while the conservative-liberal VVD on behalf of MP spokesman Hans van Baalen even denied Dutch crimes against humanity in Indonesia! 63 years of ignorance and subtle racism have been persistent obviously, a disease many Western nations still suffer from.
It is because of this the KUKB has been founded by Netherlands-based Indonesian Jeffy Pondaag in 2005. They demand the Dutch government:
- to recognize 17 August 1945 as the day Indonesia became independent.
- to offer apologies to the Indonesian people for its colonialism, slavery, gross violations of human rights and crimes against humanity.
The foundation is a non-subsidized independent foundation with branches in the Netherlands and Indonesia and would be happy to accept any donations. They look after the interests of civilian victims who suffered from violence and war crimes committed by Dutch military. Their website have more information on the Rawagede story and on the infamous Raymond Westerling who murdered thousands of innocent people in South Sulawesi.
Back in 2005 Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda, obviously speaking on behalf of the Indonesian people, made it clear Indonesia is not seeking apologies or compensation from the Dutch. This reaction came after then Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot (who is Jakarta-born) expressed regrets and morally accepted the de-facto independence of Indonesia on 17-8-45 while he was representing the Dutch government during the festivities of Independence Day on 17-8-2005. Bot’s remarks were widely criticized in the Dutch media for being insufficient and way too short of a full apology and recognition of 17-8-45.
Of course it is irrelevant if Indonesia is demanding apologies or compensation or not. It should come from the Dutch themselves but their stubbornness and ignorance are still hindering them anno 2008. The Netherlands have constantly refused to express a full apology and recognition but were always quick to raise their finger and lecture its former colony on alleged human rights violations during the Soeharto reign.
I’m fully supportive of the Rawagede villagers and any future similar cases, seeking for Dutch responsibility, recognition and financial compensation. Evidence is clear, witnesses and next of kin are still alive, we’re dealing with war crimes, gross violation of human rights and crimes against humanity and here lies an opportunity for the Dutch to finally deal with its own past by recognizing and helping those poor villagers.
Sources and links:
News article from Dutch daily “Parool” (Dutch) : Indonesiërs klagen Nederlandse staat aan
Website of KUKB (Dutch and Indonesian): Yayasan Komite Utang Kehormatan Belanda
1948 (English) Word document approx. 7.8 MB: Report of the Rawahgedeh observation team
Broadcast of Dutch news show Netwerk with topic on this story: Netwerk 8 September 2008 (witness accounts from survivors (Dutch-Indonesian-Sundanese). Streaming media, requires broadband internet access.
827 Comments on “Dutch War Crimes”
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ET says:
Purba Negoro said on September 28th
Furthermore- the real issue in Myanmar is low-volatility simmering territorial conflict between Myanmar, Cambodia and Thailand- all jostling to redraw their boundaries.
PN is once more talking out of the back of his neck. How can there be a territorial conflict between Myanmar and Cambodia when they don’t have common borders? And then he has the guts to tell us
Catch up with current events please and learn to love the humiliation of failed White Supremacy
Pn, shouldn’t you trade in your map of the Majapahit empire for a recent one and try to develop some sense of excellence before you embarrass yourself? Or am I too optimistic?
Imagine watching your mother raped in front of you as your father’s throat is slit- that is white colonialism.
As much as I hate colonialism – the place were I come from has also been occupied and colonized – these crimes have nothing to do with white colonialism but are war crimes and crimes against humanity, which few nations or peoples, also your own – remember G30S – are innocent of. Colonialism by itself has no benefit from killing and torturing, except as a reprisal for insubordination and rebellion. Colonialism is only economically profitable in a stable, not overtly hostile environment.
Indonesia demands the Dutch Crown repay every stolen pfennig and guilder.
Who’s keeping the accounts?
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Julia (Vink) King says:
I am only 43 years old today, thus clearly not involved in the overtaking of Indonesia by the Dutch and later the Japanese but am offended, to say the least, by those who feel that some Indonesians are not entitled to some sort of acknowledgment, apology or any other form of restitution. The events that occurred in Indonesia were not events that occurred 100s of years ago but, rather, were crimes committed against my grandmother ~ a Koster by birth ~ my mother, my aunts and my uncles. Can you say the same? Vague recollection of old family stories suggest that my family was imprisoned by Soekarno, who took the lands that my grandmother’s family reigned over, when my grandfather was away, fighting a war. My uncle died in those concentration camps. My mother walked through the jungles for days, when moved from a Dutch concentration camp to a Japanese concentration camp. My mother was raped, sold and abused to the very last day that she survived those camps. Furthermore, if my family was considered nothing more than mere serfs who had no rights and were entitled to nothing from the Dutch, then why were they refused entrance to Indonesia so that my grandmother could take a final trip with her children before she died, so that they could remember who they were, where they came from and where they’ve been? Who is it in Indonesia that considered them to be some sort of threat if they were nobody and why was their return prohibited? My family has never asked for anything from anybody; but that does NOT mean they are not entitled.
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Just to add another note – – – the information I have is somewhat sketchy as it was translated down the family tree to a generation such as my own, who heard the stories as a child with much skepticism and never appreciating or understanding what actually transpired until reaching an age of majority ~ I apologize for my ignorance. The names and all details also may not be accurately reflected, i.e., Soekarno vs Suharto, but the criminal actions that my family endured when the Dutch invaded Indonesia was very real. I and my children, if nothing else, were forever deprived of ever knowing and appreciating my family’s true ancestry when the Dutch bombed my mother’s home and placed my family in the camps. That, in itself, is priceless.
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schmerly says:
Purba Negoro with your bigoted ranting and ravings you should get along just fine with another bigoted crackpot by the name of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he seems to have the same views on the world as you.
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Achmad Sudarsono says:
Schmerly,
Is it bigoted to try to find ways to Fight the White Man ? Surely you can see how much injustice comes from the White Man ? We must creatively think of ways to even the score, especially with Bellanda.
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Achmad Sudarsono so what what would you suggest, start a war??
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Halo Schmerly,
My main professions (as many IM readers know), are playing the Ukuele and writing poetry, so I don’t know so much about wars. But surely The White Man must pay for what he has done. My heart burns with the memory of the Laoetan Api in Bandoeng. I would be happy for you to offer suggestions on how to punish The White Man.
Oke friend ?
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janma says:
would be happy for you to offer suggestions on how to punish The White Man.
yes…. we’ve been very naughty and we deserve a spanking….. I’ll go first…
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Achmad Sudarsono, if your trying to give the impression that your some kind of peace loving hippy “playing the Ukuele and writing poetry” sorry that won’t wash with me, I can see your rather vengeful, wanting to punish “The White Man” you obviously have problems with westerners? and as far as your heart burning with memories have you forgotten the atrocity’s carried out in East Timur, Banda Aceh and Papua all carried out by Indonesians! surely The Brown Man must pay for what he has done.
Perhaps you could offer some suggestions of how to punish The Brown Man!! -
Cukurungan says:
Purba Negoro with your bigoted ranting and ravings you should get along just fine with another bigoted crackpot by the name of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he seems to have the same views on the world as you.
So what is wrong with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, He has been well accepted in Indonesia and even gave speech and lecture and for sure I have never seen someone throwing shoes toward him.
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Oigal says:
So what is wrong with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, He has been well accepted in Indonesia and even gave speech and lecture
Yup..no more need be said..LOL
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Schmerly Yth,
I suggest you to study Indonesia’s ideology the Pancasila, then much will be clearer. It’s not really about hating the White Man — he is welcome to convert to Islam.
But in Asian – especially Javanese – societies we value justice and consideration for others — life is not all about consume, consume, consume.
Before the White Man learns the true civilized ways of the Pancasila he must first accept the wrongs of his ways, iya ‘kan ?
As for Timor Leste, Aceh and Papua — sure, we Indonesians, like any family have our disagreements, but in the end, are still a family. I humbly suggest you deepen your knowledge of Indonesian culture to gain a better understanding, especially before making racial slurs such as “The Brown Man.”
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Achmad Sudarsono what right minded white man wants to covert to Islam, why don’t you convert to Christianity?
Disagreements in a family!! is that why there has been so much slaughter?? some civilized “family”
And your racial slurs “The White Man must pay” “punish The White Man” if that isn’t racial I don’t know what is.
You may value justice and consideration for others but obviously you don’t read the Indonesian papers.
The problem with you and people of your ilk, have hated the west for many, many years.
The system in the west works, period! albeit recently there are problems, apart from that where did your hand phone, electricity, television, cars, Etc., come from? The WEST!! Where would you be without all this WESTERN technology, you certainly wouldn’t be on this blog, sheer envy and jealousy of the west is what fires your hatred up.Get off your soap box and stop trying to preach.
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Schmerly, Schmerly,
My dear friend. You’ve just shown exactly the kind of outburst that we Javanese try to gently ween the White Man off. At the root of such tirades is a spiritual vacuum brought on by greed and failing to properly follow your Agama (religion).
In my writings and poetry, I try to encourage world understanding, and a greater spirit of brotherhood. For such a brotherhood, it is better if the newer countries accept the Truths and Wisdom from the older civilizations.
The Chinese
The Japanese
and especially the JavaneseWhen the White Man talks of human rights, we Javanese gently smile, with a sparkle of wisdom in our eyes, knowing that like a wayward child, one day he may learn. In your case, my recommendations are to:
– Study the Pancasila
– Learn about Mojopahit civilization
– Take a more humble attitude in speaking to more cultured and the more refined. I leave it to you to guess who that may be, commenting only that few can both write poetry andplay the Ukulele, -
Achmad Sudarsono for a start I don’t have any “Agama” and I live perfectly well without one, as I said stop trying to preach, study Christianity you also might learn something.
Who gave you the idea you were “more cultured and the more refined” LoL, how arrogant is that! coming from an obviously brainwashed Moslem.
This is my last reply to you, I just cant be bothered with your uneducated rhetoric .
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My Dear Schmerly,
It is, of couse, your human right to baulk from educated conversation. Alas, it is a response I get all too often from The White Man, when he faces, however gently, The Truth.
All I can say is that I hope you will take my words to heart. All I wish to do is to help The White Man. After all, we are entering Asia’s century, and it is inevitable that the White Man will one day quite soon live in the servitude he is used to seeing his swarthier brothers and sisters in.
It is sad, you don’t wish to gain insight into the subtleties of the Oriental Mind, but so be it. I leave you to your soggy fish and chips.
Your friend,
Drs. Bpk. Achmad Sudarsono.
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Aluang Anak Bayang says:
People like Schmerly should be sent to the gas chamber, sooner the better for world peace. And like his criminal minded forebearers who robbed plundered our land, when confronted, left with tail between the legs.
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Dyakultua bwa says:
interesting article but if the Dutch need to pay compensation for crimes against humanity then so should Indonesian’s pay compensation to all the Bules who since 1945 have not been allowed to live with their Indonesian Wives without suffering compensation payments and no proper FAMILY VISA regulations for years!
This is a serious crime too against basic morality and humanity – not being allowed to live with your family!
so, before you start making articles like this you should look to your own faults from your own country before you start to question others – since after all you where lucky it was not Spain who where showing interest since look at what happend in Argentina!
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The system in the west works, period! albeit recently there are problems, apart from that where did your hand phone, electricity, television, cars, Etc., come from? The WEST!! Where would you be without all this WESTERN technology, you certainly wouldn’t be on this blog, sheer envy and jealousy of the west is what fires your hatred up.
The west would never discover anything without the wealth stolen and plundered from our land and the west would only become cavemen without stolen knowledge from the Muslim Andalusia.
Yup..no more need be said..LOL
No wonder the white man always struggle to face the truth revealed by the brown man
since after all you where lucky it was not Spain who where showing interest since look at what happend in Argentina!
There is no different among the west animal colonial power wherever they landed they would create a nest for their descendent, as we speak you can see in Australia. America and South Africa, all they are the same, in South Africa, Dutch descendant also already created the glamour nest over there while only letting the native south Africa to scavenge their waste food and dung, however there is clear different between us and native America and native south Africa, we are far more smarter than those native people even smarter than Dutch itself.
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AAB. “And like his criminal minded forebearers who robbed plundered our land” FYI I’m not Dutch, and my country has never colonised anybody, so don’t assume all westerners are Dutch.
Cukurungan. “we are far more smarter than those native people even smarter than Dutch itself” just one question what do you do for a living, are you a comedian?
I’ll reiterate: where did your hand phone, electricity, television, cars, Etc., come from?
no one seems to be able answer my question.“The west would never discover anything without the wealth stolen and plundered from our land and the west would only become cavemen without stolen knowledge from the Muslim Andalusia” how can you steal knowledge when there is none there to steal?
Just one more point, in the last one hundred years what technology has Islam given to the world? or is this another question that’s to difficult to answer.
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@ schmerly
This is my last reply to you, I just cant be bothered with your uneducated rhetoric .
Isn’t the above statement all too familiar with whiteys. The moment they are confronted with well informed Asians (in this case, a Javanese), they did a runner.
It must be shocking to you that not just one Brown man can read and write, but many. AND they even throw embarrassing historical facts about your criminal pasts to your face.
Come back if you dare challenge Pak Achmad with civilised dialogue.
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AAB Yth,
We’ve tried with Schmerly. Although konfrontasi of The White Man is the right thing to do, it is not always the wise thing to do if we want him to know The Truth.
All My Seksi Friend,
In time, the Schmerlys of this world, we hope, will recognize our superior Javanese wisdom. Also, Mr. Schmerly, ask not what your “civilization” did for you, but what you did for it ? How many transistors or mathematical equations have you invented ?
Schmerly, Schmerly. The Occidental Mind is an intrigueing thing for us Javanese, the same way a mountain gorilla was fascinating to Diane Fossey. But it is a mind brimming with unbridled savagery and crassness and poor skills on the Ukuele.
I thank you.
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Once more I’ll repeat myself and this is the last time, as you people are getting rather tiresome with the same old boring rhetoric, and if you don’t have the intelligence to answer my questions I’ll understand.
(1) Where did your hand phone, electricity, television, cars, Etc., come from?
(2) In the last one hundred years what technology has Islam given to the world?
A. Schmerly CEng.
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Schmerly Yth,
The reason we’re not answering is probably because it’s hard to find any intelligence in the question.
1) Technology doesn’t come from “races” like “white,” “brown,” or “black.” Technology is the sum total of a series of ideas from many people, thousands, tens of thousands, maybe more. Sure, some people, have contributed more than others, but technology’s a team effort.
That you are unaware of the basic history of technology, I think, is a standard tactic of The White Man to deny the contributions of Hindu, Chinese and Arab civilizations. Some, of course, comes from aliens – see my earlier posting on that.
2) What has Islam given the world ? Hmmm, it’s given them Islam, Schmerly.
Technology doesn’t come from religions.
It comes from people, from scientists, from engineers, inventors, financiers, the consumers that make up markets, a big, complex matrix.
I think subconsciously you’re making an ignorant and uninformed reference to a popular argument in the last few years articulated in “What Went Wrong,” by Bernard Lewis. But, sorry, old chap, I can’t make your arguments for you.
As mentioned, I think you better make a start studying The Pancasila and history of Mojopahit. Then we can start working on your ocean-wide ignorance.
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(1) Where did your hand phone, electricity, television, cars, Etc., come from?
My hand phone, electricity, television and cars come from our old borther Japanese and Korea and Chinese…and non of them belong to species of the white man.
(2) In the last one hundred years what technology has Islam given to the world?
Islam does not preach about Technology but Islam teach us how to deal with KAFIR properly
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Yes Cukurungan that’s true all MANUFACTURED in Asia using WESTERN technology, for instance Windows OS, hand phones, refrigerators, Etc,. where would you be without the KAFIR? still living in the jungle, without all the niceties that WESTERN technology has provide you with, you should be more grateful.
And you AS “technology doesn’t come from religions” no it doesn’t it comes from the West, where the bulk of the worlds engineers, scientist, inventors Etc,. come from.
As to your “aliens” remark, I suggest you run along to a good doctor and tell him about your delusions.
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Schmerly,
Clever. Another devious scheme by The White Man to divert the conversation from the topic: Dutch War Crimes in Indonesia.
Oh yes, The White Man is cunning and clever. But we are talking about basic human values: like not colonizing other countries.
BTW, how many engineers being minted in India and China vs America ?
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Cukurungan said
My hand phone, electricity, television and cars come from our old borther Japanese and Korea and Chinese…
Islam does not preach about Technology but Islam teach us how to deal with KAFIR properly
Aren’t Japanese and Korea and Chinese also KAFIR? Or are they less KAFIR because their skin is yellow?
Tsk, tsk, tsk. Cukurungan. Is your jealousy and spite for the white man’s achievements obscuring your mind in such a way that you are becoming partially colour-blind? How sad.
Or is your Islamic hate for the KAFIR only a pretence for the frustration not being able to compete? -
Nice one ET, but you wont get anywhere with brainwashed Moslem’s, their to narrow minded, all they know is their perverse religion and spouting the same old rhetoric, by the way if you read some of their rhetoric I believe their actually closet communists.
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ET,
welcome to our world- where having brown skin gets you instant hostile treatment- especially if you mention you are a Muslim.
You have much to learn if you think Colonialism was somehow a positive experience.
Imagine watching your mother raped in front of you as your father’s throat is slit- that is white colonialism.
Do not delude yourself that America, Australia or European are somehow enlightened and innocent of racism and bigotry.
Still many Dutch are utterly uncontrite for their banditry.
No Dutch apology is acceptable unless it comes from the Queen Wilhelmina and family.
Indonesia demands the Dutch Crown repay every stolen pfennig and guilder.
The former Dutch East Indies accounted for more than 70% of Dutch GDP- thus they owe us billions upon billions.
Indonesia demands the return of all stolen intellectual property including pharmaceuticals and algae, our artworks, our treasures and our heirlooms.
Unless the Dutch apology comes from the very top and indeed the guiltiest it is worthless and will never accepted by the Indonesian people.
Where is our pre 1945 stolen money?