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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Riki Purnomoz says:
Ehmm,,
We must kill the cattle to get it flesh, we must burn the forest to built a plantation. As simple as that. Never let your land to serve as the lungs of the world. -
Great answer! You’ve won a match. A used match but I’m sure it’ll come in handy. You can pick it up in Saritem, Bandung, just ask for Pak Didi…
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Today is May 14th. I capitulate, I am not able to argue with you more than 4 days.
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deng! And we were just getting to know each other!
I was going to ask you about Kulong Progo, where a company owned by the Yogya Royals together with an Australian mining company are trying to evict some 50.000 people from their land, land which they have toiled on for generations creating a paradise on ground, sand actually that has a high metal content….
http://325.nostate.net/?tag=kulon-progo
I was going to ask you about all the destruction going on here in West-Java:
http://www.insideindonesia.org/edition-98-oct-dec-2009/when-money-rules-over-voice-18101242
(And this guy is running for governor of West-Java now, this could get very, very bad, I for one am holding my breath)
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I am no environmentalist. Evicting people is acceptable to me, as long as the company is profitable. Environment destruction is a price we must pay to develop something.
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Spoken like a true EHM!
For that answer you get 1 (one) chopstick, it’s used and broken but like the used match it will come in handy one day… Told you where you can collect it….
Your answer does reflect the attitude from your so-called leaders though….
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Arie Brand says:
14th May 1940
For the armchair heroes here:
From Wikipedia:
At the outbreak of Second World War in 1939, the Netherlands declared itself neutral once again as it had done during World War I. Even so, on May 10, 1940, Germany invaded the Netherlands.
One of the purposes of the German invasion of the Netherlands was to draw away attention from operations in the Ardennes and to lure British and French forces deeper into Belgium as well as to pre-empt a possible British invasion in North Holland. Also, the Luftwaffe had insisted on seizing Dutch territory for they were in need of airfields near the North Sea coast.
The German forces faced little resistance at first, but their advance was eventually slowed by the Dutch Army. At the Afsluitdijk, the Grebbeberg, Rotterdam and Dordrecht the Dutch Army offered strong resistance. A German airborne landing at the Hague, intended to capture the Dutch royal family and the government, turned into a disaster for the Germans, and about 1,500 of the paratroopers and airlanding troops that had not been killed were captured and shipped to Britain. Additionally about 280 Ju 52 transports were destroyed on the airfields of Ypenburg, Valkenburg and Ockenburg or shot down, with the consequence that the German airborne forces were not available for the planned invasion of Britain. In all, the invasion of the Netherlands cost the Germans some 520 aeroplanes, the highest losses of the war in such a short period. Queen Wilhelmina, her family and the government evacuated to Britain, but during the Battle of Britain her daughter Princess Juliana and her children proceeded to Ottawa, Canada.
On May 14, the Germans — surprised by the Dutch resistance — demanded the surrender of the city of Rotterdam, threatening to bomb the city. A surrender was agreed upon with Dutch and German forces, with the Dutch intention of protecting its own civilians. However, the city was bombed, with 950 civilians killed and the town centre devastated.
After this bombardment, the German military command threatened to bomb the city of Utrecht as well if the Netherlands did not surrender. The Dutch army, under command of General Winkelman, laid down arms at 19:00 on 14 May, and formally capitulated on May 15, with the exception of the forces in Zeeland. They resisted for a few more days, together with some French troops, until the bombardment of Middelburg on May 17, which forced the Zeeland forces to surrender as well.
[edit]Riki doesn’t have to assure us that HIS heroes would have had no qualms about sacrificing their own civilians. Why – they have done so without any enemy to be seen.
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berlian biru says:
verifiable facts to justify these weird notions
What “weird notions”?
The Australians captured Indonesian territory from the Japanese and subsequently handed that territory back to Dutch imperial forces.
Those are facts (unlike your mythological claim that Australian troops handed over captured Japanese weapons to locals, if it happened it happened on a tiny scale and not for ideological reasons).
The locals hated the Japanese, and were no doubt glad to see the back of them, but they weren’t liberated any more than Poles and Balts were “liberated” by the Red Army.
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On May 14, the Germans — surprised by the Dutch resistance — demanded the surrender of the city of Rotterdam, threatening to bomb the city. A surrender was agreed upon with Dutch and German forces, with the Dutch intention of protecting its own civilians. However, the city was bombed, with 950 civilians killed and the town centre devastated.
Simply repeating stuff doesn’t change facts Arie, the Dutch capitulated in a way that many other nations did not.
None of us know how we would react in similar circumstances; maybe we would go the way of the Dutch and surrender after one air raid in order to preserve our comfortable bourgeois existence, maybe we’d be like the Poles and fight like lions and damn the consequences.
I don’t know, but if I chose the Dutch option I certainly wouldn’t feel particularly proud of it.
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None of us know how we would react in similar circumstances; maybe we would go the way of the Dutch and surrender after one air raid in order to preserve our comfortable bourgeois existence, maybe we’d be like the Poles and fight like lions and damn the consequences.
I am glad they were mindful of my budding existence – and that of a few others. I leave the Poles to you.
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Well actually beyond weird but another self evident fact I gather.
The Australians captured Indonesian territory from the Japanese and subsequently handed that territory back to Dutch imperial forces.
Australians? One should perhaps give at least a nod to the other allied forces involved and of course by the logic above, those damnable Indians in Surabaya were even more determined as policy to hand the country back the Dutch. Nonsense of course, but hey it’s a self evident fact if we ignore all other facts.
To try and tie in what was obviously an immediate measure directly after the surrender of the Japanese as on going policy is simply disingenuous. Who do we really think Kalimantan for instance was to handed over to at that time? The largest Dayak Tribe (although in hindsight???)? Or did we expect the allied soldiers to sit around for another 2 years whilst the various Republican factions sorted themselves out..seriously?
The inference that Australia (or India or the allied forces) liberated Indonesia simply to hand back to the Dutch ignores the historical reality that India, the US and Australia were among the very first nations to recognize Indonesian independence.
Additionally Australian public sentiment was well behind the Indonesians with bans on shipments to the dutch forces starting in Sept 1945.
Oh and for the Mythical handover of weapons. Mmmm, perhaps but I tend to believe the vets both Indonesian and Australian that gather here every year for the service. I am sure they would be happy to discuss the myth further, let me know if you need the details of dates and stuff.
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Rupert Lockwood says in his book Black Armada (Sydney 1975):
Subject in some manner to black bans in Australia were 36 Dutch merchant ships, passenger-liners and troopships, two tankers and 35 other oil industry craft, 450 power and dumb barges, lighters and surf-landing craft – essential to alding troops and stevedoringin shallow Indies waters and aircraft and a vast land transport fleet. Nine corvettes, two submarines(one stayed for good, to rust on a Fremantle breakwater) and seven submarine-chasers of the Royal Netherlands Navy, two British troopships under Admiralty orders and three Royal Australian Navy vessels were also listed as black. In the later crisis over Holland’s attempt to retain West Irian, the boycott was revived to embrace at Fremantle the aircraft-carrier Karel Doorman and her destroyer escorts. The identifiable total of ships of war and war supply and medium and smaller craft in the black armada reached 559.
The Netherlands Sea Transport Office in Australia conceded that 1,000 trucks were still held in Australia by boycott at March 1946. Netherlands Indies Government executives, their archives and reoccupation guilders.
Crikey.
Menzies, then leader of the conservative opposition, complained in 1947 in the Australian parliament “Australia has been virtually at war with the Dutch for two years, except for the shooting”.
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Jeez Ari..
That cannot be right!! After all, everyone knows that the only reason the Australians (and Indians) were in Indonesia was to…..
The Australians captured Indonesian territory from the Japanese and subsequently handed that territory back to Dutch imperial forces.
and those are self evident facts with no need to qualify or anything..
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The Australians handed the territory over to the Dutch, end of story. They did not “liberate” Indonesian territory, the Indonesians did that by themselves over the coming years.
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Sigh, yes BB..A self evident fact.
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Self evident chum, except to people who have difficulty comprehending plain English as you have frequently proven yourself to be.
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end of story … and he slammed his glass on the counter …
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And just about every other poster here who can deals in facts instead of subjective opinion. However, I will be sure to let the Vet’s know that there was no liberation from the Japanese so they better swap their old uniforms for a “I’ve been to Bali too” T’shirt coz we aint fool’in BB :-).
As I said before, I would love to get some historically accurate data about Indonesian involvement in the Landings in Kalimantan and the immediate aftermath. Unfortunately whatever else they may be the Dayaks were not great note takers from what I can find. Now if you have something that is not the normal axe grind subjective opinion do let me know, otherwise…
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Australaiaiaians liberated Indonesia?,
The myth equals only to the existence of Republic Australia. Enjoy the warm of a foreign Queen’s crotch.
oh, wait, liberate yourself, its a disgrace to be a colony. -
Thanks for your input on the history of Indonesia, you do your nation proud Riki. Still working with that one chopstick I see. Actually that was a bit mean of MR, good chance you will starve to death….although ..if a tree falls in forest…
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i’m willing to throw in that second chopstick, it’s made out of hardwood, they were bob hassan’s chopstick….
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So I’m not sure where they’ve been….
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Scotchmen are smarter than us.
( Anonymous Australian ) -
Laugh..you plonker.. I think you mean Scotsman. You have been told before about trying humour in language your are not passably fluent in.
If he was anonymous how do you he was Australian 🙂
Oh and if the us means you, then a pile of rocks passes the bill 🙂
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Its a quote. Blame him not me.
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Ok, Riki.. Used to that response, now with the Wet smile and the Screen Saver face to complete the PICTURE. Thanks :-).
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axe grind subjective opinion
No, my dear chap, subjective, spittle flecked rants full of abuse and hot air are your specialties, I deal with historic realities.
The historic fact is that Australian and allied troops who captured Kalimantan certainly drove the Japanese out but they did not “liberate” the island, do you see the difference yet?
It’s really a very simple, rather basic, point involving the use of the English language*, your difficulty in comprehending such a minor piece of semantics doesn’t surprise me but continually posting up your ignorance for the world to read seems rather odd.
(*Just for the record Riki’s use of the term “Scotchmen” whilst not generally used today is nonetheless grammatically correct as it is in the plural, your use of “Scotsman” (sing.) is grammatically incorrect in the context of his sentence, you might want to apologise.)
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Thanks for sharing BB :-). I think over the past few weeks your knowledge of local history and literature has been amply demonstrated and doesn’t really need much more comment from anyone.
Oh indeed, Sorry Riki, Scotsmen not Scotsman and it should be “your are” not your.
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My knowledge of local literature, such as it is, is certainly wanting I’ll grant you that but to be honest sadly I don’t think I’m missing much.
My knowledge of history I’ll stand against yours any day of the week and win hands down.
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