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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purba Negoro says:
You choose to beat your chest because you’re jealous or just racist Andy?
No- taking advantage of a Down Syndrome-like sufferer like Andy is just sad and pathetic. Down Syndrome sufferers are incredibly strong- but sadly they are mentally handicapped.Besides- what’s the point- one or both of us charged for afray/public disturbance? A day wasted in a lockup? Wives mortified and denying us carnal enjoyment for a week or more and forcing us to make up like little children?
Why throw punches when we can blow drunken kisses over beer.
Perhaps you think I am so dim-witted as you to divulge where I truly am staying.
Maybe I truly am in Crown Towers as my wife love craps so much and snack in Mahogany Room is yummy?
Maybe in Grand Hyatt close to fancy shopping?
Maybe in Flinders St backpacker losmen/hostel opposite Flinders’ St Station reeking of sweaty Swedish armpit and syphilitic Dutch genitalia and ganja?
Maybe I am now in Sydney?Dragonwall-
glad to see you keenly indulging in your beloved Chinese cultural activities of kissing up to whitey obsequiously, brown-nosing to whitey, and enthusiastically cleansing his anus with your tongue.Perhaps if Andy sleeps with you- you’ll get your yellow heart’s desire of a greencard?
Dragonwall- you said you where an analyst expert- I think you really meant anni-lingus expert?Sorry- Andy may be a self-proven ignorant drooling moron- but even he has standards.
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dragonwall says:
Which of the posting have you seen that I had made claims of myself being an analyst expert! Ah..ah.. right, you must be jealous over Andy’s comments.. Whether I am or not you could be the better judge.
Let me tell you this. Only people like you, who have been frivorously trying to prove to others that they are that wikipedia equipped and with a burning desire to express their hatred out of jealousy or somewhat and ever making attempt to make claims like in most of your postings, are those that made up of people who are”anni-lingus expert .
You have proven nothing. A green card may meant a lot to people like you but not me. I can go anywhere in the world and take up position in the banking or corporate industries. Simplly because I can build something from nothing so.. I didn’t go to school and waste my time.
By any standard you are nothing comparing to others here in the blog. Any one except for a few, are better than you.
I think you failed to understand that being able to spend sleepless night checking the wikipedia and come up with dictionary printed words will not make you a better person. Like I said you will not be the man.
I have at least showed my prominence in the Indonesian business circle especially in the financial sector, What have you proven?
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Aluang Anak Bayang says:
@ PN,
Crown Tower, Mahogany Room, Grand Hyatt, Koko, Flower Drum and my favourite haunt, the now closed Le Restaurant are places incognito to Andy. Cockies infested hostel for junkies like the one at the corner of Flinder and Spencer may be his favourite hangout.
While visiting Javanese are feasting on Fois Grois and Wagyu at top restaurants, Andy’s fine dining is probably at King of Kings in Russell Street.
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Dragonwall…
There is no need for anyone to defend PN as I am sure he can do that for himself. However, you ask what PN has done in the context of you being a bit of a finance and banking star here in Indonesia and presumably abroad. You are using a pen name, which is your right to do, and this claim to fame has no way of being proven until we know who you really are, has it?
To my mind this is nothing but a legend in one’s own lunchbox.
PN might not be everyone’s cuppa tea but he certainly has an interesting mastery of the English language and an intimate knowledge of Australia. Both critically important if you want to rant and rave about arm-chair revolutionaries and the ills of Australia.
It is worth noting that PN is also a pen name so we can never be sure about his claims to fame either. That said, PN probably would have been a good footy or cricket player in a time where a good sledge was highly valued as a tactic to unsettle your opposition and play with their minds. PN has taken the sledge in your case way past the line of, “your mother wears army boots”.
If this sledge match was a competition PN has the lead by some distance.
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fullmoonflower says:
Dutch War Crimes…..
I’m in Yogyakarta for lebaran vacation now… yesterday my mother showed me a historical stone (for my family) which is placed in the middle of Kampung Kauman, Yogyakarta…
On that stone, ever lay a body of 12 years old orphan, my uncle, my father’s oldest brother… he was shot down by dutch on his head… it was happened on 1948..
So sad… Cannot imagine how sad my grandmother on that time, after she lost her husband and her only one daughter…
But everyone there told me that my grandmother is a tough woman… when her neighbours came and told her about what was happened, then she went to the place immediately…
She just hold my uncle’s body, wiped his blood, kissed him for the last time, without tears in her eyes…Oh God…
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Andy says:
Attention all!!!Purba has not stayed in the Park Hyatt recently so is now a proven liar. I called there because out of curiosity I wondered if his posts had any truth to them but alas, they have never heard of him. So AAB, your friend isn’t staying there so maybe he is in a cockie infested hostel with other backpackers.
One ridiculous line he keeps trotting out is about how Aussies work in bars in the UK. Well that number going the other way is probably double or triple. It is a fact that anyone backpacking will do whatever work they can for the experience rather than a career. But the poms are here in greater numbers because of our superior lifestyle and weather. I will say though I know of many Aussies in Europe or the states working in the corporate world. They are the ones who tend to want to stay abroad for longer periods.
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Andy…
That’s a little scary. Not that PN did not stay there but people can just call up a hotel and find out if someone is staying there! I can see this information being made available to the coppers in times of need and with the proper procedures followed.
In any event, PN is nothing more than a pen name. I am guessing the PN-meister did not check in under his pen name.
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Well i’m Andy and I guess you are really Rob so if he cant use his real name again he is a liar. Anyone can call and ask to page someone. I said I was his friend but really wanted to punch his lights out. To think I was doing boxing training in my tank top and footy shorts in the back yard for nothing yesterday.
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In response to Andy’s
Attention all!!!Purba has not stayed in the Park Hyatt recently so is now a proven liar. I called there because out of curiosity I wondered if his posts had any truth to them but alas, they have never heard of him.
and Rob’s
You, AAB, are a pen name and post as such, because you do not have the courage of your convictions to post under your “real” name.
‘Purba Negoro’ used as a name is a Batak. PN had clearly stated he is Javanese so ‘Purba Negoro’ could not be his real name. That is my assumption but PN may be able to clarify this. Your Indon Chinese spouse won’t be able to tell you this because she don’t like pribumis. Did you seriously ring Park Hyatt to check on Purba 🙂 … Hahahahahaha ..
Aluang Anak Bayang is a real name and a very Kalimantanis one. You have limited knowledge of the people beyond Java island. Probably less of Bintang Bir and some good read up on Kalimantan and its wonderful people would help.
Gee .. one stone killed two birds. I always adhere to egalitarian beliefs, but it seems Anglo-Celts are an exception. So unlike Javanese. On the bright side, both of you are benefiting from being trashed around.
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Lairedion says:
Andy said:
Attention all!!!Purba has not stayed in the Park Hyatt recently so is now a proven liar. I called there because out of curiosity I wondered if his posts had any truth to them but alas, they have never heard of him.
LOL. Too many posters here are taking things way too seriously. Between all the crap comments (including ours) you can filter out some useful information and interesting views and opinions but at the end of the day IM is just a blog focused on Indonesia. I suggest you kick back for a while because PN obviously has you preoccupied and I can imagine right now PN is ROTF LHAO.
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Andy,
you’re hilarious. Or very very very stupid.
I’ll be kind and assume comedian.
Tank top and footy shorts- your Mardi Gras costume?You found me out- I’m Wayne Smith in Flinders Street backpacker hostel covered in amourous Dutch backpackers fresh out of girls’ acrobat school.
Why not join in?
Bring the Choy-noyse wife too and it’ll get real freaky. You know she’s only three chardies from a lesbian.British- English especially are all Blair/Brown refuges, running from the Bleeding Hearts Sturmtroopers, hordes of black hoodies and Yardies with steak knives “lookin’ for rethspeck mon. I is well ‘ard jus aksth meh.” and fat loud scrubbers looking/sounding like an uncouth hybrid of Lilo Lil and Mam (from Bread) infesting anywhere North of Harlington Spa.
The smart ones migrate to New Zealand. The poor unfortunate others have to take second best- Ostraya and Perf.
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timdog says:
Jeezus f*ckin krais…
Are you serious Andy? Did you really go to the hotel and ask if a Mister Purba Negoro was staying there?
If so, then you my friend, need to get a grip… -
Not so fast timdog,
I did a check on all Madurese hotels, hostels, guesthouses, losmen etc. to see if a certain timdog checked in last August but none of them had any records confirming this so we can safely conclude you’re a proven liar and you probably didn’t leave the UK after all. 😯
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Dammit Lairedion – you’ve got me bang to rights…
I am at this very moment scanning the Dutch phone directory under “L”… -
@ AAB
you are correct…! PURBA is a family name (marga) of Batak 😉
If he is a Javanese, he should wrote his name : “Purbo Negoro”, so people can spell his name correctly… or just “Purba Negara”, and Javanese will spell “a” as “o” automatically..
Note :
Huruf kawi : Pa (wulu) Ra (pangku) Ba … and … Na (pepet) Ga RaJavanese usually spell “ha na ca ra ka” with “ho no co ro ko”
And…. PN = PURBA and NEGORO… so he might be a Batak, not Javanese… and he always talking rude… and that’s not a Javanese style
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So we see, this guy claims to be of Kratindeng descendant and yet uses a Batak name! How much truth he spilled is within our sense of deduction.
Say once, say all…
Andy you should look into some of the internet program on tracing the IPs where it originate and so on.. then trace back the time difference the posting was made and with another program it will trace the IP to it’s longitude and latitude and that will tell you where this person is. I am sure you were taking a long shot as to trying the PH..
Ha.ha.ha.. sorry can’t disclose the programs you have to look into it. AAB claims to have 7 connections in his office.. Can you imagine that.. try a little bit harder.
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huh??? 7 connections??? wow!!
means.. he might doing nothing than posting and posting with 7 different nicknames… everyday… in his office…
gila… ck..ck..ck
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That was what he claimed in his earlier postings..these people claiming to be somebody kind of bigshot but who are actually doing nothing but posting right to the top of the chart.
Ngak kalo orangnya gila apakah mungkin mereka dapat posting aja! Pasti mereka ada maksud tertentu seperti disuruh orang untuk memuat sesuatu untuk mengacaukan kondisi menjadi lebih buruk.
Mengingat apa yang terjadi pada peristiwa kerusuhan Mei 1998 itu kan ada banyak yang beredar selembaran, sekarang canggih makai internet dan sms ma…
Situasi seperti ekonomi yang lemah gampang terjadi sesuatu.
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AAB…
When push comes to shove I am happy for you to post under a pen name. A pen name is simply that, a pen name.
Why an avid supporter and believer in Kejawen you would want to use a a name from Kalimantan could do with some explaining (this might be part of the trashing you are talking about — others might call it educating). Perhaps your parents did not realize that in the future you would be so fully into the the Kejawen way.
In any event, the IM forum is a much livelier place for your contributions.
As for trashing me around, if you think you are then good for you.
On the beer bintang front, not my poison of choice. Nope, not to Jawa-centric. Been to plenty of other parts of the Archipelago. I only need to go to Papua and then I can claim I been everywhere man!
When it is all said and done, I still do not believe that AAB is your name. I do not think I ever said it was not a real name. People can post under a pen name that is a real name but just not theirs. It would be like me posting as Adam Smith.
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@ Rob,
Whether I use a pen name or not, it is none of your business. Only a nosey Anglo would bother.
Am I suggesting I am posting under my real name? I was responding to your lil’ rant that AAB is a pen name and just because ‘you seemed to be pretty sure about it’, I was under the impression you think it could not be a person’s name. Here in Kalimantan, you will come across many Aluangs and Anak Bayangs, and one of them could be me. I am a 3rd generation Javanese in Kali, and we Javanese blend in with the locals. Unlike Hokkien and Teochew who need the state to shove Pancasila into their throat.
Here was what you wrote, in case you forgot:
You, AAB, are a pen name and post as such, because you do not have the courage of your convictions to post under your “real” name.
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AAB…
Ahhhh but it is my business if you want to defame and slander me. Hence the comment on the courage of your convictions. Thanks for the reminder of what I said, although I did remember all by myself with regards to what I wrote.
Only nosey Anglos? If you say so. I still am pretty sure about it. I am taking Patung’s word for the fact that you are Indonesian. But, the mere fact that there are so many Aluangs and Anak Bayangs makes it a good choice for a pen name, don’t you think?
But now I am more informed with respect to you being 3rd generation Javanese in Kalimantan. I learned something about you and you are no longer as anonymous as you once were! I guess this kind of lesson is what you refer to as “trashing” me around, would that be correct?
But top of the morning to you anyway. Have a good day!
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@Dragonwall
but 7 connections… itu buang-buang uang dong…
cannot believe it…
and in his office… how can he did his business then?Btw : my mother is from Kalimantan, my brother’s wife is also from Kalimantan, a princess of Kraton Kutai Kartanegara… so I know Aluang is Kalimantan name, and Anak Bayang means the son of Pak Bayang… Bayang could be a Javanese name…
Well, kangmas AAB, hope you are honest… 😛
It will be lovely to find Javanese in Kalimantan… and you can see there are so many Javanese working in Balikpapan… I often go to Banjarmasin, Martapura, Balikpapan, Tenggarong, and Samarinda for business, and met so many Javanese living there peacefully…
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fullmoonflower, no way is Purba Batak…I will state that without ever meeting the man (he had a chance but didn’t have the guts).
Bataks are proud people. Honest as the day and very hard working. You can see this in Jakarta by the fact they will do any job from the most menial to the most professional. They also hold high ranking positions in the military. So next time you jump in a cab or bus, chances are a Batak will drive it. Or visit the doctor the same.
I have never ever met one who holds anything like the views that our friend here does. In fact, along with the chinese I would say the Bataks are my favourite Indonesian race. I have way too much respect for them to ever think Purba may be one of them.
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but 7 connections… itu buang-buang uang dong…
cannot believe it…
and in his office… how can he did his business then?Ya entah apakah benar dia yang mengatakan. Apakah gak punya kerjaan lain. Apa ada apa…sih
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janma says:
Andy Andy…
Would say Purba’s talking out of his rear end again. Haven’t heard anything like that in oz in years. And i’m quite sure a bunch of builders wouldn’t be afraid of our dear mate.
Andy, I haven’t lived in Australia for a long time, but I can so totally imagine that happening! Made me laugh that did! Gotta love em eh!? Bloody Ozzies…. why can’t you just accept them the way they are Andy… sure there are plenty of intellectual sophisticated cosmopolitan australians… just as there are Indonesians… (probably more in Indonesia come to think of it due to them having ten times Australia’s population…just as there would be more fools and the equivalent of rednecks too).
But seriously guys that will yell out the equivalent of “shars ya tit’s” are in every country just about…. or at least a select few…. true I can’t imagine a japanese man yelling that out to passing women, but I can with ITalians, brits, americans, africans, indians and countless others…
While it is true that I have not really come into contact with many racist Australians, I am sure they exist in great numbers. That they also exist in other countries I don’t doubt, but the vainglorious coda of ‘you lot do it too’… is infantile to say the least. Didn’t your mam ever tell you, Two wrongs don’t make a right? Accept that Australians, by and large are casual and somewhat crass, by and large… they just are… I love it in a way, you pretty much always know where you are with them…. no saying yes and meaning no…. no swanning about pretending to be a nob…. what you see is what you get. Of course these are generalizations, but the stereotypical Australian is what we are describing, so generalizations are called for.
You seem overly defensive of Australia, but in your rush to defend you pretty much just look dumb, because no one will believe that any country or people are free from fault as you are at such pains to prove, and when proven wrong you respond by trashing the others country as being ‘just as bad or worse’.
Australia isn’t a perfect country, deal with it. -
Achmad Sudarsono says:
Will anyone else be my Special Internet Friend ?
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I will Achmad…I’ve got a cam…
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Achmad is secretly afraid of internet friends…. special or otherwise….
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Possibly Janma, although I think he’d overcome his inhibitions for either you, or Oigal…
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Andy..How can you say that. By the look of the avatar..He perhaps is or wants people to think he is Prabowo. So let him be a Great Pretender, no harm. He needs several days to swallow what was shaft down his throat. o give him a break.. How about starting from the neck. Don’t forget..Let me remind you that Prabowo is a racist and he hates Chinese because his brother and father looks very much Chinese.
Come on can’t you tell by the Aussie slang he is trying to imitate.. definitely he is somewhere near what he claims.. but perhaps near whenre the drilling activites are.
How can he be fat, claiming to be a soldier, dark of course because of over exposure perhaps balding not forgetting he is retired and smelly ya….you know..