By Batara R. Hutagalung, Founder and Chairman of the Committee of Dutch Honorary Debts:
THE COMMITTEE OF DUTCH HONORARY DEBTS
PRESS RELEASE
The Galung Lombok Massacre. Commemoration 2013
On February 1, 1947, the Dutch special troops, Depot Speciale Troepen massacred more than 700 villagers in the village of Galung Lombok, District of Polewali Mandar, West Sulawesi. The victims were from the surrounding villages of Galung Lombok, from the District of Polewali Mandar and the District of Majene.
(List of the names of the victims from booth districts, see: http://batarahutagalung.blogspot.com/2012/06/galung-lombok-massacre-list-of.html)
In connection with this horrific humanitarian tragedy, the people of the West Sulawesi Province will hold the 2nd Congress of the People of Mandar on Saturday, February 2, 2013 at the Assammalewuang Building, Jl. Jend. Gatot Subroto, Majene – West Sulawesi.
The Governor of the Province of West Sulawesi, H. Anwar Adnan Shaleh will open the Congress.
Keynote speaker: Salim Mengga, Chairman of the Organisation of the People of Mandar, West Sulawesi
Speakers: 1. Drs. H. Hamzah H. Hasan, Chairman of the Parliament of West Sulawesi.
2. Brig. Gen. (ret.) H. Jawas Jusuf, son of a victim of the massacre.
3. Prof. DR. Edward L. Poelinggomang, Historian at the Hassanuddin University, Makassar.
4. Mulyo Wibisono, SH., MSc, Chairman of the Advisory Board of The Committee of Dutch Honorary Debts.
5. H. Zainuddin, eye witness.
6. Batara R. Hutagalung, Founder and Chairman of The Committee of Dutch Honorary Debts.To commemorate the killings of more than 700 villagers, on Sunday, February 3, 2013 a commemoration will be held at the Monument of Galung Lombok.
For the first time, a reconstruction of the massacre will be held in a theatrical performance.
More than one thousand people of the Province of West Sulawesi and the Province of South Sulawesi will attend the commemoration.
The Dutch Ambassador to Indonesia, HE Tjeerd de Zwan is also invited to attend the congress and the commemoration.
Some Dutch sources about the massacre in Galung Lombok, see:
http://indonesiadutch.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-massacre-in-galung-lombok-bloedbad.html
To see the pictures, please click:
http://indonesiadutch.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-galung-lombok-massacre.html
Dutch apologise for Indonesian executions: here.
Related articles
- 6.1 magnitude earthquake strikes off coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia (thesurvivalplaceblog.com)
- Tana Toraja, South Sulawesi, Indonesia (greenlightstudenttravelblog.com)
Why did they do it?
The big picture: Indonesia had declared independence in 1945. The Dutch government did not want to recognize that independence; as Indonesia was important to Dutch corporations like Shell, Unilever etc. So, they started war.
Specifically in West Sulawesi: Dutch Captain Westerling there was a (self confessed, later) arch war criminal:
https://dearkitty1.wordpress.com/2012/08/14/footage-of-dutch-war-criminal-westerling-discovered/
Thank you, yes I knew that, I just wondered why those particular people were targeted, and what they thought they had to gain by such an atrocity… probably unanswerable questions!
There was much resistance around Galung Lombok, and Westerling did not know who exactly the resistance fighters were. As some armies do in counter-insurgency wars, Westerling then decided to kill the whole village. Somewhat similar to what Hitler’s armies did in Oradour in France, Putten in the Netherlands, Lidice in Czechoslavakia, etc.
Westerling probably intended that this massacre would inspire such terror among people in West Sulawesi that they would give up resistance.
To
know more about the massacre in Galung Lombok, Sulawesi, see:
http://indonesiadutch.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-massacre-in-galung-lombok-bloedba
d.html
Â
The
list of the names of the victims in Galung Lombok, see:
http://batarahutagalung.blogspot.com/2012/06/galung-lombok-massacre-list-of.html
Â
More
about the Galung Lombok Massacre (in Indonesian language), see:
http://batarahutagalung.blogspot.com/2012/06/pembantaian-di-galung-lombok-kesaks
ian.html
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With
best regards,
Batara
Richard Hutagalung
Founder
and Chairman of the Committee of Dutch Honorarty Debts.
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