Dutch soldiers killed unarmed people, government lied

This Dutch regional Drenthe province TV video says about itself (translated):

Torrent of bullets killed train hijackers at De Punt

Nov 30. 2013

De Punt – The train hijacking at De Punt in 1977 ended indeed in a hailstorm of bullets. This appears from secret documents from the National Archives, which daily De Volkskrant has seen.

Translated from NOS TV in the Netherlands:

Van Agt informed parliament incorrectly about train hijacking

Today, 11:37

Dries van Agt, then Minister of Justice, has misinformed parliament in 1977 on the termination of the train hijacking at De Punt [in Drenthe province; by South Moluccans]. This says Ard van der Steur, Minister of Security and Justice.

But according to Van der Steur he does not know whether Van Agt briefed parliament deliberately incorrectly when he said that no unarmed hijacker was shot.

The Parliamentary Committee for Security and Justice has today discussed the results of a study that Van der Steur’s predecessor Opstelten has commissioned about the end of the train hijacking. When marines ended the hijacking in 1977 six of the nine hijackers were killed. Also two hostages were killed.

Executed

This archive research shows, according to Opstelten, that killed hijackers were not executed, as claimed by the relatives of the hijackers. They rely on documents that have recently been released. These include the autopsy reports and a report of the Forensic Laboratory. Lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld of the relatives has meanwhile held the government liable.

The study did make it clear that Justice Minister Van Agt misinformed parliament in 1977 on a number of points. He then suggested in a debate that the marines had not fired any shots at hijackers who did not resist with weapons. The investigation revealed that at least the killed female hijacker had no weapon.

National anthem

According to Van der Steur that was clear already then, so the House was informed factually inaccurately, says the minister. But the question is whether Van Agt has done this deliberately. “Perhaps he based himself on false information,” says Van der Steur.

For the MPs Jeroen Recourt (PvdA) and Harry van Bommel (SP) it does not matter whether Van Agt misinformed parliament consciously or not. “As a minister, he was responsible. He has whitewashed the case”, said Recourt.

After the meeting in parliament some relatives in the public gallery sang the Moluccan national anthem.