Dutch war crimes in Indonesia, 1945-1949

This 13 April 2015 video says about itself:

Indonesian War of Independence 1945-1949 (true story)

Translated from NOS TV in the Netherlands:

“Time is running out for compensation for ‘police action’ crimes”

Today, 05:20

The Dutch government must hurry with compensating victims of Dutch war crimes during the war of decolonization in Indonesia. It is high time that the Dutch state recognizes what has happened, says Jeffry Pondaag of the Dutch Debts of Honour Committee. Many relatives of people who were executed are old, says Pondaag. He has been doing research in the former Dutch colony for years.

Today will be a court case in The Hague to discuss compensation for a woman who in 1949 in the village Peniwen was allegedly raped by soldiers of the Dutch army. Also, a claim will be discussed by eighteen widows and five children, relatives of men who were killed by Dutch soldiers.

Lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld, assisting Indonesian next of kin legally, will at the court in The Hague ask for information from the Dutch state, among other things, lists of the national archives with names of men who were executed. Zegveld calls for independent inquiry into the actions of Dutch soldiers during the so-called police actions.

Structurally

The thesis of historian Remy Limpach must be made public according to the lawyer. In his study “Die brennenden Dörfer des Generaal Spoor. Niederländische Massengewalt im Indonesischen Unabhängigkeitskrieg 1945-1949” Limpach concludes that extreme violence by Dutch soldiers did not happen occasionally but structurally.

The violence was widespread and the military leadership did not prevent it. This conclusion differs greatly from those of previous reports, such as the Note on Excesses in 1969. Then, Dutch violence was described as excesses and incidents.

Limpach is now working for the NIMH, the Dutch Institute for Military History, a part of the Ministry of Defence. There, the claims of Indonesian relatives are investigated. Limpach will only publish his research in mid-2016. Zegveld wants to have the information earlier.

Recognition

After a long court case, the Dutch state in 2010 reached a settlement with the widows of men who were executed by Dutch soldiers in Rawagade. Also a group of widows from South Celebes, Sulawesi received compensation a few years later. The women were given a sum of 20,000 euros and an apology from the Dutch state.

Jeffry Pondaag of the Dutch Debts of Honour Committee hopes that the struggle for the relatives will not be long. It’s not about the money, he says. “The important thing is that the Dutch state admits guilt.”