On December 9, 1947, Dutch soldiers on Java, Indonesia walked into the village of Rawagede and massacred all the male inhabitants. Saih Bin Sakam was supposed to be one of the executed, but the bullet hit his hand. He kept still under a corpse for half an hour. Now, over 60 years later, he’s seeking compensation from the Dutch government. And he wants them to determine the worth of the lives they took.
Update - since the recording of this interview, Saih Bin Sakam sadly passed away in May 2011.
More on the Indonesian War of Independence - A black page in Dutch history.
This story was taken from the latest edition of The State We're In - Call me an optimist!
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the massacre in Rawagede village on 1947 by Observer Team of United Nations Security Council on 1948 stated "deliberate and ruthless", with the others evidence and facts.
Deliberate ruthless, abject, with an absence of morale,craven,was also the killing, by Indonesian nationalists, of innocent Dutch women and children, who had suffered three years of hell in Japanese prisoners' of war camps. They seem to have been forgotten, but not by me! Indonesian troops are still oppressing and killing innocent minorities who dare to come up for their rights and liberties.
Massacring innocent Dutch citizens is as big a crime against humanity as is killing any other human beings. Indonesia has killed many innocent people and is still maiming, torturing and killing innocent people. Have you forgotten about East Timor, Ambon, Aceh, Irian Jahya, etc?
@ Anonymous from Lalaland....What were the Dutch doing in Indoneisa in the first place???
How can you ask for compensation from Indonesia when it was the Dutch that went to Indonesia and taking over their country? Don't come crying when they kick you out.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. If you go and look what the Netherlands have done in the rest of the world, I can honestly say, The Dutch are not at all tolerant people at all, and probably owe the world alot of money for damages done. I say sue!
The innocent Dutch citizens massacred by the "brave" and "noble" Indonesian Nationalists were mostly women and children who survived the suffering, agony and anguish of the Japanese death and prisoners'
camps and the Japanese occupation of Indonesia during the Second World War.
MASSACRING INNOCENT DUTCH CITIZEN IS AS BIG A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY AS IS KILLING ANY OTHER HUMAN BEINGS.INDONESIA HAS KILLED MANY INNOCENT PEOPLE AND IS STILL KILLING, MAIMING AND TORTURING INNOCENT PEOPLE . HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN ABOUT EAST TIMOR, AMBON, ACEH, IRIAN JAHYA ETC.?
@lalaland
ONLY IF THE DUTCH COMPENSATE INDONESIAN FOR 250 YEARS OF COLONIALIZATION FIRST.
What about the Dutch and Dutch Indonesian civilians who were massacred after the Second World War by Indonesian Nationalists? When will their survivors get payouts by the Indonesian government?
Suffering is permanent, obscure and dark, and shares the nature of infinity.
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