Recently, Dutch judges have held veterans accountable for grave misconduct during two different military operations. Former Dutch soldiers who countered Indonesian independence fighters in 1947 and those who were stationed in Bosnia around 1995 are hurt by the recent verdicts. But some say: “It should never have happened.”
Srebrenica massacre
In 1995, Bosnian Serb soldiers murdered an estimated 8000 Muslim males in and around Srebrenica, a town in present-day Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Under the protection of some 600 lightly armed Dutch soldiers, the enclave was attacked by Serb commander Ratko Mladic on 11 July 1995. While over 20,000 of the women, children and infirm who had taken refuge in this UN-declared safe haven fled to a neighbouring Dutch base, men and boys were separated from their families and systematically murdered.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) ruled the Srebrenica massacre a genocide, reportedly the worst case of mass killings in Europe since World War II.
“One didn’t speak about Rawagede,” says Elbert Pereboom (84), who was sent to Indonesia in a military operation to suppress the Indonesian War of Independence. On 9 September 1947, Dutch soldiers are said to have murdered hundreds of men and boys in Rawagede, a village east of the capital Jakarta.
For years, the Dutch veterans were haunted by the bloodshed in Rawagede. Mr Pereboom was often seen as a murderer. And yet he had nothing to do with the massacre.
Dutch responsibility
The exact death toll has never been established. According to relatives, 431 innocent citizens were killed. But for a long time the Netherlands insisted there were no more than 150 victims.
Mr Pereboom thinks it makes sense that the Dutch court has now awarded damages to the widows in Rawagede. He regrets that the case dragged on for decades.
“The Netherlands could have paid damages as early as 30 or 40 years ago. They should have given the village compensation then. If that had happened, the case wouldn’t have dragged on so long. From a military point of view, it should never have happened. It was wrong. There’s no discussion about that.”
Retaliation
Like the Srebrenica massacre half a century later, the massacre in Rawagede is considered a black page in Dutch history. Mr Pereboom says it was retaliation.
“What happened in Rawagede is terrible. It should never have happened. A Dutch battalion went to the village, while not long before their comrades had been murdered. Feelings of retaliation and grief led to those excesses. The commander in charge should have kept them away from there.”
(hs/rk)
Email this Article
Printer-friendly version
Ja, indeed i'm agree. Holland has done its good initiative in Rawagede. Now as an Indonesian, I'm waiting when is Jakarta will take any responsibility on atrocities toward her own subject not to mention violence against Allied POW and kinderen and vrouwen gevangenis kampen in Java and Sumatera during 1945-1949.
When will Indonesia be held accountable for the atrocities,and discrimination it committed and is still committing against its minorities?
Post new comment
Please be reminded all comments must be in English, short and to the point - guideline 250 words. Abusive and inappropriate comments will be removed.