Children of the hostage were released with blankets around their shoulders. Cor Udding, house archive
Recognition in a broad sense. That is what Cor Udding from Hoogeveen has in mind. Udding was one of the children who was taken hostage in the primary school in Bovensmilde almost 45 years ago. According to Udding, many of them are traumatized and experience difficulties in health, work and family.
One thousand guilders was the ransom. After that, according to Udding, these children were never looked after again.
He therefore calls on fellow victims to report. The aim is to bring the poignant shortcomings in aftercare to the attention of the House of Representatives: “A good outcome is important to us and that outcome can be different for everyone.” According to Udding, it is therefore now or never (anymore).
School hostage incomparable
According to Hoogeveener, the school kidnapping cannot be compared with the train kidnappings. He paints a picture of having to go to emergency school under the supervision of the police, with soldiers at the door. At that time there was a kind of ‘war atmosphere’ in the village. With all its consequences.
Udding says that there was no (good) aftercare: “We were never thought of!” He knows stories of victims who reported to the UWV, but that agency thought that the complaints were not the result of the hostage situation: “Because we were too young.”
Many victims could not work under a boss. Others got into trouble when their children reached the age of theirs in 1977. Many marriages failed. Udding: “Many have not built up a pension because of a long-term low benefit, which will make their lives even more difficult.”
Everything came up, down to the last detail
Udding now lives in Hoogeveen and thought he had distanced himself from the events of 1977. The opposite turned out to be true: ,,During the lockdowns, something really snapped in me for the first time. Before that I always looked where the (emergency) exits were. But now everything came up again, down to the last detail.” His sister misses the cheerful and carefree Cor from before the hostage-taking, but according to Udding there are many similar stories.
Udding therefore wants to get a good picture of how big the problems are. Not only with him and the other 104 hostages, but also for posterity: ,,Many cannot give their children and grandchildren what they would like. And all because of the hostage situation.”
scandalous
Udding: ,,Money is not my motivation. Money won’t solve PTSD, but it can give us a little bit of a better life. The 1000 guilders, then from Van Agt, was outrageous.”
Udding received several responses to an earlier call for victims to report. However, he is convinced that there are many more people who do not dare to respond or who have other good reasons.
Comments welcome
A delegation from the House of Representatives will shortly be coming to Bovensmilde for this purpose. Udding would like to hand them the various stories, anonymous reactions if necessary. Anyone wishing to respond can do so by email: [email protected]
In the years after the hostage-taking, attention was paid to the position of the Moluccans in the Netherlands. That innocent children and teachers were taken hostage through no fault of their own has hurt a lot. According to Udding, those victims were not looked after. Udding concludes: ,,Much more important to me personally would be an apology from the government. My intention is to gain recognition.”