In February, dozens of researchers presented their study into the independence war in Indonesia between 1945 and 1950. The main conclusion is that there was ‘structural excessive violence’ by Dutch soldiers, with the knowledge of the military and political top.
During a round table discussion in the House of Representatives on Monday, former commander and off-duty general Mart de Kruif cracked down on the research results. “The question of why there was excessive violence is not answered,” says De Kruif. “It should have. Was the Dutch armed forces prepared for this mission? I strongly lean towards: no.”
Wrong throat
The conclusions of the study have also gone down the wrong way among veterans. “The impression has been wrongly created that everyone who has walked around there is some kind of war criminal,” says Hans van Griensven, chairman of the Veterans Platform. According to him, about 5 to 10 thousand soldiers have been guilty of senseless violence: a fraction of the total number of 220,000 soldiers sent to the Dutch East Indies.
Paul Hoefsloot of the Netherlands Veterans Institute says that the researchers have presented an ‘unbalanced picture’. For example, too little attention is paid to the violence on the Indonesian side. He is not pleased with Prime Minister Rutte’s reaction to the investigation in February. “That reaction was extremely painful. I think the Prime Minister has something to fix towards the veterans.”
‘Deep apologies’
Prime Minister Rutte offered ‘deep apologies’ to the people of Indonesia in response to the investigation into the independence war. He also apologized to others involved, including the veterans. The cabinet distanced itself from the old official position that ‘extreme force was only used in exceptional circumstances’.
The speed with which Rutte responded – a few hours after the publication of the investigation – stabs the veterans. “Fast and premature,” says Van Griensven. The government is currently preparing a detailed response to the study. Shortly before or after the summer, the cabinet response will only be debated in the House of Representatives.
Bersiap
Rutte has already announced that he no longer wishes to use the term ‘police actions’. The term Bersiap – the period in which Indonesian nationalists committed violence against the Dutch and Indo-Dutch – has also been suppressed by Rutte and may only be used ‘between quotation marks’.
“Keeping small in the 1970s has now tipped the balance to the other side, making it as big as possible: everyone and everything involved,” complains John Sijmonsbergen of the National Remembrance Foundation August 15, 1945. “That leads to painful generalizations for victims and veterans.”
Two of the Indies researchers tried to counter the criticism. “It is not right that we lump all soldiers together and collectively put them away as war criminals,” says Rémy Limpach of the Netherlands Institute for Military History. “We understand that our message is hard for many veterans. But we cannot downplay our findings to spare the partly understandable feelings of certain groups.”
On Monday, the ambassador of Indonesia in The Hague also talked to the House. This happened behind closed doors at his request. Next Monday, talks will follow with representatives of conscientious objectors, the Indisch Platform foundation and the Dutch Honorary Debts Committee.