Netherlands to compensate Indonesian victims of atrocities

DW (English)

In October 2020, the Netherlands announced it would offer 5,000 euros to the children of the victims of atrocities committed during the Indonesian War of Independence from 1945 and 1950. DW's Rebecca Napitupulu met with one of the families compensated.

Transcript

00:00 Years ago, Rusty's vision started to decline.

00:04 He suffered from cataracts but didn't have enough money for surgery.

00:09 That changed last year when he received 5,000 euros from the Dutch government.

00:14 The money was compensation for a massacre committed during Indonesia's War of Independence.

00:20 In 1947, almost all the males in the village of Rawagade were murdered by Dutch troops.

00:27 One of them was Rusty's father.

00:30 Rusty was just six years old at the time.

00:36 My father was on his way from Bojong after selling rice.

00:40 He had his own business.

00:42 He was killed on his way back.

00:43 I was with my mother at home.

00:46 Someone said that my father had been shot.

00:53 More than 400 men are believed to have been killed that day.

00:57 Only 181 bodies were found.

01:00 Their remains are buried in this graveyard dedicated to the victims, including Rusty's

01:06 father.

01:07 Historian Andi Ahan has been following the settlement negotiation closely.

01:12 He says it took far too long for the Netherlands to acknowledge its crimes, but sees the payment

01:18 of damages to the victims' children as an important gesture towards reconciliation.

01:26 It's too little too late in the sense that many people from the first generation have

01:30 passed away, leaving the second and third generation, their grandchildren.

01:36 I think this recognition is an important step, not only to ensure the welfare of the family

01:41 members but also to emphasize that what their grandparents did was important for the nation-building

01:47 process.

01:52 The amount of money that the victims get cannot do justice for what history has taken from

01:58 them.

01:59 But Rusty, at least, has made peace with his past.

02:03 I don't hold any grudge against the Dutch.

02:07 What has happened, let it be in the past.

02:12 While that past cannot be changed, neither can the recognition of Rawagade's sacrifice.

02:18 Written on the wall behind the graveyard are the words, "Esa Hilang, Dua Terbilang."

02:25 To die or live with honor, there is no other choice.

02:30 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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