Dutch rule caused pain: Beatrix

JAKARTA (JP): Queen Beatrix yesterday acknowledged the great pain and suffering inflicted on the Indonesian people by Dutch colonial rule, but she stopped short of an explicit apology or a recognition of 1945 as the year of Indonesia's independence.

"The opening and economic exploitation of this area indubitably brought painful consequences to the Indonesian people of that time," Beatrix said of the Dutch colonization which began in the 17th century.

"In our country there was a belief that colonial management was beneficial to both sides. The belief was so widespread that there was little awareness of the strong aspiration for freedom which was growing amongst the Indonesian people," she said in her address before President Soeharto during a banquet at the Merdeka Palace last night.

Beatrix arrived here yesterday morning for an 11-day tour of Indonesia. Her arrival is the first time in 14-years that a Dutch monarch has visited Indonesia.

She is accompanied by her husband Prince Claus, her son and Crown Prince William Alexander, several cabinet ministers and a delegation which includes a large business contingent of over 60 persons.

Her arrival comes amid great controversy in the Netherlands as Dutch veterans who fought here to restore colonial rule following World War II argue that her visit, originally scheduled for Aug. 17, would amount to a recognition of the 1945 Indonesian Proclamation of Independence.

At the same time, various groups in Indonesia, particularly veterans' groups, are calling for an apology for the pain inflicted by Dutch colonial rule here along with a formal recognition of 1945 as the year in which Indonesia gained independence.

Indonesia was a Dutch colony for nearly three-and-a-half centuries until nationalist leaders proclaimed independence in 1945 following the Japanese surrender to Allied forces.

However, Dutch forces returned to Indonesia in an attempt to re-impose colonial rule. After a long and hard-fought military and diplomatic campaign, the Dutch government formally recognized Indonesia's sovereignty in 1949.

Indonesian veterans' groups, such as the Foundation for the Defense of the Homeland, along with community figures Frans Seda and S.K. Tri Murti, have made an open appeal to Beatrix that she recognize 1945 as the year in which the Indonesian state was born.

Beatrix said that, just prior to 1945, her grandmother, Queen Wilhemina, had asserted in a speech that there was a need to form a new basis of the relationship between Holland and the colony that is now Indonesia. However, Beatrix said, there were differences of opinion as to the form that the new relationship would take.

"Because of that, the separation between the two states became a long process which brought about much suffering and a bitter struggle.

"Looking back at that time...we feel very sad because so many people died in that struggle or had a life-long injury inflicted upon them," she said.

President Soeharto in his speech did not dwell on the bitter struggle between Dutch and Indonesian forces.

He said that, just as the Netherlands extols its heroes, such as Prince Williem van Oranje, Indonesia also remembers its heroes, including those who fought against the Dutch.

"Our cemeteries throughout the country are filled with heroes who died to seize and defend independence," said Soeharto, who himself is regarded as a war hero of the fight against the Dutch.

The President noted that, as two independent states, both countries should respect each other's sovereignty.

"All nations must develop their relationship on the basis of respect for sovereignty, non-interference in domestic matters," he said.

In 1992 Jakarta rejected all Dutch aid in response to perceived meddling by Dutch officials in Indonesia's domestic affairs.

"We have both learned from the past for the good of a new relationship in the future based on new foundations and objectives," Soeharto remarked, without directly referring to the 1992 incident.

Beatrix similarly made no mention of the events of 1992, but said that, despite cultural differences and a respect for sovereignty, both countries should talk about the question of rights.

"This doesn't mean we cannot communicate about basic rights and values which have been defined by members of the United Nations," she said.

Beatrix added: "Those things are a natural element in inter- state dialog, including between Indonesia and the Netherlands."

During her first day here yesterday, Beatrix visited the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery, followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at the Menteng Pulo cemetery, where several thousand Dutch soldiers are buried.

Today she will visit the Indonesia in Miniature Park and the Taman Ismail Marzuki cultural center. In the evening she will attend a reception at the Dutch Ambassador's residence to meet the Dutch community here.

Tomorrow Beatrix is scheduled to leave for the next leg of her visit, which will take her to Surabaya, East Java. (mds)