Dutch war hero cemeteries

Dutch war hero cemeteries

Recently two Dutch naval ships visited Surabaya and Jakarta.

We can read from newspapers that the crew did not go to the
war-hero cemeteries in either city to pay homage to the fallen
military and civilian Dutch citizens during World War II and the
independence war of our country after 1945.

Actually the first category of burials can be considered for
removal and reburying in Holland, as the warring between Dutch
people and Japanese on our soil, is a fact of history, but it is
solely something between those two nations.

But for sure those buried in the second category should be
removed and buried in Holland; how can we give land and let those
rest here who opposed our people by conducting a war with
politionele acties (military actions) when we fought for our
freedom from Dutch colonial oppression?

It is therefore reasonable that the Dutch should be urged to
remove the bones and remnants to their own soil, so that our soil
is free from those burials.

The whole chapter of Dutch colonial rule can only be closed
completely and in peace after:

1. Apology by the Dutch government for the harm done during those
years (prime minister deKok stated a while ago that he was
prepared to do so).

2. Compensation for taking our wealth at suppressed prices (from
plantations and spices to oil by Royal Dutch Shell and tin ore by
Billiton Tin Mij.).

3. Compensation for the poor pay to coolies working to deliver
goods to Dutch firms including VOC (even the Germans are doing so
for this kind of malpractice during World War II).

4. Compensation for the killings (including victims of Westerling
killings).

5. Return of artifacts etc. taken away to Holland.

One can clearly conclude that if the Dutch had not colonized
Indonesia and taken our wealth to Holland, they would not now be
in this first world industrial and developed position; at the
most they would have a quarter of their present GDP as their
country did not have sufficient natural resources to achieve such
progress.

It is to be stressed that I am not a fanatic anti-Dutch, but I
only apply the basic logic of right and wrong.

Y. SANTO

Jakarta