On Indonesian Independence Day

I'm a Dutchman (of Dutch-Indonesian descent) and I fully agree with minister Bot's attendance at Indonesia's 60th anniversary of independence. I think it is Indonesia's right to celebrate their independence on Aug. 17 and I think that everybody -- especially The Netherlands -- has to respect that.

However, the historic facts are a little different. On Aug. 17, 1945, Sukarno and Hatta declared the independence of Indonesia. But this act was not even recognized by all parts of the country, let alone by The Netherlands. Indonesia and The Netherlands finally agreed upon this difficult matter on Dec. 27, 1949, after a long struggle with too many victims on both sides.

In general, transfer of sovereignty has to be agreed upon by both parties involved. For example: The Netherlands declared themselves independent from their Spanish oppressors in 1581, but this self-declared independence was not accepted by Spain until 1648.

But is this really important? No, I don't think so. I think it's high time we buried the past and moved on to the future. We here in The Netherlands all love your country and we especially like Indonesian food! So why not come up with an "Indonesian- Dutch Friendship Day" which we both can celebrate? Do you have a suggestion for such a date?

ADRIAAN P. INTVELD The Netherlands