Princen to visit his former home country

Princen to visit his former home country

JAKARTA (JP): H.J.C. Princen, the Dutch-born vocal human
rights campaigner, has finally been granted a visa to visit his
former home country after a fourth attempt.

The Dutch embassy in Jakarta has given Princen, who deserted
from the Dutch army in the 1940s, permission to visit the
Netherlands.

"I will be flying on Dec. 22 to see my children and
grandchildren," he told The Jakarta Post. "They gave me the visa
on the condition that I don't make trouble, and don't draw the
attention of the press."

"This is, in a way, a small victory for me," he added.

Princen's request for a visa has been denied three times by
the Dutch government. They said that some of his fellow soldiers
in the Netherlands hadn't forgiven him for deserting them and
that his life might be in danger.

He last visited the Netherlands in 1984.

Princen came to Indonesia in 1948 as a member of the Dutch
Army which was sent to put down the nationalist rebellion. He
crossed over to join the independence fight and later became an
Indonesian citizen.

Ironically, his profession as a human rights lawyer has often
conflicted with the Indonesian government. He was jailed by
Sukarno, Indonesia's first president, and has often earned the
wrath of the government of President Soeharto. (emb)