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)