The House of Representatives held a session today on the research report “Indonesia 1945-1950 Independence, Decolonization, Violence and War”.
Speaking here, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that the Netherlands had acknowledged that Indonesia had achieved “complete, unconditional and unconditional” independence in 1945.
Rutte stated that he will consult with his Indonesian counterpart to determine a common content for the celebration of the independence day, adding, “We consider the declaration (the declaration that declared independence of Indonesia in 1945) as a historical fact.” said.
MPs from some opposition parties also argued that the government should also openly admit that the Kingdom of the Netherlands has committed war crimes.
Dutch court decision
In March 2020, Dutch King William Alexander apologized to the Indonesian government for the violence during the independence struggle.
The Hague District Court ruled on March 26, 2020 that the Netherlands acted unlawfully in the deaths of 11 Indonesians shot by Dutch soldiers in South Sulawesi during Indonesia’s struggle for independence.
The case was filed by the wives and children of 11 men who were shot in the South Sulawesi province of Indonesia, a former colony of the Netherlands, in 1946-1947.
The court decided to pay compensation in amounts ranging from 235 euros to 10 thousand euros to 8 women and 4 children who were widowed due to the illegal act of the Netherlands.
The Dutch government, after the court’s decision, announced that they would pay compensation to the children of Indonesians who were shot during Indonesia’s independence struggle.
According to a large-scale study of Indonesia’s war of independence in 2022 by different institutions, the Kingdom of the Netherlands was found guilty of “structural extreme violence” in the 1945-1950 period.
In the report, it was stated that villages were burned, people were tortured and executed without trial.
independence date
After the end of the Pacific War, Indonesia declared its independence with the declaration read by the political leader of the time, Sukarno, and his deputy, Muhammed Hatta, on the radio in 1945.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands did not recognize Sukarno’s declaration of independence and landed troops on the islands of Java and Sumatra in order to maintain colonial rule.
Kingdom soldiers committed war crimes with their massacres against the civilian population.
The peace negotiations that started between the Netherlands and Indonesia after the clashes in some cities resulted in the Kingdom of the Netherlands recognizing the independence of the new state on 27 December 1949.
Indonesia, where Islam was spread by Muslim traders, was colonized by Portugal in 1511. The country later became a Spanish, Dutch and British colony.