The Dutch government officially offered an apology for its military action in Rawagede in 1947 that had caused hundreds of civilian deaths.Nusa Dua, Bali (ANTARA News) - Indonesia views the Dutch government`s apology over atrocities committed by its military in Rawagede, West Java, in 1947 as an important development.
Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa told the press after holding bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Bali Democracy Forum here on Friday that an internal process had occurred in the Netherlands following the court`s ruling over the tragedy in Rawagede.
He said it was an important development when the Dutch government then followed up the court`s ruling by offering an official apology.
Marty hoped the descendants of the victims could immediately feel the settlement of the tragedy.
"Now that the Dutch government has chosen to follow up the ruling with what it did, now I think it constitutes an important development. Our hope is it could be immediately settled so that the survivors or families of the victims could feel a sense of settlement," he said.
The Dutch government officially offered an apology for its military action in Rawagede in 1947 that had caused hundreds of civilian deaths.
"Today we remember family members of the village of Balongsari who were killed 64 years ago during a Dutch military aggression. On behalf of the Dutch government I apologize for the tragedy," Dutch ambassador to Indonesia Tjeerd de Zwaan said at the 64th commemoration of the Rawagede tragedy in Balongsari, Rawageded, Friday morning.
Zwaan said the incident was sorrowful and a stark example of how relations between Indonesia and the Netherlands at the time had developed in the wrong direction.
"Each of you certainly has your own way of overcoming the bitter memory of the Rawagede tragedy. I hope by reflecting on it we could together step forward to the future and cooperate closely and productively," he said.
The killings of civilians in Rawagede located between Karawang and Bekasi occurred on December 9, 1947 during the first Dutch military agression against the newly proclaimed Republic of Indonesia.
The Dutch forces conducted the operation to find Lukas Kustario, the chief of a company of Siliwangi forces they suspected was hiding in the village.
After failing to find him the Dutch forces then collected all men of the village including the youths and then asked them to line up before shooting them to death. A total of 431 people were believed to have lost their lives in the incident.
The case was first brought to the International Court in the Hague in 2009 following a lawsuit from seven widows of the victims, a daughter of a victim and a survivor.
On September 14, 2011 the court ruled the Dutch government was guilty and was asked to take responsibility by paying a compensation to the victims and their families. According to the victims` lawyer the compensation was worth 2000 euros or around Rp240 million for each victim.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
