University of Indonesia historian Anhar Gonggong on Wednesday urged the government to turn down the Dutch government’s attempts to apologize about mass killings it committed during its colonial rule. “The apology can only be accepted under two circumstances: the Dutch government must officially recognize [the date of] Indonesian independence to be Aug. 17, 1945, and the country should be held responsible for mass murder it committed during its time in Indonesia,” Anhar said in Jakarta as quoted by tribunnews. The mass killings the Dutch government wants to apologize for are known as the “Westerling Tragedy” in South Sulawesi, another incident in Surabaya on Nov. 10, 1945, as well as other mass killings across Indonesia. “We know how people in South Sulawesi struggled to fight with Westerling [Dutch Military officer Captain Raymon Westerling] who wanted to form an East Indonesia regime,” he said. “An apology in the form of money is an insult. The thousands that died as a result of the Westerling Tragedy cannot be replaced with money,” he said. The Dutch government intends to offer a formal apology and €20,000 (US$26,320) to the families of victims, especially widows, of a number of mass massacres during 1945-1949
Posted on: Thu, 05 Sep 2013 07:15:29 +0000
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