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The wax museum at Balongsari depicts the violent Dutch action at Ragawede on December 9, 1947. Photo Ahmad 'deNy' Salman
A group of Indonesian women are suing the Dutch state for the execution of their husbands by Dutch soldiers 62 years ago.
It is the first time that victims of the Indonesian struggle for independence (1945-1949) have taken legal action against the Netherlands. According to their Dutch lawyer, Liesbeth Zegveld, the women want the Netherlands to recognise the unlawfulness of its actions and financial compensation for their loss.
Indonesia, a Dutch colony since 1800, was occupied by Japan during the Second World War. After the war ended the Dutch tried to restore colonial rule, but they faced a nationalist revolt. Indonesia gained its independence in 1949, after five years of what the Dutch called "police action."
On December 9, 1947, Dutch soldiers attacked the village of Ragawede on the island of Java, killing hundreds of male villagers. Prisoners and people attempting to flee were shot.
Their widows are now sueing the Dutch state, not just for the killings, but also for failing to investigate the murders. Zegveld: "The military and civilian authorities, for opportunistic reasons, decided not to prosecute the officer in charge at Ragawede, major Wynen."
The Netherlands have apologised for the Ragawede massacre several times, but it has never accepted legal responsibility.
"Its main argument is that the statute of limitations on these crimes has expired," says Zegveld. "The victims feel the Netherlands cannot reasonably involke the statute of limitations. Claims brought by victims of the Second World War are still being treated in other cases. Besides, there is no statute of limitations on war crimes."
A 1948 United Nations report about the events at Ragawede called the Dutch action there "deliberate and merciless." None of the soldiers involved were ever put on trial.
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