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By APD writer Aditya Nugraha
AMSTERDAM, Oct. 2 (APD) -- A ruling from an appeal in The Hague said on Tuesday that lawsuit brought by five Indonesians who hold the Netherlands responsible for their fathers executions by Dutch soldiers in 1947 must be heard.
The Netherlands government has claimed that the acts in its former colony had happened too long ago for it to be held responsible.
The court has rejected it, saying that the exceptional level of violence and the extent to which the Dutch state is culpable.Executions on the five Indonesian men occurred during the Indonesian war of independence, which started after the end of World War Two in 1945. The Netherlands recognized Indonesian independence in 1949.
Dutch soldiers executed opponents during the conflict without any form of trial. They also tortured prisoners during interrogations, the court said.
The five Indonesians are suing the Dutch state for compensation. Process to verify that the complainants are in fact children of executed men would also be conducted prior to the hearing.
The court said it is going to be hard to prove as the Dutch did not have document that registered the ones shot and the place during the conflict.
If their identity is confirmed, the five men and women would be entitled to compensation for the costs of their livelihood during their childhood years.
On Tuesday, the court upheld a verdict that an Indonesian man tortured by the Dutch was entitled to 5,000 euros (around US$ 5,500) in compensation.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
