Prime Minister apologizes to Moluccan community for mistreatment after 1950 arrival

Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten on Sunday issued a formal apology to the Moluccan community in the Netherlands for how former KNIL soldiers and their families were treated after arriving in the country 75 years ago. The apology came during the opening of the National Monument Ulu Kora in Rotterdam at Lloydkade, a site tied to the arrival of Moluccan KNIL military personnel and their families. The monument is intended as a tribute to the first generation of Moluccans in the Netherlands and is designed for the community.

The Moluccan community refers to people in the Netherlands whose families originally come from the Maluku Islands in present-day Indonesia. Many of the first generation were KNIL soldiers who fought for the Netherlands during the Indonesian War of Independence from 1945 to 1949. In 1950, they and their families were brought to the Netherlands. They were told their stay would be temporary and that they would later return to Indonesia.

That return never happened. Instead, they were placed in poor living conditions, including in former German concentration camps such as Westerbork and Vught. The housing and reception were widely described as inadequate, and the treatment of the soldiers was later described as a dishonorable discharge. Over time, the situation led to years of protests by the community, and in the late 1970s some Moluccan youth carried out hostage-taking actions.

Jetten said: “Now that the last representatives of the first generation are still among us. For the heartless and dishonorable discharge as soldiers. For the inadequate reception and housing. For not being seen and being left behind. For the unfulfilled longing for home. And for the sorrow and pain in so many Moluccan families. For that, I offer today, on behalf of the Dutch government, apologies.”

He said that his words must be followed by concrete action. “The apology only gains meaning through the actions that follow,” Jetten said, adding that the government will first commission further research before deciding on next steps. The Moluccan community would be involved in that process, he stressed.

Jetten also told the community during his speech: “You are seen. And let that also be the lasting meaning of the National Monument Ulu Kora.”

Earlier this week, almost the entire Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, urged the government to make an “appropriate gesture” toward the community.