The Dutch State is not accountable for the death of two hijackers in the liberation of a hijacked train at De Punt in 1977, the court in The Hague ruled on Wednesday.
De Punt train hijacking
Jul 25 '18 14:30
Jul 24 '18 08:59
Dozens of former soldiers are pressing charges of defamation and slander against lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld, who is representing the relatives of hijackers killed in a train hijacking at De Punt in 1977. The relatives are suing the Dutch government, saying that the train was stormed with the intention to kill the hijackers.
Jul 19 '18 14:20
Former Prime Minister Dries van Agt will testify in court about the train hijacking at De Punt in 1977 if he is called to do so, he said on NPO Radio 1 program Dit is de dag. At that time Van Agt was Minister of Justice, and the one who gave the order to put an end to the hostage situation. A total of eight people were killed, two hostages and six hijackers.
May 9 '18 09:51
A former commander denies ever getting the order not to take Moluccan hijackers prisoner, but to kill them, in liberating a hijacked train at De Punt and occupied primary school Bovensmilde in 1977. "No authority came to me with such an order", the former commander, who coordinated the liberation operation at Bovensmilde, said to the Telegraaf.
May 8 '18 09:49
Three new witnesses came forward in the trial around the hijacking of a train at De Punt in 1977. The three new witnesses, former officers, say that soldiers who stormed the hijacked train were ordered not to take the Moluccan hijackers prisoner, but to shoot and kill them, the Volkskrant reports.
Dec 20 '17 08:09
Lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld is pressing charges against the Ministry of Defense for preparing and influencing former soldiers on what to say when they testified in a case surrounding the deaths of two hijackers during the liberation of a hijacked train at De Punt in 1977.
Oct 16 '17 09:45
The Dutch government was fully aware that hijackers would be killed during a military action that put an end to a hostage situation on a train near De Punt in 1977, two former soldiers who were involved in the action told the Volkskrant on Monday. According to the two soldiers, wounded hijackers were unnecessarily executed and the government gave the instructions for, and approved, the attack.
May 30 '17 09:07
Relatives of killed Moluccan train hijackers received transcriptions of sound recordings made when soldiers stormed the hijacked train at De Punt in 1977. A number of soldiers were carrying recording equipment, intended for training purposes. The Netherlands Forensic Institute transcribed the recordings after the court ordered this done, NOS reports.
Feb 1 '17 12:55
Marine soldiers involved in the storing of a hijacked train at De Punt in 1977 will have to be questioned as witnesses, the court in The Hague ruled on Wednesday. According to the court, it has insufficient information to judge whether two of the hijackers were intentionally killed by soldiers. Which is why the court needs to hear more from other soldiers who were involved, NU.nl reports.
Jan 27 '17 09:18
Three commanders of the marines involved in ending a train hijacking at De Punt in 1977, finally decided to break their silence and speak out against the controversy around the hijacking. In an interview with the Telegraaf they say that they find the past years' criticism on the action "disgusting" and that the soldiers acted according to the rules in ending the hijacking. The Telegraaf will publish the full interview on Saturday.
Nov 4 '16 15:40
The families of two Mollucan hijackers killed during the liberation of a train they hijacked in 1977, mainly want to know the truth about what happened to their relatives, they said during the first hearing of a trial against the Dutch state in the court in The Hague on Friday, NOS reports.
Oct 18 '16 10:59
Soldiers deployed to end the 20 day long hostage situation after Moluccans hijacked a train at De Punt in 1977, were told that the Moluccans must not leave the train alive, the lawyer of one of the soldiers said to broadcaster NOS.
