A Harrowing Time for the Dutch in Indonesia

THE VIEW in Menteng Pulo Cemetery in South Jakarta is quite exceptional. There, thousands of white cross-shaped headstones line up neatly, perfectly spaced from one another. Some headstones are smaller in size. The names inscribed on the stones were not only Dutch names, but also names of Minahasans, Moluccans, and Chinese.

“They are some of the victims of the 'bersiap period'. The small ones are children's graves,” said Robert van de Rijdt, director of Oorlogsgravenstichting or OGS (the Netherlands War Graves Foundation).

“Bersiap period” (Wees paraat-tijd) is a Dutch term that refers to the turbulent period of post-independence in Indonesia, especially in Java, which happened from mid-August 1945 to early 1946. The word bersiap itself means be ready or be prepared. People who were considered pro-Dutch–mostly full-blooded Dutch, Indo-Dutch, Minahasans, Moluccans or Chinese–became targets of hatred by the Republicans who plundered houses and took innocent lives.

Until now, there is no definite number on the total casualties during the "bersiap period". According to Michel G.M. Maas, a Dutch journalist, many Dutch sources mention the victims to be around 7,000 to 20,000. "But more importantly, a small number of the witnesses to the tragedy are still alive, and are residing in the Netherlands now," said Maas to Historia.

One of those eyewitnesses is Jeanette Tholense. Born in Bandung in 1936, she recalled the period back then as a harrowing time. It is still fresh in her mind how a group of armed young men raided her parents' house on Kerkstraat (now Jalan Pemuda) in Depok, one afternoon in October 1945. Not only raiding the family's house, they also murdered Hendrick Tholense, one of Jeanette’s siblings.

Fearing further life-threatening attacks, Jeanette and her family fled to one of her relatives' house on Jalan Bungur. Instead of getting protection, the family fell to the hands of those extremist youths. "We were ordered to strip our clothes. We were herded half-naked to Depok Lama Station," recalled Jeanette.

Nevertheless, luck was still on Jeanette's side. Only 20 km from Depok, at the same time, several Dutch and Indo-Europeans drew their last breath as they were slaughtered by a group of violent youths. That tragic incident was depicted in a piece by Menke de Groot titled “Gruwelen der Bersiap: moordpartijen op grote schaal” (The Horror of Bersiap: Large-Scale Massacres) published by De Nederlandse Krijgsmacht on 28 August 2015.

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The story discloses Nur, Said, and Sipin, leaders of a group of youth who kidnapped 39 people including 23 Europeans, seven Indonesians, five Chinese, and four Ambonese, and brought them to a place on the Batavia-Tangerang border. After being gathered under a big tamarind tree, those poor people were massacred with machetes, daggers, and guns.

"Their bodies were discarded just like that inside a well on the roadside," Menke wrote.

Meanwhile, in the Simpang Club in Surabaya, a group of young men gathered tens of Dutch, Indo-Europeans, Ambonese, and Minahasans. They were then herded to the headquarter of a communist youth organization and were murdered brutally with bayonets, sharpened bamboos, and wood beams.

Tension heightened when an Indo-European teenager tried to fight back, but he was clearly outnumbered. Trapped inside a mob of angry youth, the boy screamed hysterically, "Mountbatten (leader of the Allied forces), help us!" The hopeless young man eventually met his end after someone among the mob hit his nape with a gunstock.

Throughout October 1945, in Java and a small part of Sumatra, countless brutal acts were committed almost every day by some Indonesians. As noted by Mary van Delden, historian from Radboud University in the Netherlands, thousands of people became victims.

"If the Indonesian army hadn't intervened to guard some of the internment camps at that time, I believe the death toll would be much higher," Mary wrote in her dissertation “De republikeinse kampen in Nederlands-Indië, Oktober 1945–Mei 1947. Orde in de chaos?” (Republican Camps in the Dutch East Indies, October 1945-May 1947: Order in the Chaos?).

An Enduring Trauma

Eleonore Therese Hauwert, born in Tegal in 1941, recalls the horrendous atmosphere surrounding Bandung in late 1945. As Indonesian youths walked around the city, everyone was on the edge knowing that death might be inescapable. "As the family of a KNIL (the Royal Netherlands Army) member, our lives were certainly in jeopardy," she said.

Although the acts of violence in Bandung weren't as massive as in Batavia and Surabaya, discriminatory behaviors were visibly prevalent to the Indo-Europeans. Eleonore can still remember how during the "bersiap period" the Indonesian youths enforced the rules that were previously imposed by the Japanese to native Indonesians.

"One of the rules was we had to bow our heads every time we came across Indonesians (especially the youth). If we didn't do it, we would get into trouble," she explained.

After her father was forced to work in Japan thus leaving the family behind, Eleonore's mother worked as a teacher in a girls’ school. In contrast to Indo-European families in general, Eleonore's family maintained good relationships with their neighbors. Eleonore's mother was also very close to her students and her servants.

These close relationships were proven helpful after one day a furious group of youth raided the houses of the Indo-Europeans. Without thinking twice, all Indonesian neighbors and friends of Eleonore's family protected them.

"I still remember we were closely guarded and protected by our neighbors, my mother's students, and the servants," recalled Eleonore who is now residing in the Netherlands.

As a kid, Eleonore regarded those dark times as the most terrifying part of her life, especially after she found out that many of her friends became the victims. "I had to go through an enduring trauma until later in my life," she said.

With the help of regular consultation provided by social workers in the Netherlands, Eleonore could gradually get over her trauma from the "bersiap period". After only being able to recall the horror that came from those difficult times, now she can reminisce about Indonesia as a beautiful country whose kind people once saved her life.

"That's the reason I still love Indonesia and its people until now," said Eleonore.

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