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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 11, No. 2

Publication Date: February 25, 2024

DOI:10.14738/assrj.112.16495.

Steinmetz, C. H. D. (2024). Dutch Colonization and Slavery of Asia: From Apology to Reparation. Advances in Social Sciences Research

Journal, 11(2). 316-344.

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

Dutch Colonization and Slavery of Asia: From Apology to

Reparation

Carl H. D. Steinmetz

Expats & Immigrants B.V., Amsterdam, the Netherlands

ABSTRACT

This article is about the history of forced apologies and reparations for the 350

years of Dutch colonization and the Dutch war of occupation of the Republic of

Indonesia from 1945-1949, the trade in enslaved people, the extermination of the

indigenous population, their replacement by people willing to serve the Dutch

colonists, and the looting and plundering of natural mineral resources and earthly

products such as nutmeg. The apologies issued are half-hearted, enforced by

lawsuits that focus on a few rather than entire populations. The apologies are

limited to the Republic of Indonesia and then only for the period 1945-1949.

Currently, the Netherlands is considering apologies and possibly reparations for

the suffering inflicted on Africans in the transatlantic triangle. In the process, Asian

genocides, torture, executions, beheadings, enslavement of people, and looting and

robbery of people and land are being covered up. Perhaps this is neo-colonization

at its best. This article also makes a proposal, based on the insights of the

international reparation’s movement and transitional justice, in the hope that the

Netherlands and its Dutch municipalities will begin to mend their ways. At the heart

of this proposal are methods for apologizing and repairing suffering. This can only

be done together with our Asian sisters and brothers.

Keywords: Decolonizing the relation between the Netherlands and Sout-East Asia,

apologies and reparations, International Redress Movement and Transitional Justice.

INTRODUCTION

In this article we raise critical questions about the neo-colonial behavior of the Dutch

government and municipalities, such as the major Dutch cities, including Amsterdam,

Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. Very much to the fore is the Dutch focus on the

Transatlantic Triangle, on the atrocities committed during colonization and slavery but also

looting and pillaging. Most of the countries the Netherlands colonized were on the Asian

continent. Nonetheless, the Netherlands prefers to begrudge Asia while that may be where the

Dutch invented the trade of enslaved people. After all, in the Republic of Indonesia, there was a

constant search for 'willing' people to serve the Dutchman. In this article, we attempt to advise

the Netherlands on a possible path from apology to reparation for its involvement in the

initiation and perpetuation of slavery and the colonization of Asia.

“An apology must be genuine. It must, in other words, confess the deed, admit the

deed was an injustice, repent, and ask for forgiveness (Brooks, 2021, p. 305).”

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Steinmetz, C. H. D. (2024). Dutch Colonization and Slavery of Asia: From Apology to Reparation. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 11(2).

316-344.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.112.16495

“There are two basic forms of reparations: victim-directed (compensatory)

reparations and community-directed (rehabilitative) reparations (Brooks, 2021, p.

306).”

To accomplish this task, a literature review of apologies and reparations after 350 years of

colonization and slavery by the Netherlands and its predecessors from the Republic of the

United Netherlands (1579-1795) of Asia was used here1. At the end of this literature review, a

theoretical framework is presented that follows the argument of Professor Dr. Rianne

Letschert.

This article is deliberately written in English. We do so because we want to propose that the

Netherlands work out and implement apologies and reparations for the Dutch colonization and

subjugation of parts of Asia with our Asian counterparts. In international literature, apology

and reparation is called redress. Redress means to compensate for an injustice. This concept

has been developed by the International Redress Movement in the theoretical part of this

article. This article is structured as follows. First, it focuses on the apologies of the Netherlands

for its colonization and slavery in Asia. Then comes a brief overview of the countries and

territories in Asia to which the Netherlands has not apologized. Third, the practices of slavery

and colonization, as well as what is known about apologies and reparations, are focused on the

Netherlands and her cities like the city of Amsterdam. Fourth, we conclude with a theoretical

framework in which redress is further elaborated.

EXPRESSED APOLOGIES

Legal scholar Rianne Letschert (Tilburg University) on the claim for an apology for the

survivors of Rawagede.

(https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bestand:(55)_Waarom_vindt_Nederland_het_zo_moeilijk_om_

sorry_te_zeggen_voor_Rawagede_en_Srebrenica-.webm2).

Professor Dr. Rianne Letschert's main finding is that when apologies are enforced through

litigation, they are unlikely to have the desired effect. That such apologies lead to claims for

damages because those affected do not feel heard. That this kind of apology does not do justice

to reality, where there are often many more people affected than those who filed the civil suit

against the Dutch state. Also, because judges have to decide on the statute of limitations and,

taking into account human principles such as fairness and humanity, decide to waive the statute

of limitations. Below are some Asian examples of apologies and reparations for the damage

caused by the Dutch during colonization and slavery. Some of these examples have been

enforced through litigation.

Apologies and Reparations for Rawagede (1947)3

The Rawagede massacre took place on December 9, 1947 in Rawagede, now Balongsari, West

Java. Widows of the murdered civilians filed a lawsuit against the Dutch state in 2008. On

September 14, 2011, the District Court of The Hague ruled that the Dutch state was liable for

1 https://www.parlement.com/id/vigfgov2wpxl/staten_generaal_1588_1795

2 https://ap.lc/vbQfr

3 https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nederlandse_excuses_voor_het_koloniale_verleden

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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 11, Issue 2, February-2024

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

the damages suffered by the relatives and had to compensate them. The Dutch state would pay

compensation of 20,000 euros per person and issue a formal apology. On Friday, December 9,

2011, 64 years after the massacre, Ambassador Tjeerd de Zwaan delivered the Dutch apology

to the bereaved families in English and Indonesian in the presence of the world press in

Rawagede.

Apologies and Reparations for Other KNIL Summary Executions (since 1945)4

Apologies for summary executions committed by the KNIL during the Indonesian War of

Independence were expressed by Dutch Ambassador Tjeerd de Zwaan in 2011 and 2013. The

December 2011 apology was specifically addressed to the widows of men summarily executed

by Dutch troops in Rawagedeh, West Java. The 2013 apology, while formally addressed

primarily to widows from South Sulawesi (South Celebes) who were invited to the ceremony

(but did not attend), was broader and more general in nature, encompassing all summary

executions committed by the KNIL during the "police actions" of the late 1940s throughout the

archipelago, and was therefore delivered in Jakarta. The ambassador in Jakarta also indicated

that all widows of men summarily executed by the KNIL could henceforth receive compensation

from the Dutch state without court intervention.

Legally Enforced Apologies (JavaPost) 5

“Rawagedeh, South Celebes and Dutch restraint. In the summer of 2013, for the first time in

history, the Netherlands officially apologized for crimes committed during Indonesia's war of

independence (1945-1949). Indonesian victims had forced the Dutch government to do so

through two civil lawsuits. Taking the legal route provided them with a voice in the country of

the perpetrators and a chance to claim their rights. But the legal approach to speaking about

historical injustice can also have downsides. Namely, it limits public debate to narrowly defined

cases that fall within the parameters of legal evidence. Moreover, the fact that apologies must

be legally enforced significantly reduces the likelihood of reconciliation - the purpose of

apologies. The legalization of talk of historical apologies is thus a double-edged sword.”

4 https://historiek.net/nederlandse-excuses-executies-indonesie/36670/

5 https://javapost.nl/2015/09/09/juridisch-afgedwongen-excuses/