The Netherlands admitted that some of the violent acts committed by its troops in the Indonesian War of Independence (1945-1949) would now be considered war crimes.
Extreme forms of violence, such as torture and extrajudicial executions, which Dutch soldiers used at the time, would come to be labeled in this way. At that time, however, this legal term did not yet exist, the Hague government wrote to parliament today.
prime minister apologized
A study presented in February revealed systematic violence perpetrated by the Netherlands in Indonesia. Prime Minister Mark Rutte apologized to Indonesia. For decades, the government in The Hague has maintained that there have been only isolated attacks and that the army has generally behaved correctly – also to protect veterans.
The government also avoided formal admission of war crimes – the legal term was not created until the Geneva Convention in 1949, it was said.