Study says Dutch troops used ‘extreme’ violence in Indonesia

By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A long-running research project has concluded that Dutch troops used extreme violence during Indonesia’s war for independence and military leaders and politicians in the Netherlands largely ignored the excesses. The four-and-a-half-year investigation by experts from three respected historical research institutes overturns the long-held view of the Dutch government that extreme violence by the country’s troops as they battled pro-independence forces in what became Indonesia was sporadic. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is expected to comment on the findings later Thursday. In a statement, the research team says that sources they consulted “show that the use of extreme violence by the Dutch armed forces was not only widespread, but often deliberate, too.”