On 2 December 1975, seven South Moluccans seized a train with about 50 passengers on board in open countryside near the village of

Wijster Wijster is a village in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 11 km north of Hoogeveen. History The village was first mentioned in 1206 as in Wisnare. The etymology is unknown. Wi ...

, halfway between Hoogeveen and

Beilen Beilen is a town in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, and lies about 16 km south of Assen. The old Reformed church is the only remaining truly old building; a large fire destroyed a major pa ...

in the northern part of the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. The hijacking lasted for 12 days and three hostages were killed. At the same time, seven other South-Moluccans took hostages in the Indonesian Consulate in Amsterdam. The attackers came from Bovensmilde, a village where a few years later another group of South Moluccans seized a primary school. The attackers hid their weapons disguised as presents for the

Sinterklaas Sinterklaas () or Sint-Nicolaas () is a legendary figure based on Saint Nicholas, patron saint of children. Other Dutch names for the figure include ''De Sint'' ("The Saint"), ''De Goede Sint'' ("The Good Saint") and ''De Goedheiligman'' ("The ...

holiday on 5 December.

Context

The South-Moluccans came to the Netherlands for a temporary stay, promised by the Dutch government that they would get their own independent state, Republik Maluku Selatan (RMS). For about 25 years they lived in temporary camps, often in poor conditions. After these years the younger generation felt betrayed by the Dutch government for not giving them their independent state and they started radical actions to draw attention to their case.

Developments

Around 07:10, the emergency cord was pulled on the local train Groningen-

Zwolle Zwolle () is a city and municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Overijssel and the province's second-largest municipality after Enschede with a population of 130,592 as of 1 December 2021. Zwolle is on ...

. The

train driver A train driver, engine driver, engineman or locomotive driver, commonly known as an engineer or railroad engineer in the United States and Canada, and also as a locomotive handler, locomotive operator, train operator, or motorman, is a pers ...

, Hans Braam, was immediately murdered. When, on the third day, the Dutch government had not given the hijackers what they wanted, 22-year-old national serviceman Leo Bulter was murdered and both bodies were thrown out of the train on the rails. That night, 14 hostages managed to escape from the train. The next day, young economist Bert Bierling was brought to the doors and shot dead in full view of the police and the military as well as the press. The dead bodies thrown from the train were only allowed to be taken away a couple of days later. On 14 December, the hijackers surrendered. Among reasons for surrender were reports about retaliation on the Moluccan islands and the sub-zero temperatures in and around the train.

Aftermath

The hijackers were convicted to sentences of 14 years. The most fanatical member of the hijackers, Eli Hahury, committed suicide in prison in 1978.

In popular culture

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, ''

'', a

Dutch-language Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic language spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language. It is the third most widely spoken Germanic language, after its close relatives German and English. ''Afrikaans'' ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

was made about this hostage crisis, directed by

Paula van der Oest Paula van der Oest (born 1965) is a Dutch film director and screenwriter. Her 2001 film '' Zus & Zo'' was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. With her final exam at the Dutch Film and Television Academy, ''Zinderend' ...

External links

Article in 1975 Time Magazine; not found 14 May 2021.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dutch Train Hostage Crisis 1975 crimes in the Netherlands 1975 Dutch train hostage crisis Hostage taking in the Netherlands 1975 Dutch train hostage crisis Moluccan Dutch Hijacking Terrorist incidents in Europe in 1975 Terrorist incidents on railway systems in Europe 1975 murders in Europe Terrorist incidents in the Netherlands in the 1970s

Context

Developments

Aftermath

In popular culture

See also

External links