The Indies Monument ( nl,

Indisch Monument The Indies Monument ( nl, Indisch Monument) is a memorial in The Hague in memory of all Dutch citizens and soldiers killed during World War II as a result of the Japanese occupation (1942–1945) of the former Dutch East Indies. It is dedicated t ...

) is a memorial in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

in memory of all Dutch citizens and soldiers killed during World War II as a result of the Japanese occupation (1942–1945) of the former

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

. It is dedicated to all who died in battle, in prison camps or during forced labor. As stated in the mission statement of the 15 August 1945 Commemoration Foundation, it is also:

A place where you can pass on to your children the part of your childhood spent in the Dutch East Indies

The monument is unique, due to the fact that earth from the seven war cemeteries in Indonesia has been placed in an urn mounted on a small column at the front of the monument. In fall 2008 a second urn, with earth from the Galala Tantui war cemetery on

Ambon Island Ambon Island is part of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. The island has an area of and is mountainous, well watered, and fertile. Ambon Island consists of two territories: the city of Ambon, Maluku, Ambon to the south and various districts ('' ...

, was placed behind the column. Before the annual National Remembrance 15 August 1945, the Dutch ambassador to Indonesia lays a wreath at the Menteng Pulo war cemetery on

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...

in cooperation with the Foundation. Once every five years (in 2010 and 2015), in coordination with the Dutch embassies and the Dutch War Graves Foundation, wreaths are also laid at all other war cemeteries in Indonesia, Australia and Southeast Asia where Dutch victims of war are buried. In addition to this monument a commemoration site in

Bronbeek Bronbeek is a former Royal palace in Arnhem, Netherlands. It is now a museum and a home for elderly soldiers. Bronbeek was built early in the 19th century. In 1845 the Dutch King William III bought it. He donated it to the Dutch state in 1859 ...

, Arnhem was established in 2010.

Design

Designed by Jaroslawa Dankowa, the monument was unveiled on August 15, 1988 by Queen Beatrix. It consists of 17 bronze sculptures, a map of Southeast Asia and the inscription, "The spirit conquers". Its design was chosen in 1986 by the Mayor of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

(a former government official in the Dutch East Indies) and the Deputy Mayor of Amsterdam (a former

resistance Resistance may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Either of two similarly named but otherwise unrelated comic book series, both published by Wildstorm: ** ''Resistance'' (comics), based on the video game of the same title ** ''T ...

fighter). The commission for the design stated:

Recognition through a representation of the struggle and the conquest. The humiliation, the repression, hardship, pain and despair. But also the hope, perseverance, courage and solidarity. Acknowledgement through a portrayal of our understanding today of the causes, the circumstances and consequences of that suffering.

Development

It took the Netherlands 43 years to erect a national monument to its war victims in the Dutch East Indies. Until 1961, the National

Remembrance of the Dead Remembrance of the Dead ( nl, Dodenherdenking) is held annually on May 4 in the Netherlands. It commemorates all civilians and members of the armed forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands who have died in wars or peacekeeping missions since ...

Day (May 4) and Liberation Day (May 5) were primarily dedicated to the Dutch victims of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. Since 1962, they include soldiers and civilians who fell during the

Indonesian National Revolution The Indonesian National Revolution, or the Indonesian War of Independence, was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during Aftermath of WWII, postw ...

. Memorial Day at the Indies Monument is August 15, the date of the Japanese surrender. Unlike May 5 (the date of the German capitulation), it is not a public holiday in the Netherlands.

In the years following the transfer of sovereignty of the Dutch East Indies to Indonesia (1949) the political climate in the Netherlands was marked by sensitivity in relation to Indonesia and a sense of shame about the Netherlands' colonial past. As a result it took a long time before there was any interest in the war victims of the former Dutch East Indies colony.The Indisch Monument, official publication (15 August 1945 Commemoration Foundation, The Hague, 2008) online:

Kaifu incident

Three years after the monument was unveiled, Japanese Prime Minister

Toshiki Kaifu was a Japanese politician who served as the 77th Prime Minister of Japan from 1989 to 1991. Early life and education Kaifu was born on 2 January 1931, in Nagoya City, the eldest of six brothers. His family's business Nakamura Photo Studio wa ...

laid a decorative garland at the monument on July 19, 1991 during his state visit. Later that day, the wreath was thrown into the water by a Dutch Indo demonstrator. Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers expressed his regret about the incident to Kaifu, which led to further angry reactions from Indo survivors of the Japanese occupation.

Anniversary

To mark the 60th anniversary of the Japanese surrender on July 27, 2005 a smaller version of the monument was unveiled in

Madurodam Madurodam (, opened 1952) is a miniature park and tourist attraction in the Scheveningen district of The Hague in the Netherlands. It is home to a range of 1:25 scale model replicas of famous Dutch landmarks, historical cities and large developme ...

, a

miniature park A miniature park is a display of miniature buildings and models, usually as a recreational and tourist attraction open to the public. A miniature park may contain a model of a single city or town, often called a miniature city or model village ...

created in memory of the Antillian World War II hero

George Maduro George John Lionel Maduro (15 July 1916 – 8 February 1945) was a Dutch law student who served as an officer in the 1940 Battle of the Netherlands and distinguished himself in repelling the German attack on The Hague. He was posthumously awar ...

Images

File:INDIES MEMORIAL MONUMENT-003.jpg, alt=Head-on photo of Indies Monument, Indies Monument, August 2011 File:INDIES MEMORIAL MONUMENT-009.jpg, alt=Dutch East Indies map inscribed on monument, Indies Monument map of the

(now

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

), August 2011 File:INDIES MEMORIAL MONUMENT-010.jpg, alt=Inscription "The Spirit Overcomes" in Dutch on monument, Indies Monument inscription ''"De Geest Overwint"'' ("The Spirit Overcomes"), August 2011

References

Notes and citations

External links

Website ‘Stichting Herdenking 15 augustus 1945’

Website about national war monuments ‘Nationaal Comité 4 en 5 mei’
*
Official registration of the 2010 commemoration on national television.
{Dead link, date=January 2020 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes Retrieved 24 July 2011. Dutch East Indies Aftermath of World War II in the Netherlands Indo people World War II memorials in the Netherlands Buildings and structures in The Hague