Coming clean

Dutch troops fighting to retain control of Indonesia swept into the Javan village of Rawagedeh in 1947 and executed between 150 and 430 people in a notorious massacre of villagers during the country's bitter struggle for independence.

A Dutch court ruled in favor of eight widows and a survivor of the massacre during a landmark case in September, and the government has since agreed to apologize and pay a total of 180,000 euros (242,000 US dollars) in compensation, or 20,000 euros each.

The Netherlands had previously expressed regret over the killings and recognized their illegality, but never formally apologized.

Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal said the apology "does justice to the gravity of what happened in Rawagedeh.

"I hope it helps the relatives to find closure for this exceptionally difficult episode in their lives and look to the future," he added.

Justice long time in coming

The Dutch ambassador to Indonesia, Tjeerd de Zwaan, is set to apologize in the name of the government on December 9 and address a ceremony in the village, the foreign ministry said.

The Netherlands has never prosecuted any soldiers for the massacre, despite a United Nations report condemning the attack as "deliberate and ruthless" as early as 1948.

A 1968 Dutch report acknowledged that "violent excesses" had occurred in Indonesia, but argued that troops had been carrying out a police action incited by guerilla warfare and frequent attacks.

It remains to be seen whether the court ruling leads to more compensation claims by relatives of other victims.

Author: Gregg Benzow (AP, AFP)
Editor: Sarah Berning