petertenthije
06-11-2005, 02:58 PM
This story has been split in two parts because otherwise the limit of 10000 characters is broken! I was not even aware this was possible, but here it is: my 13794 characters story. Once written for extra credits at school but never finished, it is now!
Today marks the 28th anniversary of the day the second train hijackings at “De Punt” in the Netherlands was stopped. Ending this hijacking was by no means a peaceful process. The authorities used every trick in the book. In the process adding a long list of new tricks. Strategies we now take for granted and can see almost every day in Hollywood movies, and fortunately a bit less often in the news, where first used then.
In this thread I will be explaining what happened. Also why it happened, and take a short look into what has happened since. It is not gonna be a short story. Since the hijackings where politically motivated it has a rather long story leading up to it. Feel free to skip that part if you will, but of course I would recommend reading the whole story.
Introduction.
In the year 1939 everything looked fine and well for the Netherlands. Pretty much all of Europe was preparing for war, in some cases even already actively at war (Germany and Russia vs. Poland). This did not bother the Dutch though. We had been neutral for decades and it worked brilliantly. We managed to avoid world war one, so why would we not be able to avoid the next war, was the reasoning….
Fast forward to may 1945. The Netherlands where liberated by the allies. WW2 claimed a high price, but we would recover! With the help of course of the US and their Marshall plan. Soon everything would be the way it was, better even!
Of course this proved to be silly. One thing in particular would change dramatically. The colonies. Prior to WW2 the Netherlands had extensive colonies in Asia and the Americas. The most impressive was the Dutch East Indies, present day Indonesia (yes the WHOLE of Indonesia was Dutch). The Indonesians where not going to take Dutch rule anymore. To take the East Indies back so called “policing actions” where taken. Realistically though this was nothing other than a occupying force.
The US did not really like this for a lot of reasons. Firstly the Dutch armed forces would be necessary to repel soviet forces. Also, the US liked to idea of having a new, huge nation in Asia. A nation that would be willing to help the US. It therefor did not take long for the US to threaten to cancel all Marshall plan donations. As a consequence there was no other option than to leave the East Indies, and as such Indonesia was born.
The Mollucas
It was not just Indonesia that was founded. At the same time the Republic of the Mollucas, an island group in the northeast of present day Indonesia was formed. The Mollucas had always been staunch supporters of the Dutch. Many of their men used to be in the Dutch army (comparable with the Ghurka’s in the United Kingdom). Indonesia therefore resented them. And since the Mollucas had ample supply of precious metals and oil, it was a tempting target. Too tempting, because before the Mollucas could celebrate their first anniversary of independence they had been occupied by the Indonesians.
Many of their men and women, mostly formerly in the Dutch military, went to the Netherlands. It is still not clear whether they where ordered too by the Dutch military, or whether they went out of free will. Perhaps a combination of the two. Either way, some 12,500 people went to the Netherlands. Back there they where told the military no longer needed them, and so most of them ended up unemployed.
The government gave the Moluccans shelter and food. But that was not much of a gift. Most of the shelter consisted of disused barracks, monasteries and even WW2 concentration camps (Vught, Westerbork)! This was not even an accident. This was done deliberately. The government wanted to keep the Moluccans together at all cost so that repatriation would be easier. Back then the government was convinced that the Moluccans stay here would be temporary only. In 1956 the Netherlands gave up. Their stay was acknowledged and all hopes of repatriation had gone. Finally the Mollucans where allowed to get a job and find a own place to stay.
Nonetheless the Moluccans stick together, and self imposed gettos where formed.
First struggles
It should come as no surprise that the Dutch treatment made the Moluccans rather resentful. The self imposed gettos made contact with the Dutch hard, and it must be said the Dutch did not really cared either way.
As was told the original people form the Mollucas where mostly ex soldiers from the Dutch army, along with their families. Those people may have resented the treatment they got, but where still deeply honourable men that would not betray their former masters. The same could not be said for their children, they felt they owned nothing to the Dutch, but that the Dutch did own them big time.
Cracks where also forming between the Moluccans themselves. Those that supporting assimilating with the Dutch and those that wanted to stick to themselves. Those that opposed the new Indonesia and those that did not etc.
The new generation wanted to do everything to free the Mollucas. They noticed the attention the IRA was getting with their terror attacks. An example that would be followed, though not, initially, as violent as the IRA bombings.
Their first action was done in 1966 and made all the headlines in the Netherlands. They set fire to the Indonesian embassy. Just four years later the Indonesian ambassador was held hostage in his house. In the process one police officer was killed. Two months later 1000 police and Marechaussee (military police) launched a large raid on the mayor Mollucan gettos. Two men where arrested. What goodwill was left among the Mollucans was now gone.
Today marks the 28th anniversary of the day the second train hijackings at “De Punt” in the Netherlands was stopped. Ending this hijacking was by no means a peaceful process. The authorities used every trick in the book. In the process adding a long list of new tricks. Strategies we now take for granted and can see almost every day in Hollywood movies, and fortunately a bit less often in the news, where first used then.
In this thread I will be explaining what happened. Also why it happened, and take a short look into what has happened since. It is not gonna be a short story. Since the hijackings where politically motivated it has a rather long story leading up to it. Feel free to skip that part if you will, but of course I would recommend reading the whole story.
Introduction.
In the year 1939 everything looked fine and well for the Netherlands. Pretty much all of Europe was preparing for war, in some cases even already actively at war (Germany and Russia vs. Poland). This did not bother the Dutch though. We had been neutral for decades and it worked brilliantly. We managed to avoid world war one, so why would we not be able to avoid the next war, was the reasoning….
Fast forward to may 1945. The Netherlands where liberated by the allies. WW2 claimed a high price, but we would recover! With the help of course of the US and their Marshall plan. Soon everything would be the way it was, better even!
Of course this proved to be silly. One thing in particular would change dramatically. The colonies. Prior to WW2 the Netherlands had extensive colonies in Asia and the Americas. The most impressive was the Dutch East Indies, present day Indonesia (yes the WHOLE of Indonesia was Dutch). The Indonesians where not going to take Dutch rule anymore. To take the East Indies back so called “policing actions” where taken. Realistically though this was nothing other than a occupying force.
The US did not really like this for a lot of reasons. Firstly the Dutch armed forces would be necessary to repel soviet forces. Also, the US liked to idea of having a new, huge nation in Asia. A nation that would be willing to help the US. It therefor did not take long for the US to threaten to cancel all Marshall plan donations. As a consequence there was no other option than to leave the East Indies, and as such Indonesia was born.
The Mollucas
It was not just Indonesia that was founded. At the same time the Republic of the Mollucas, an island group in the northeast of present day Indonesia was formed. The Mollucas had always been staunch supporters of the Dutch. Many of their men used to be in the Dutch army (comparable with the Ghurka’s in the United Kingdom). Indonesia therefore resented them. And since the Mollucas had ample supply of precious metals and oil, it was a tempting target. Too tempting, because before the Mollucas could celebrate their first anniversary of independence they had been occupied by the Indonesians.
Many of their men and women, mostly formerly in the Dutch military, went to the Netherlands. It is still not clear whether they where ordered too by the Dutch military, or whether they went out of free will. Perhaps a combination of the two. Either way, some 12,500 people went to the Netherlands. Back there they where told the military no longer needed them, and so most of them ended up unemployed.
The government gave the Moluccans shelter and food. But that was not much of a gift. Most of the shelter consisted of disused barracks, monasteries and even WW2 concentration camps (Vught, Westerbork)! This was not even an accident. This was done deliberately. The government wanted to keep the Moluccans together at all cost so that repatriation would be easier. Back then the government was convinced that the Moluccans stay here would be temporary only. In 1956 the Netherlands gave up. Their stay was acknowledged and all hopes of repatriation had gone. Finally the Mollucans where allowed to get a job and find a own place to stay.
Nonetheless the Moluccans stick together, and self imposed gettos where formed.
First struggles
It should come as no surprise that the Dutch treatment made the Moluccans rather resentful. The self imposed gettos made contact with the Dutch hard, and it must be said the Dutch did not really cared either way.
As was told the original people form the Mollucas where mostly ex soldiers from the Dutch army, along with their families. Those people may have resented the treatment they got, but where still deeply honourable men that would not betray their former masters. The same could not be said for their children, they felt they owned nothing to the Dutch, but that the Dutch did own them big time.
Cracks where also forming between the Moluccans themselves. Those that supporting assimilating with the Dutch and those that wanted to stick to themselves. Those that opposed the new Indonesia and those that did not etc.
The new generation wanted to do everything to free the Mollucas. They noticed the attention the IRA was getting with their terror attacks. An example that would be followed, though not, initially, as violent as the IRA bombings.
Their first action was done in 1966 and made all the headlines in the Netherlands. They set fire to the Indonesian embassy. Just four years later the Indonesian ambassador was held hostage in his house. In the process one police officer was killed. Two months later 1000 police and Marechaussee (military police) launched a large raid on the mayor Mollucan gettos. Two men where arrested. What goodwill was left among the Mollucans was now gone.