Indonesia
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Arumbai refers primarily to a traditional plank-built fishing and transport vessel originating from the Maluku Islands of eastern Indonesia. It was widely used throughout the region and was historically present in areas such as Batavia Arumbai is also a notable piece of music by the Dutch-Molukse band Massada, originally released as a single in 1979.
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The above photograph is of a plaque that hangs over a house in The Hague. It was the residence of Mies Wahlbeehm, where she hid a great number of Jews. The one thing that captured my attention was the words at the top of the plaque, “De herrinering aan de doden is voor hen een
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Grogol was a civilian camp, located just outside Batavia (now called Jakarta, Indonesia), about three kilometres Northwest of Tjideng, on the railway to Tangerang. Grogol started as a lunatic asylum and it was converted to a Japanese internment camp for civilians during World War II. Grogol was used for internment from 1 July 1943 til
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For a long time in Dutch historiography and discourse, the entirety of the Indonesian War of Independence was referred to by the euphemistic term politionele acties, as used by the government at the time. In the Netherlands, the prevailing impression was that there had only been two distinct, short-term police actions intended to restore Dutch
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On December 2, 1975, 7 South Moluccan terrorists hijacked a train with about 50 passengers on board in open countryside near the village of Wijster, halfway between Hoogeveen and Beilen in the northern part of the Netherlands. The hijacking lasted for 12 days and 3 hostages, including the driver were killed. The terrorists were seeking
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Reina Prinsen Geerligs, a young Dutch woman who lived a brief but impactful life, is remembered as a symbol of resistance and sacrifice during World War II. Born on October 7, 1922, Semarang, Dutch East Indies,(Indonesia nowadays)Reina’s early life was characterized by intellectual promise and a deep sense of justice. Her contributions to the Dutch
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Before delving into the main story, it’s important to discuss the events that led up to it. The Farhud Pogrom: A Forgotten Tragedy The Farhud, meaning “violent dispossession” in Arabic, was a devastating pogrom against the Jewish community in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 1–2, 1941. This dark chapter in Jewish history not only marked a
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The Pacific War (1941–1945) reshaped Southeast Asia and subjected millions to brutal occupation under Imperial Japan. Among the most harrowing stories is that of Batu Lintang camp, located on the outskirts of Kuching in Sarawak, Borneo. Originally a British military barracks, the Japanese converted it into an internment and prisoner-of-war (POW) camp after their conquest
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In the West, when we think about World War II, we predominantly think about the war against the Nazis. However, there were quite a large number of Europeans who were fighting the Japanese in the Pacific. We also often forget that the Japanese Imperial Army, Navy, and Air Force were just as brutal and sometimes
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On May 23, 1977, the Netherlands was gripped by one of the most dramatic and violent episodes in its post-war history. A group of South Moluccan extremists launched a coordinated attack, hijacking a train and taking hostages in a nearby elementary school. This act of terrorism was not random—it was rooted in decades of political
History of Sorts 