Women made to become comfort women – the Dutch East Indies

The former Netherlands (Dutch) East Indies is present-day Indonesia. The Japanese military occupied the Dutch colony in 1942 during the Pacific War, then placed Dutch nationals in internment facilities and prisoner-of-war camps (90,000 civilians, 40,000 military personnel). Some officials of the Japanese military forcefully transferred Dutch women and women of mixed race from the concentration camps…

A Time To Remember – 4th annual TipTalks

It was a warm Saturday afternoon, on October 7th, when more that 150 people came together at the American Legion in Azusa, for  the 4th annual TipTalks: an educational seminar and social event sponsored by The Indo Project in cooperation with SoCal Indo social group.  It was a good mix of 4-generations, varying from Omas and Opas, Kids and…

Annual Commemoration Los Angeles 2017

The annual commemoration ceremonies ‘herdenkingsceremonie,’ was held on Saturday, August 12th at the National Cemetery of Los Angeles. Around 50 people came together out of respect for the fallen forces and civilians, who lost their life in the former Dutch East Indies during the Japanese occupation and the bersiap period. Unfortunately, the number of attendees…

On the Move in Indonesia

By Roger Green Dokars A dokar is the jiggling, horse-drawn cart found throughout Indonesia. The two-wheeled carts are usually brightly colored with decorative motifs and bells. The small horses or ponies often have long tassels attached to their bridles. A typical dokar has bench seating on either side, which can comfortably fit three or four…