Bersiap is the term used by the Dutch to describe the violent and chaotic phase of Indonesia’s revolutionary period that unfolded in the aftermath of World War II. The Indonesian word bersiap means ‘get ready’ or ‘get prepared’. Europeans, Indo-Europeans, and any civilians who were accused of being pro-Dutch were targeted. This group predominantly consisted of native-born Indo-Europeans, Indo-Chinese, Christian indigenous people (such as Menadonese and Ambonese), and indigenous aristocracy. It resulted in a chaotic mix of civil war, religious conflict, and social revolution. The Bersiap period spanned from August 1945 to December 1946.
Changing the date of Indonesia’s Date of Independence? An Act of Historical Negationism By Priscilla Kluge McMullen – October 2018 After reading yet another article penned by an academic in Amsterdam who advocates rolling back Indonesia’s date of independence, I thought it might be beneficial to know certain facts about this issue, especially for Indos,…
The Back Story In light of the upcoming REVOLUSI exhibit at the Rijksmuseum which deals with the independence struggle of Indonesia, one of the Indonesian curators, Bonnie Triyana, publicly announced that the word “bersiap” should be (and was going to be) omitted from the exhibit. He argued that the term, when used by Dutch people,…
We’ve all been there. Just go back in time and think of your elementary school antics. In the schoolyard someone lashes out and says But you’re a moron. The answer that may come back when there is no good answer: No, you’re a moron. And then there is always that line of last resort and…
An Editorial on the Introduction to Over de grens by Inez Hollander, Ph.D. Director Emeritus for The Indo Project and Author of Silence Voices/Verstilde stemmen en verzwegen levens I apologize to you, dear reader. I was going to read the recently published decolonization research anthology Over de grens: Nederlands extreme geweld in de Indonesische onafhankelijkheidsoorlog,…
By Edward E. E. Frietman This is the final installment of a special three-part series (see part 1 and part 2) featuring the firsthand experiences of Edward E. E. Frietman. In this chapter, he continues the story of how his family endured and survived the turbulent Bersiap period following the end of World War II.…
By Edward E. E. Frietman This is the second installment in a three-part series (see part 1 and part 3) featuring Indo luminary Edward E. E. Frietman. In this chapter, he recounts his experiences as a young child in the immediate aftermath of World War II, during the violent and chaotic Bersiap period in what is…
by Han Mouthaan FOREWORD For clarification purposes: The Dutch civilians of the former Dutch East Indies endured two types of camps during AND after WWII. The first type were the WWII Japanese concentration camps, 1942-1945. The second type of camps were internment camps during the Bersiap period 1945-1947, a tumultuous time that followed the end…
[Telegraaf article 2/17/2022 by Alexander Bakker – translated by Margaret Maugenest] Rutte: deep apologies to Indonesians for extreme and systematic violence BRUSSELS — In response to findings of the investigation into extreme violence being used by the Dutch against the Indonesians during the War for independence in Indonesia (1945-1949), Prime Minister Mark Rutte offered “deep…