In 1969, a TV interview was
conducted with Dutch Captain Raymond Westerling, Commander of the Dutch Special
Forces in the southern part of the Indonesian island Celebes (now Sulawesi) to
fight the local militants. No Dutch TV station was willing to broadcast this
program then. It has been broadcast now. Order on the island was restored after
3,500 Indonesians were murdered by Dutch troops. Many were executed without
trial. The Dutch authorities intervened when soldiers reporting to Westerling executed
prisoners. In the interview, Westerling said, “I am responsible and not the
troops who were under my command. I take these deeds personally under my
responsibility.” At the time, journalists who published about Dutch war crimes
were threatened and had to be protected by the police.
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