Dutch Officer: Dutch Minister Prevented UN Air Force Support for Dutch Soldiers on the Ground in Srebrenica

Former Dutch Air Force officer Bart Wagenaar has stated that Dutch Minister of Defense Voorhoeve prevented UN support for the Dutch military back in 1995 on the day when the Muslim enclave of Srebrenica was taken over by Bosnian Serbian soldiers.  In the current court case against Dutch commander Thom Karremans, his lawyer Geert-Jan Knoops wants Wagenaar to be heard. Voorhoeve denies the accusation. In a related court case, a Dutch soldier, Derk Zwaan, has opened a lawsuit against the Dutch state in order to receive payment for the post-traumatic stress resulting from his service in Srebrenica.

http://www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/verzoek-voorhoeve-om-afblazen-luchtsteun-srebrenica-was-al-bekend~a4042626/

1.3 Million Dutch Have Great Difficulties Reading

1.3 million Dutch people between the ages of 15-65  have great difficulty reading. That is about 10% of the professional population. The number has recently increased, with 200,000 more people as compared to five years ago. Part of these people are elderly who have done little to maintain their reading skills. Another large group are children of non-Western immigrants whose parents have a poor knowledge of Dutch. Another 250,000 people can neither read nor write. Poor literacy costs Dutch society about half a billion Euro per year.
http://www.rtlnieuws.nl/nieuws/binnenland/groeiend-probleem-13-miljoen-laaggeletterden

Police Find Rocket Launchers among Weapons Held By Motor Gangs

During a major action of the police in the province of Limburg against motor gangs, twenty people were arrested.  Five rocket launchers and automatic rifles were among the weapons found.  This was announced at a press conference held by the police, the pubic prosecution and Onno Hoees, the mayor of Maastricht.  Minister of Security and Justice Ard van der Steur said that these gangs threaten people, create an atmosphere of fear, and earn money from criminal activities. 

http://www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/politie-vindt-raketwerpers-en-vuurwapens-bij-actie-motorbendes~a4040936/

Utrecht Soccer Club to be Penalized for Anti-Semitic Chants

The Dutch football association, KNVB, intends to heavily penalize the Utrecht Soccer Club for anti-Semitic chants which were sung during a game against Ajax in April.  Supporters of Utrecht sang, “My father was with the commandos, my mother was with the SS, together they burned Jews, because they burn best.”  The soccer club claims it did not know what was sung and has apologized for its supporters.

http://www.volkskrant.nl/dossier-eredivisie/zware-straf-dreigt-voor-utrecht-na-antisemitische-spreekkoren~a4040363/

Belgian-Moroccan Hate Imam to Speak in Almere

The Belgian-Moroccan iman, Tarik Chadlioui, also known as Tarik ibn Ali, has been invited to speak at a conference in the Omar ibn Al Khattab Mosque in Almere.  The imam is seen as the spiritual leader of the Belgian hate organization Sharia4Belgium, which has in the meantime been disbanded.  Chadlioui is suspected of having links with jihad fighters in Syria. He was expected to speak at a jihad meeting in Rijswijk, together with other dubious figures, but the meeting was cancelled.

www.powned.tv/nieuws/binnenland/2015/05/inspirator_sharia4belgium_naar.html

Huge Overrun of Costs of Alterations of Royal Palace

The alterations in the palace Huis ten Bosch in The Hague will cost 60 million Euro, rather than 35 million Euro as announced last year. Parliament already found the latter figure rather high. From 2018 King Willem Alexander and his family will live in the palace.

http://www.spitsnieuws.nl/binnenland/2015/05/verbouwing-huis-ten-bosch-bijna-twee-keer-zo-duur

Dutch Buddhist Monks and Teachers Sexually Abused Pupils

Over the past decades, Buddhist monks and teachers have abused their pupils, some being minors.  A Thai monk who came to the Netherlands in the 1970s has attempted to abuse and has abused young men for at least twenty years. In the early 1980s, the monk had to leave his temple in the town of Waalwijk because of complaints a minor made to the police regarding his behavior.  Investigations by the TV station NOS found that there was also abuse occurring, inter alia, in Middelburg and Makkinga.

http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/24078069/___Misbruik_bij_boeddhisten___.html

Bad News Will be Back on Monday. Have a nice weekend!

Dutch Intelligence Service Will Investigate German and American Spying

Dutch Minister of the Interior Ronald Plasterk has instructed the Dutch intelligence service, the AIVD, to investigate the allegations that the German and American intelligence services have had access to internet cables, which cross Dutch territory. Plasterk said that it is unacceptable that foreign intelligence services operate within the Netherlands.  As soon as he has more information, Plasterk promised to inform parliament.

www.volkskrant.nl/dossier-het-prism-schandaal/aivd-onderzoekt-spionage-door-amerikaanse-inlichtingendienst~a4033017/

Austrian Politician: German Intelligence Service Tapped Internet Traffic to the Netherlands

The Austrian politician, Peter Pilz, says that the German intelligence service, BND, has tapped the internet traffic to the Netherlands, Austria and France, with the help of the German telecom company, Deutsche Telekom.  The Germans then supplied the information to the American intelligence service, NSA.  Deutsche Telekom says that they have acted within the German law, and claimed that they did not know what the BND would do with the data.

http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/24055440/___NSA_tapte_internet_Nederland___.html

Dutch Criminality Moves to the South of the Country

Criminality is moving south in The Netherlands and is becoming increasingly prevalent in the province of Brabant.  Local mayors, with few exceptions, are afraid to address the issue.  In some neighborhoods, control is in the hands of drug dealers and women-traffickers.  The criminal elements also try to get influence in the municipal councils by having their strawmen elected.

www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/brabantse-burgemeesters-vrezen-machtige-criminelen~a3931328/

Parliamentary Inquiry into Major Failure of High-Speed Trains Starts

One of the greatest failures in the Netherlands over the past few years has been the development of the high-speed trains. In 2004, the Dutch railways, NS, together with the Belgian railways ordered 19 high-speed trains from the Italian company AnsaldoBreda.  The trains were intended to be put in use as of 2009, but only in December 2012 were the first trains actually in use. Shortly thereafter, the service stopped and afterward it was decided to return the trains to their manufacturer, because of technical problems. The high-speed train was meant to travel at speeds of 240km/hour.  A high-speed line between Amsterdam and Brussels is now planned, which will open in 2017 and will have trains which travel at the speed of 160 km/hour.

http://www.metronieuws.nl/binnenland/2015/05/theaterstuk-rond-fyradebacle-van-start-in-den-haag

Major Corruption in Amateur Soccer

RTL News has interviewed 428 Dutch amateur soccer clubs, and 120 of them have said that they have had experiences with attempts at corruption.  That means that the club or its players have been approached and asked to fix the results of games, or alternatively, have become victims of match fixing, or know examples of such corruption occurring elsewhere.  Thousands of euros in cash are offered as incentive in some cases.

http://www.rtlnieuws.nl/nieuws/binnenland/wijdverbreide-omkoping-amateurvoetbal

Defense Ministry Stops Project, Losing Hundreds of Millions of Euros

There are parliamentary inquiries regarding the news that the Minister of Defense has stopped a computer project, which was meant to connect the information systems of the various parts of the army.  The Ministry claims that the official costs of the project so far have been 433 million euros, but the National Accounting Office says that approximately 900 million euros have been spent.  The project was started in 2004. In 2013 the Ministry concluded that the project was impossible, but continued to implement some parts of it. The Ministry says that since two parts of the project are functioning not all the money was wasted.

http://www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/hennis-stopt-met-duurste-ict-project-ooit~a3995345/

Amsterdam Remains the Most Dangerous Municipality

According to the AD Crime statistics, Amsterdam remains the most dangerous municipality in the Netherlands. The Dutch capital has traditionally had many cases of pickpocketing, street robberies and physical violence.  Maastricht comes in second, and Rotterdam is third.  Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan explains that part of the criminality is due to the large number of tourists.  They are more often victims of crime than the regular inhabitants of the city. 

http://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/30740/AD-Misdaadmeter/article/detail/4016303/2015/05/12/Amsterdam-blijft-onveiligste-gemeente.dhtml

After Mayor Intervenes, Muslim Hate-Preacher Uninvited

Mayor Elly Blanksma of Helmond has strongly advised the board of the al-Fadjr mosque in Helmond to rescind their invitation to the Muslim hate-preacher Sheikh Sa’ad Ateeq al-Ateeq to preach in the mosque.  According to the board of the mosque he and a second preacher have now been uninvited.  Both were scheduled to speak at a conference on the beauty of Islam.  In a recent interview posted online, Ateeq al-Ateeq said that all Jews, Christians, Shi’ites and Alawites should be destroyed.  Yet another hate-preacher has been known to lecture at this mosque in the past.

www.powned.tv/nieuws/binnenland/2015/05/haatsjeik_niet_welkom_in_helmo.html

Dozens of People Infected by Dangerous Bacteria in Hospitals

The spokesman of the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Dordrecht has stated that at present, twenty-eight people have been infected by the resistant hospital bacteria, VRE. Furthermore, another 1,200 people who have either stayed in the hospital in recent weeks or have had contact with such patients have been called up to undergo tests. The VRE bacteria is not dangerous to healthy people, but sick or very weak people can become infected, and in the worst case it leads to death.

http://www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/besmettingen-ziekenhuisbacterie-dordts-ziekenhuis-verdubbeld~a4014988/

Despite Agreements with Dutch Government, Afghan Police Agents Fight Taliban

In 2010-2011, the Dutch government made an agreement with the Afghan government that it would train police agents in the province of Kunduz. This training was conditional upon the commitment of the Afghan government that the police agents would not be used for military tasks. The Dutch government needed this commitment in order to get parliamentary approval for the mission. It now turns out that the police agents are fighting the Taliban.  This has been confirmed in an interview with the spokesman of the police in Kunduz.

http://www.volkskrant.nl/dossier-vk-dossier-de-missie-naar-kunduz/agenten-vechten-mee-in-kunduz~a4013407/

Anti-Semitic Soccer Fans Refused Entry into Amsterdam

After it became known that anti-Semitic slogans were shouted on a bus of Cambuur soccer fans arriving from Leeuwarden, Amsterdam mayor Eberhard van der Laan issued an emergency order that they should not be allowed to enter Amsterdam. Thereupon the police forced the bus to turn around.  The soccer fans were given a police record and the Justice Department will decide upon any consequences.

http://www.elsevier.nl/Nederland/achtergrond/2015/5/Antisemitische-leuzen-in-de-bus-Cambuur-fans-teruggestuurd-1760001W/

Soccer Games Will No Longer Have Full Police Presence

Police unions have announced that they will not work regularly during two important soccer games taking place today.  This is part of actions being taken by the police union, who are demanding better salaries.  The unions are asking for 3.3% increase in salary, a bonus payment for the impact of  the current reorganization of the police force, and a better pension policy. Dutch police personnel have not had a raise in four years. http://www.telegraaf.nl/telesport/voetbal/24009521/__Eredivisie_doelwit_politie-actie__.html#voetbal/162/results/

Criminals Influence the Functioning of 34 Municipalities

In an inquiry in which 211 Dutch mayors – more than half the total number of the country's mayors – participated, it was found that forty-one of them suffer from verbal or physical violence several times a year. A few are assaulted several times a month. In thirty-four municipalities, criminals influence the functioning of the municipality.

www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/24023337/___Crimineel_ondermijnt_gezag___.html

 

 

Limburg: Subsidiary of Dutch State Railways involved in Fraud

Two managers of the Qbuzz/Abelio firm, a subsidiary for bus-services of the Dutch State Railways have been found involved in fraud, concerning a tender for bus services in the province of Limburg. The province has to decide at the end of May how to proceed concerning the tender. One possibility is that the bus company Arriva, which came second in the tender, will be awarded the concession. Another possibility is that the tender will be reissued. Experts expect that whatever procedure is chosen will lead to court cases.
www.ovpro.nl/special/2015/05/04/nooit-sprake-van-level-playing-field-bij-ov-concessie-limburg/

Chinese Authorities Investigate Possible Corruption of Philips

Chinese authorities have started an investigation of Philips in China in view of possible corruption in the medical sector.  Last year, there was an investigation of Siemens conducted by the authorities in order to determine whether there was corruption in buying expensive parts for some medical devices.  Bloomberg news service now says that Siemens, Philips and General Electric, together control 80% of the medical device industry in China. Last year, the pharmaceutical firm Glaxo-Smith-Kline was fined almost $500 million dollars due to bribes paid in order to sell pharmaceuticals. The investigation of Philips in itself, however, should not be confused with actual corruption.

https://fd.nl/ondernemen/1102654/ook-medische-divisie-philips-voorwerp-van-onderzoek-in-china

Much Criticism of the Netherlands by Foreign Tourists

A study conducted by the Dutch Bureau of Tourism found complaints about public transport, the high prices, poor information, and unfriendly Dutchmen.  Three out of five visitors consider that improvements are very necessary, even though 85% enjoyed their stay in the Netherlands.  According to many tourists, Dutch hotels and restaurants are more expensive than in other countries.  Also, they believe that the cuisine could become more varied.  Due to the chip card system of payment, the transport sector is a problem.  Many visitors are shocked by the huge number of cyclists in Amsterdam. Some tourists speak of bicycle terror.

http://www.telegraaf.nl/reiskrant/23973200/__Botheid_tergt_toeristen__.html

Many Dutch Children Go to School Hungry and Dirty

Many hundreds of Dutch school children come to school without having eaten breakfast, unwashed and in tattered clothes.  These results were taken from research conducted by RTL on Dutch elementary schools.  160 elementary schools reported a total of 1,100 cases of children which do not get their basic needs met at home, such as enough food and decent clothes.  When they arrive to school, they are not bathed and their teeth are not brushed.  The 160 schools have mentioned that they have 1-20 such children in their school. The phenomenon is nationwide.  Poverty often plays a role, as well as alcoholism and parental neglect.  Also, in rich families, parents are sometimes so busy that the children have nothing but junk food for breakfast.

http://www.volkskrant.nl/dossier-onderwijs/veel-kinderen-met-honger-naar-school~a3997044/

New Book: Dutch Children Increasingly Narcissistic

Jan Derksen, professor of clinical psychology at the Radboud University, in Nijmegen, has published a new book.  In it, he claims that Dutch children are becoming increasingly narcissistic, and are no longer used to dealing with reality.  They are used to being brought by car to their piano courses or to the sports club.  They no longer need to bicycle through the rain.  According to Derksen, the fact that they are so spoiled, and cannot weather misfortune, are the main reasons why the mental healthcare costs of Dutch society have doubled from 3 to 6 billion euros per year. 40% of mental health patients of this GGZ Program are less than 25 years old.

http://www.omroepgelderland.nl/web/nieuws-1/2090662/verwende-kids-jagen-maatschappij-op-miljardenkosten.htm#.VUXfmfmqpBc

Freedom Party: Groningen Should Forbid Hate-Imam from Preaching

The Saudi hate-Imam, Sheikh Adel al-Kalbani, is scheduled to hold a sermon on May 5^th, on Dutch National Liberation Day, in Groningen.  He has been invited to speak by the Islamic Center of Groningen.  The local Freedom Party wants the municipality to forbid this, saying, “he gets one day after Memorial Day, and on National Liberation Day, the opportunity to live out his hatred against Jews and Christians.” 

http://nieuws247.com/news/pvv.groningen.niet.blij.met.komst.haatimam

People Suffering from Noise Pollution from Air Traffic Sue the Dutch Government

About 180 people who live in Schinveld, close to the AWACS airport in Gelsenkircen over the German border, are taking the Dutch government to court over the amount of noise pollution generated by the airport. Each plaintiff is suing for 1,500 euros per year. As the noise concerns a significant number of years, the total amount of the claim is 8 million euros. The claim is based on earlier payments to people living close to Schipol Amsterdam airport, and Maastricht-Aachen airport.

http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/23960761/__Claim_omwonenden_AWACS__.html